discount gear?

Hi,

I'm just beginning to learn about scuba diving, and don't
want to put much money into it until I find out if I'll want
to do much of it. Right now I'm looking for the best price
I can find on a BCD. I also need a weight belt...I've got
a wet suit and have been practicing snorkling... Can
anyone suggest where to get a good price on a BCD?
Used is fine with me.

Thanks for any help!
David
nopEda@bellsouth.net

dh@. wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm just beginning to learn about scuba diving, and don't
> want to put much money into it until I find out if I'll want
> to do much of it. Right now I'm looking for the best price
> I can find on a BCD. I also need a weight belt...I've got
> a wet suit and have been practicing snorkling... Can
> anyone suggest where to get a good price on a BCD?
> Used is fine with me.
>
> Thanks for any help!
> David
> nopEda@bellsouth.net
>

Used is fine. Borrowed or rented is even better until you have
enough experience to know what kind of gear you really want.

m

mike gray wrote:
> dh@. wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I'm just beginning to learn about scuba diving, and don't
>> want to put much money into it until I find out if I'll want
>> to do much of it. Right now I'm looking for the best price
>> I can find on a BCD. I also need a weight belt...I've got
>> a wet suit and have been practicing snorkling... Can
>> anyone suggest where to get a good price on a BCD?
>> Used is fine with me.
>> Thanks for any help!
>> David
>> nopEda@bellsouth.net
>>
>
> Used is fine. Borrowed or rented is even better until you have enough
> experience to know what kind of gear you really want.

Listen to Mike. He knows what he is talking about. And, you'll get the
same advise from others here that will mirror what Mike said. You can
always rent from your local dive shop (LDS) until you decide if this is
what you really want to do. And, if you only dive a couple of times a
year, rent.

Don't lissen to those boneheads!!!

Load up on a lot of really expensive gear now so that you can sell it
all at a big loss after one or two uses. I'll send you my size and a
list of the gear that you need after I check my garage to see what
I'll need for the coming season.

Seriously - You did get certified, or you are planning to, before
buying and scuba equipment, right?

The guys who responded - their advice is dead on. Try as many
different brands and models as you can before buying - and do support
your LDS.

Prices vary a lot with BCDs depending on the kind you want to buy and
the kind of diving they were designed for. It's a big purchase so you
might want to get to know what specialties interest you the most
before you spring for one. A technical diving BCD is a lot different
than a reef or warm-water BC and usually a lot more expensive. I'd
hate to see you buy one BC then have to get another one a season
later.

This is a good reason to suport your LDS. As you learn and grow as a
diver, they will be able to steer you to the right gear decisions. But
watch out for a shop that is too hot for you buy everything right
away. I'd recommend that, if you can, you take your Open Water course
and follow up immediately with Advanced and a specialty or two that
might catch your eye. It will get you into diving that suits you best,
quicker, and also make you a better diver, faster. If money is an
issue - try you best to find a dive club or a more experienced diver
to get some experience with. Either way, you'll enjoy the sport more
and keep improving your skills.

As for weight belts, I'd start with a cheap web belt until you figure
out what kind of BC you will be using. Your weights may be integrated
into your BC and you won't have spent too, too much on a web belt if
that is your choice.

Schultzie
www.zendiver.blogspot.com


On Sat, 21 May 2005 17:22:06 -0400, TonyP <arpierre@hooptonline.net>
wrote:

>mike gray wrote:
>> dh@. wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I'm just beginning to learn about scuba diving, and don't
>>> want to put much money into it until I find out if I'll want
>>> to do much of it. Right now I'm looking for the best price
>>> I can find on a BCD. I also need a weight belt...I've got
>>> a wet suit and have been practicing snorkling... Can
>>> anyone suggest where to get a good price on a BCD?
>>> Used is fine with me.
>>> Thanks for any help!
>>> David
>>> nopEda@bellsouth.net
>>>
>>
>> Used is fine. Borrowed or rented is even better until you have enough
>> experience to know what kind of gear you really want.
>
>Listen to Mike. He knows what he is talking about. And, you'll get the
>same advise from others here that will mirror what Mike said. You can
>always rent from your local dive shop (LDS) until you decide if this is
>what you really want to do. And, if you only dive a couple of times a
>year, rent.

