What order should you buy your scuba diving equipment?
Don't buy all your scuba diving equipment at once!
You’ve just finished your Open Water course and are certified as an independent diver! Congratulations!
You might be tempted to buy a complete scuba diving equipment set and get to it.
In this blog post, we will explain what we feel is the best order to buy the different parts of scuba diving equipment and why.
What to consider when buying scuba diving equipment!
Remember, when you are a new diver, ask yourself an important question before purchasing your scuba diving gear.
Am I a holiday diver or will I be diving regularly at my local dive club?
If you are diving regularly at home, this guide will still apply to you, but it is very important to consider what diving conditions you will be diving in regularly.
If you are a holiday diver, which most of our customers are – This is the order we recommend buying your scuba diving equipment.
1. scuba diving mask
Importance
Having a good mask is the most important piece of equipment on your scuba diving journey.
When you have a mask that fits and that you can rely on, it can make the difference between a perfect dive and a dive of teary eyes, salty noses, and stress.
A mask is also super easy to bring with you on holidays and is perfect if you fancy snorkelling by yourself on your non-diving days.
A mask is a personal purchase. The most expensive mask is not the best mask for you. We have tested dozens of different masks in our dive center, and the two masks that are loved and fit 99 percent of clients are the Cressi Matrix and the Cressi F1.
The Cressi Matrix is perfect for divers with a normal to large face shape. For younger clients or those with more petite faces, we often recommend the Cressi F1.
We have links to purchase these masks at a great price from Amazon. We get a small commission if you purchase after clicking the link so we really appreciate the support.
2. Scuba diving computer
Importance
The second item on our list is a scuba diving computer.
Again, this is a lightweight, small item that can easily be brought with you on holiday.
The best things about having your own personal diving computer are:
- You know, on every dive exactly how it works
- You can keep track of your personal dives easily.
When you rent scuba diving computers, it may take you some time to get accustomed to the new functions. Having your own diving computer solves this.
Your own diving computer will also track your personal decompression limits, so if you are diving with different companies and renting different dive computers, this is something that is not possible unless you have your own personal computer.
You may not even have to log your dives so meticulously as your dive computer will log your dive profiles for you in a neat and orderly fashion.
Our go-to diving computer in our dive center is the Cressi Leonardo. We have tried many entry-level computers, and this is the most user-friendly and robust computer we have tried.
The Garmin desent is a watch-style dive computer with higher specifications and functionality, although it’s more expensive.
3. Scuba diving boots
Importance
This next item (Scuba diving boots) might come as a surprise to most of the readers.
Why scuba diving boots?
Well, not only are they incredibly comfortable if you get yourself a well-fitting pair. But rental boots, no matter how clean the dive center makes them, kinda stink.
Diving boots are also easy to take on holidays. Wouldn’t it be nice to think of putting your toseies into your own smelly boots instead of a pair of boots that were worn by hundreds of divers before you?
The diving boots we recommend for comfort and durability are the Cressi Isla and also the Seac Pro HD, which has a better sole for walking over any rocky terrain.
4. Regulator
Importance
The fourth item we would recommend purchasing is a scuba diving regulator.
This item is more expensive so this is why would would place it at fourth place on our list.
The advantages of having your own regulator are:
- You know for sure when it was serviced and how many dives it has
- You can adjust the breathing pressure to suit your comfort
- You do not need to worry about using a mouthpiece that was used the day before by a different diver. Although most dive centers will clean their regulators well after each use.
We use the Cressi AC2 in our dive center. This is a basic regulator that lasts well, has a nice ease of breathing, and is incredibly easy and cheap to service in comparison with higher-end regulators
Remember when buying regulators, they are mostly sold with just the first stage and the primary second stage . You will need to add an Octopus and an SPG to your order.
5. Scuba diving FINS
Importance
Cressi Origin LD
The fifth Item on our list is a pair of good scuba diving fins.
This item is not as expensive as scuba diving regulators, but they can be a bit bulkier to travel with. This is why they made it the 5th place on our list.
When you get used to a nice pair of fins, switching to a rental pair of fins feel completely wrong.
The cressi origin fins that we recommend are a copy of the RK3 fins. The Rk3’s are porobaly the most popular on the market. But Cressi has done an excellent job of recreating this fin at a better price.
The Cressi Origin has great power and control. Is perfect for normaly diving or even for maneuvering in smaller spaces such as caverns or wrecks.
The 6th and final item on our list is a scuba diving BCD.
Not because we don’t think it is important, but because they are expensive, heavy to carry in luggage, and are specific to each diver’s needs.
Getting a good BCD that fits you perfectly and you are completely sure of where every button, release, and clip is is something that is definitely worth investing in.
Many of our instructors are Leagues Ahead Diving recommend the SCUBAPRO Hydros Pro BCD. But there are many good choices on the market that might suit your personal dive style and diving conditions better
Conclusion
I hope this guide was of some use to you.
Remember, we don’t recommend buying everything at once after your Open Water certification.
Just start we the smaller items that will have the most impact on the comfort and safety of your dives, and then work your way up.
Thank you for reading, and if you prefer to watch videos instead of reading, we are starting to put out a lot more content on YouTube, so follow us there.
Happy bubbles!
Author: Sophie Keningale
Sophie Keningale works hard to share her passion for scuba diving through her blog posts and hopes to offer useful information for scuba divers and those holidaying in Gran Canaria. Sophie owns and operates Leagues Ahead Diving with her partner James and the center has been open since 2017.
