HUP

I'm doing my open water course next month and for the course all equipment is included. After the course I would like to start diving straight away but don't want to keep throwing money away on hiring gear. I also can't afford to blow the next couple of months wages.

Initially I will be doing diving around Victoria (Not the best state for diving I know) so could someone advise me on the following

1) The minimum amount of kit that I should be buying
2) The nice to haves but not essential
3) The best makes and rough price guides

I've seen plenty of sites with this sort of info on but its a bit of personal experience and advice I'm after

downunderpom

I use ScubaPro for my BCD, fins and regs (both normal and nitrox.) My instructor works for ScubaPro, so I ended up using his kit during my training and just stuck with it. Good stuff. My semi-tech BCD is a Blackhawk. Don't remember the manufacturers name...

As part of your training, try out various bits of kit. Other divers are usually only too happy to discuss the merits / demerits of the kit they use.

downunderpom

Oh yeah, essentials:

BCD
regs
mask
snorkel
fins & boots
wetsuit
weights / belt

Hire your tanks to start.

Nice to have / essential

dive computer
dive bag

Nice to have

tool kit (spares)
tank
torch
knife

and whatever, off into the realms of underwater cameras, dive housings for your video, yadda yadda....

HUP

Thanks for that Downunder. I've been doing a bit of research and I think i'm gonna have to get some overtime in

walaj

I would say the very basics are
mask that fits - nothing worse than a leaky mask during a dive (hold mask to face (without straps) breath in through nose, if it stays on face = good fit)

fins (better to get the strap on ones requiring boots) & snorkel

thus you can go snorkelling without having to hire gear

Houdini

Diving virgin here,

I'm interested in eventually doing a diving course so that I can "hit" the sea when I get to Queensland later in the year.

Could someone give me a run down of exactly what is required from being a complete beginner to actually swimming with Nemo and friends in the open sea.

Cheers

Colin

downunderpom

Hi Colin

Short answer to this question is 'no'.... to give you a complete rundown, as requested, would be to cover the course for PADI Open Water Diver

Have a look at http://www.padi.com - they do it a lot better than I could

Houdini

Cheers for that. Found a website for my local dive centre which outlined the courses they offer. Worked out that to get to open water status would cost me around £600 for the courses.

Will take a look at the PADI website.

Cheers

Colin

downunderpom

Hmmmm... that sounds expensive, but maybe the prices have gone up since I took my first dip. I'll email my UK instructor and see what price he charges for the basic OWD course, with kit, and let you know. He's in the SE of England, but I'll also ask him if he knows any instructors in the Wirral.

Sorry! Make that Essex! (He's near Basingstoke.)

Houdini

The Scuba Diver course is £199 and the Open Water course is £349, although there's an upgrade course from Scuba to Open Water that costs £199 -

downunderpom

Is that PADI or BSAC?

(Off to bed now, will continue with this tomorrow)

Houdini

PADI

Vee

Houdini,

Why not just doing your open water course when you get to Oz? We did it in Airlie Beach with PADI and you only spend 2 days in a pool and then 3 days in the open sea in the Great Barrier Reef - so bascially you get to "hit the open seas" almost straight away.

I don't know where in Qld you are going, but doing it this way is such a good introduction to Australian seas, diving etc.

I can't remember how much we paid in 2000 - it must have been around AUS$300 each, but considering you are spending 3 days/2nights on a boat and it includes all meals as well as the course itself, we didn't see it as being that bad. Of course it all depends on your own situation (family/kids/job). But it's a thought anyways.

Just make sure you have a medical test done first.

V

Houdini

Cheers V,

Might consider doing just the Scuba here then, as you suggest, the open water course in Oz - we've got two small kids, so will have to work around that. We're heading Coolum way initially.

downunderpom

I've PM'd you the details.