completely new, long story

i may have posted this in the wrong section, if so feel free to move

my name is rupert and im a complete newb...........

the story is, due to an accident in the army in 2005, i was medically discharged in march 2006, and my ressetlement was deffered, this expires in march 2008.

and i got a bit of a bee in my bonnet about having to use this before it expires (wasted opurtunities and all that):rolleyes:

i am tottaly into reef keeping, and have a 1200 ltre marine system in my dining room, and thought i want to be part of that,

so i got myself onto a diving course in january 2008, for 5 weeks, in Dahab

i have done some try dives whilst in the army, so i thought this is the route that i want to take.

so ive started to aquire some equipment, and i would like any opinions or advice of any additional gear i may require

so far i have

scubapro kinetix fins

oceanic FDX10 regulator, delta 4 with an alpha 8 octopus, with triple consol

oceanic probe lx BCd

oceanic neo 2 mask (may change for Mares, liquid skin)?

oceanic dry snorkel

typhoon booties, zip

suunto ghekko (next month)

citizen aqualand promaster 2 watch

would like advice on, the following

which wetsuit (preferably, twinset, 5mm shorty with 5mm full) ish?

weight belts?

accessories, knife etc

holdall bag etc

and anything else that i may have missed, all advice is very much welcome

kind regards

rupert

I would say return everything that you can. Buy an inexpensive mask, fins (and booties if needed), snorkel and weight belt with a nice metal buckle. MAKE SURE EVERYTHING FITS YOU PROPERLY! Use the gear they provide in the class. Rent all of your gear for your first 25 dives or so until you figure out which direction diving is going to take you. By that time you will have a better understanding of the equipment and your needs out of that equipment.

It seems like you are doing the classic putting the wagon before the horse. It also sounds like you are reading a lot of the ads in your scuba magazines and such. Don't do that, as they are trying to sell you things you don't want or need. Those ads are made by marketing people and not divers.

I hope you are not discouraged by what I am saying to you, I am just trying to keep you from spending a ton of money for gear you are going to end up replacing with the proper gear later.

If you have any more questions or need additional details, let me know as I would love to help you out.

Hey Abyss,
Welcome to the boards.

I agree with what Ace has said. I don't know how many dives you've done altogether, but getting the equipment before knowing whether this 'hobby' is right for you and whether you can continue doing it.

Either follow Ace's advice (he's been diving for ages and knows his stuff) or stick with the gear that you've got already - don't get any more, for now. Do as much diving as you possible can - rent out the equipment and learn more about diving in general, either asking at your LDS, your instructor, or asking questions on here, or just reading through the threads and gaining more information (I know that might sound boring, but you have to listen to aquire knowledge)

I haven't been diving for very long either, so am in a similar boat (no pun intended) and i'm on the verge of buying a wetsuit, fins and booties.....which seems daunting to me at the moment.

HTH

thanks for the replys, ace and lottie.

im purely interested in the diving for recreational purposes and hobby orientated, this is not a carreer path, and also have quite a few freinds at master instructor level(padi) who ive gon too for advice, i know this is the route i want to go down, as the try dives ive done in the past, in the army i was realy at ease with it, i just never took up the opurtunity to go further until now.

i did buy the equipment, for the sole purpose of going out there for the 5 weeks, maybee to DM level, so as ive got an all round good peice of kit, that i will become familiar with and that will take me through the various stages in diving

im also very interested in continuing to dive in the uk, portsmouth, plymouth etc and intend on joining one of the many clubs in my local area

as for the DM course, i suppose its how quickly i can pick things up and how compfortable i feel, as to how far i will go, but i may do my open water in UK, portsmouth, before going out to egypt

so as when i go out in january, i already have an understanding of my own equipment and it will give me more time to concentrate on the rest of the course

also, i dont want to got out there to take a course, to then return in feb, thinking i know it all, far from it, i want to get as much Uk diving in as possible, and hopefull become an asset to any club that i do join, and build up that knowledge base.

thanks for the advice on the gear aswell

kind regards

rupert

Just a couple of points from your last post - correct me if i'm wrong, but are you going out to Egypt to do the DM course?
If you are, I would highly recommend doing the OW and the AOW before you go, and if you get time, the Rescue course - one it will cut down on the fees you'll have to pay.

Alternatively, you could do the OW and AOW over there. See how it goes, get a good number of dives under your belt (for the DM, you need to have done at least 60). Then think about doing the DM course.

If you're going to be diving in and around Pompey (how are the FC doing btw???), you'll probably need a drysuit or a VERY THICK wetsuit...very much different to diving in the tropics.