"mbsdiver" wrote in message
news:r4q791teha8o044m3c1oq760dhal8avkg3@4ax.com...
> Seriously - You did get certified, or you are planning to, before
> buying and scuba equipment, right?

Bad idea... Buy the gear, dive for a few years, and *then* get certified if
you find that you really want to continue diving...

> Try as many different brands and models as you can before
> buying - and do support your LDS.

Damn Mormans...

I stand corrected. What was I thinking? Why buy the gear, at all?
Any real man can hold his breath for the average 45 minute reef dive.
Then you don't even need the tank, weight belt, bc and regulator. Or
the training. Deeper dives are usually shorter dives, so they're
inherently easier. Catch a few episodes of the old show 'Sea Hunt' and
you don't need training at all.

"C-Card? We don't need no steenking C-Card!"

On Wed, 25 May 2005 03:36:31 GMT, "Grumman-581" <grumman###@gmail.com>
wrote:

>"mbsdiver" wrote in message
>news:r4q791teha8o044m3c1oq760dhal8avkg3@4ax.com.. .
>> Seriously - You did get certified, or you are planning to, before
>> buying and scuba equipment, right?
>
>Bad idea... Buy the gear, dive for a few years, and *then* get certified if
>you find that you really want to continue diving...
>
>> Try as many different brands and models as you can before
>> buying - and do support your LDS.
>
>Damn Mormans...
>
>

LeisurePro.com has the best prices that I have found online. Their
sales staff can be a bit pushy so do your research first. Some people
don't have a local diveshop as an option. Rental gear can be a real
pain, I have rented so many leaky BCs it ain't funny. If you plan on
diving in the US and Canada it is best to buy your own gear. Overseas
rentals are quite inexpensive and you won't have to schlep all that
gear. Hope this provides some helpful information, have fun diving.

"T" <tjackm7@aol.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in:

:LeisurePro.com has the best prices that I have found online. Their
:sales staff can be a bit pushy so do your research first.

Pushy online sales staff? How does that work?

Dan Bracuk
If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.

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On 27 May 2005 16:40:11 -0700, "T" <tjackm7@aol.com> wrote:

>
>
>LeisurePro.com has the best prices that I have found online. Their
>sales staff can be a bit pushy so do your research first. Some people
>don't have a local diveshop as an option. Rental gear can be a real
>pain, I have rented so many leaky BCs it ain't funny. If you plan on
>diving in the US and Canada it is best to buy your own gear. Overseas
>rentals are quite inexpensive and you won't have to schlep all that
>gear. Hope this provides some helpful information, have fun diving.

Thanks to you people for your suggestions! I will go with the idea
of waiting to get a BCD, but will probably get a weight belt since I've
got a wet suit and have learned that I like snorkling pretty well. So
even if diving turns out to be more than I want to fool with, the weight
belt would be good for snorkling. I have a friend who will work with
me and teach me to dive, and he will let me borrow a BC enough to
find out how I feel about it. I'm worried about my ears since they have
always hurt when I get down around 10-12 feet, what's it going to be
like down deeper?

Thus spake Dan Bracuk <NOTbracuk@pathcom.com> :

>"T" <tjackm7@aol.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in:
>
>:LeisurePro.com has the best prices that I have found online. Their
>:sales staff can be a bit pushy so do your research first.
>
>Pushy online sales staff? How does that work?

Lots of emails. "I think you'll like xyz bcd better, and it's only a
few (100) dollars more".

>
>Dan Bracuk
>If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure.
>
>----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
>http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
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--
dillon
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.