Is it realistic to own my own scuba diving equipment?
I am about to start taking my scuba classes to be a registered diver, but i have been hearing that most scuba enthusiasts rent and do not own their tanks and equipment. I was really excited to own my own equipment, so i was wondering how expensive it is and how hard it is to maintain. Also, if new equipment is out of my price range, is it a good idea to buy used?
Most scuba enthusiasts will own their equipment. If I am diving 400-600 times per year, I want to have faith in my gear not some random rental gear. I know what use/abuse my gear has seen, and I know the maintenance record of my gear. I also know that if my gear is acting "funny", I know something is wrong instead of a random trait of a piece of rental gear.
You can usually get a full set of gear (including tanks and weights) for around $2000 to $3000. Most of the gear only has maintenance requirements of rinsing the items off in fresh water and hang to dry.
Regulators will need to be serviced annually. Tank are required to be inspected yearly and tested every five years.
I own all of my gear so I can go scuba diving with little to no notice. Many people will own everything except the tanks and weights. For recreational diving, traveling with tank and weights is prohibitive due to the airline regulations and costs. If I am going to the Carribbean, I will take a set of gear and the boat will provide the tanks and weights. If I am diving locally, the boats expect me to bring tanks and weights.
Most scuba enthusiasts will own their equipment. If I am diving 400-600 times per year, I want to have faith in my gear not some random rental gear. I know what use/abuse my gear has seen, and I know the maintenance record of my gear. I also know that if my gear is acting "funny", I know something is wrong instead of a random trait of a piece of rental gear.
You can usually get a full set of gear (including tanks and weights) for around $2000 to $3000. Most of the gear only has maintenance requirements of rinsing the items off in fresh water and hang to dry.
Regulators will need to be serviced annually. Tank are required to be inspected yearly and tested every five years.
I own all of my gear so I can go scuba diving with little to no notice. Many people will own everything except the tanks and weights. For recreational diving, traveling with tank and weights is prohibitive due to the airline regulations and costs. If I am going to the Carribbean, I will take a set of gear and the boat will provide the tanks and weights. If I am diving locally, the boats expect me to bring tanks and weights.
References :
No, your heard wrong.
Most divers OWN their own gear. Especially the enthusiasts. Novices may rent, but even most of them own.
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If you are looking into getting gear for your own, I would get maybe the basics (AKA personal gear) and use the gear they have for you wherever you’re taking lessons. personal gear would be: fins, booties, mask and snorkel, gloves, and depending on how cold the water is, a hood.
Through several years of diving, I’ve seen way too many people get super excited, and buy ALL the gear right off the bat, dive for maybe a month, and eventually decide they don’t like it anymore. It turned up to only be a waste of money.
After a little while, when you’re sure you’re going to stick with it, then those people who bought all thier gear, and used it once, will give you an awesome price, just because it’s used. Also, when you understand more about the differenceces in even the same piece of gear, but different style or manafacturer, that’s going to help in buying "used once in pool" eqipment.
I’ve gotten some really crazy deals from craigslist. Sure, they were used, but when you know enough, you know if it’s still a good piece of equipment or not. It’s also pretty easy to get people to really lower their prices on craigslist, especially if you point out something "wrong" (whether it is or not), and you "sound" like u know what you’re talking about (even though that may not be the case).
So basically, for your best interest, buy the basics for now, and rent till you get certified. That way you don;t waste your money. And don’t buy anything VERY used. If it has been used a couple times recently, you should be pretty safe.
References :
NAUI Master Diver
It’s a matter of preference and economics. As a general rule of thumb though you definitely want to buy your own regulator, mask, fins and snorkel. You might also want to consider buying your own wetsuit as well if you’ll be diving in cooler waters.
References :
http://divelogin.com/