HTH

Cheers lottie,

luckily, im not paying a penny for the five week course, its all courtesy of the MOD as its ressetlement thats owed since i left the army, so realy its an oppurtunity not to be missed.

as for Pompey, well have to wait and see, as its the first day of the premiership season, starting tomorow, and its a long road ahead..

have you actually been to portsmouth?, if so , i hope you had some good times

all the best

rupert

Rupert,

First of all, welcome to the ScubaMagazine.net Community, and most importantly, a heartfelt thank you for your service as a patriot to our Country.

I too used to be an avid salt water reef tank hobbyist. Between the halide lighting, redox and ph probes, wet/dry trickle filters and Tunze power skimmers, I had a blast, as I got to play with tech equipment learning about the biology of the reef and the habits and relationships of its inhabitants and sit for hours on end watching the interaction. I once even had a pair of shrimp spawn. Who would have known the more pristine, healthy reefs had oxygen reduction potentials in the 400 range with the pondus hydrogenii of the water in the 8 range without being a reef tank hobbyist?! "Alex, I'll specific gravity for $800".

As to your equipment, between me you and the wall, as a guy, we all know you aren't going to return your equipment anymore then real men return Snap-On tools. Especially considering you got yourself a nice set of quality gear.

As long as you have the mental mindset to be a skilled diver, you are going to have an absolute blast. It will take at least several dozen dives before you start to feel somewhat more comfortable, but there WILL come a time where you know where each one of your levers, knobs, buckles, straps, clips and do-dads are without looking. You will stop fighting surge, you will stop trying to constantly stay perfectly upright or rotated to 12 o'clock, and you will start to become a little bit more as one with your environment.

Just wait till you can start to pay a little less attention to what you need to do as a diver to stay safe and spend a little more time observing the reef inhabitants. You will get there. With your background, you swim past things you've had in your tanks.

I took my love for macro reef inhabitants and now I capture it in HiDEf video as we swim in one big reef tank.

Hey Rupert,
Welcome!
It sounds like you have thrown your hat over the fence, and are scrambling over to go get it; nice job!

Feel free to report your progress and don't get discouraged by our hundreds of years of collected experience. (And our desire to share all of it with you!)
Just be yourself, ask questions, and practice, practice, practice!
Most of all, HAVE FUN!

Best fishes,
ASW

G'day and welcome aboard Rupert.
For my 2 cents worth id say learn in your local area. The condition will be more challenging but you will be used to them when you get back it wont be a total suprise. Tropical diving is a lot easier than cold water. The vis will be down youll have more rubber on and the stress levels can shoot up a bit.
As for the gear id second the others in saying dont jump into it just yet. Try out a lot of gear before you buy anything. No point buying a tec BC if alls you want to do is bubble around it the tropics on holidays. Same goes in the opposite if your thinking of going down the deep wreck or cave route then it may be worthwhile just getting the right setup.
If you are keen to do your DMs just take it steady and dont rush. It will still be there in a few years time. Get a lot of varied experience up. Dont do 1 dive 60 times just to get there and dont do 60 dives once. Get a good feel for the sites you may possibly lead on and get some time up in the water. How much experience can you have in 60 dives? How would you deal with panicy divers, freeflowing regs, lost fins buddys....... only experience will tell.
Just get comfortable with yourself underwater before you have to deal with someone thats uncomfortable.

Matt

Hey Rupert:

I did the same or simular thing as you've done. Take the classes with your own equipment and you become use to it and will get to like it since you have nothing to compare it to. I don't want to say equipment is equipment and it all does the same but as time goes on you will eventually notice those minute differences, or sometimes huge differences. Get to know your equipment and you will be fine, when the time comes to get you second round of equipment then start trying out other stuff.

G'day Rupert,
Hi from an expat Pompey boy.

I would definitely endorse what everyone has told you so far, take your time! yes you can do the "zero to hero in 6 weeks" route but you'll end up missing out on a lot of stuff while concentrating on training. If you are going to dive for a hobby then do your OW and then just go diving! Find out what it is like from a punters POV before you head for the giddy heights of DM "dive god". It'll give you an idea of both the good and the bad in the industry and will enable you to make much better choices farther on down the line.
I would also agree with Lottie and suggest that you take your OW in the UK prior to heading off for warmer climes. A couple of sessions in the cold and murk of Horsea, batting away the jellyfish while trying to nav from the lifeboat to the chopper will certainly give you an appreciation for the joys of warm water diving and will also prepare you for those days when conditions are, shall we say, "less than perfect". And yes, you can get them, even in the tropics!:(
Your kit, so far, all sounds fine. Make the most of the dive school rental gear until you get a better idea of where you want your diving to go and don't be afraid to ask other divers to justify their own choices before making your own. Never forget, for every n divers there are n+1 opinions and not one of them is "correct" for you.
Good luck, and don't forget to keep us all updated with your progress.



PS: If you are going to do any diving around the UK, do yourself a favour and get a drysuit, and the training to use one!:)

cheers for all the comments chaps

could be looking at a dip in horsea lake, (jellyfish pond)

and ill keep all updated with any progress

thanks again

regards

rupert

Hey Rupert, I guess you know your own heart and mind. As you've already done some try dives, you have a pretty good notion of what it's all about.

No, don't get rid of your gear, and don't shortchange your plans. You can always NOT take on that next level of training, especially if you haven't pre-paid for it, but if you don't plan for it in terms of your time and expectations, it will be hard to fit it all in.

You'll have plenty of opportunity to do "fun" dives over a five-week period as you build up your logged-dive totals to qualify as a DM--as Lottie mentioned, there are minimums (for PADI it's 20 to begin DM training and 60 to be certified). At this point 60 dives may seem like a lot, but believe me, it is not. Many divers you would work with as a '60-dive-wonder' DM will have a great deal more experience (and maybe even skill) than you, but your knowledge will be specialized--in particular you will know the divesites very well by the end of your 5-week stay, and at the end of the day that is what I personally expect from a DM when I'm on holiday--a good guide, not a babysitter.

In terms of what gear remains for you to buy, I'd say use the dive center's wetsuits at first until you decide what model/thickness you are comfortable with--why drag stuff down there when you may not use it? Besides, dive pros go through wetsuits rather quickly compared to fun divers, which is not true for our other gear such as regs. You won't know whether you want a shorty, farmer john, or full, 3mm, 5mm or whatever until you get in the water. At most holiday dive areas weight belts and weights are supplied by the dive op. I only use what I own for shore dives and pool work, for example, and never take any on the charter boats. For local UK diving you might need these items, and maybe even your own tanks, but rarely at resort destinations like Dahab.

Hope that helps.

Just to say, from a non-Dive Professional point of view, I plead guilty to owning all my own gear even before my check out dive. I learned to be suspicious of rental gear from my first pool session (when the BC straps gave way), reinforced by my first out-of-town, get-on-a-plane dive (when my regulator leaked). So I simply lug or chek-in a crate bag (with every piece of my trusty dive gear in it) to every Philippine resort I go to. I'm so used to it, I don't mind -- not even when my dive buddy simply brings her swimsuit :)

thanks for the advice and replys guys

much apreciated, im like a sponge at the moment, just soaking up the knowledge

regards

rupert

I'm going to echo Zero. I would rather have a good AO diver with 100 dives to his credit than a new DM with with 60. I have a fellow Firefighter buddy I went diving with for the first time last year in the Keys. He had his DM and I my AO.
The weather was bad and the seas choppy. (We were the only boat that went out that day) While decending, his reg started free flowing. He freaked! We barely got him back ing the boat. It was at this point that I found out that this was his FIRST DIVE IN THE OCEAN.:eek: So now when I hear others on the boat brag about being a DM I just sit and chuckle to myself.
Take your time and learn to love the sport before becoming a scuba god. Gl and stay safe.

Thank you for your service! You have some fine gear and I would tell you depending on where you will do most of your diving will dictate your suit selection! If you plane on cold water diving I would tell you your Dry or Wet suit is the most important thing you can buy! Sounds funny with all the top notch gear, gut if your not comfortable in winter or cold water you won't dive no matter how good your equipment is. The cheapest reg has to breath at a minimum standard etc etc etc, but if you and your gear sit all winter in the garage the it doesn't matter. I own a custom wet suit and a Bare Dry suit and both have come in handy and I dive year round. Unless you have an "Off the Rack" body get a custom suit up two or starting at 3mm or thicker. I have both 3mm and a 7mm and you can mix and match. I did Public Safety Diving for 6 1/2 years and all the combos cam in handy! The rest of the equipment I would agree wait until you have some experience and talk to a few people who really dive often! Good Luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Phlocker

I'm going to echo Zero. I would rather have a good AO diver with 100 dives to his credit than a new DM with with 60. I have a fellow Firefighter buddy I went diving with for the first time last year in the Keys. He had his DM and I my AO.
The weather was bad and the seas choppy. (We were the only boat that went out that day) While decending, his reg started free flowing. He freaked! We barely got him back ing the boat. It was at this point that I found out that this was his FIRST DIVE IN THE OCEAN.:eek: So now when I hear others on the boat brag about being a DM I just sit and chuckle to myself.
Take your time and learn to love the sport before becoming a scuba god. Gl and stay safe.

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You are right on! I was told about an instructor that had to be saved in the Great Blue Hole! I was her first time in the Ocean! If you don't know how I feel, Diving makes divers not cards!