Centurion

For some time I've been dry and out of the water and have a hankering to go get wet again and maybe hit up a couple of liveaboards this year but am in need of a few items of kit which have seen better days.

So, rather than enjoy the trawling of google on the matter I thought I would turn to those who know, so any great finds please ?

Must confess am tossing up getting some kit sent from the UK given prices here but you never know.

Thanks in advance.

simnmax

Dive imports from erina On the central coast near us seem to be One of the biggest mail order & Internet shops, not done it yet but me & son max will be doing our open water course with them.
Sim

Centurion

Thank you. I'm sure you'll enjoy your open water. It really does open a new world and is perhaps one of the better things I ever did in my life. Too many good memories to keep me out of the sea long.

cresta57

Dive imports in Perth. Excellent service on everything I've bought.
If you need expensive kit get a price from the divers warehouse in the U.K, then compare it with DiveImports.com
Annaconda are very expensive even when the stock is "on sale"

Scubaemma

I buy everything from the UK. Seems to be miles cheaper.

Centurion

Your probably right. I thought for a moment there would be some gem that someone has found but alas it seems I may just have to do exactly that. The exchange rate is of course especially kind as well

spottydog

Get everything apart from tanks (and maybe weights ) from the UK/US. For tanks go to Dive Imports in Perth (watch out another dive imports website tends to win a Google search).

Everything here is limited by the importer (often Aquanauts) who seem to make up to the cost here over twice the cost of importing yourself from abroad even when the dollar is closer to 2.50 than the 1.60 it is now.

Scubaemma

Oh yeah, don't buy tanks from overseas. Different standards here so need to get local (Aus) tanks.

Enjoy

Centurion

For thread posterity reasons I have ended up ordering some kit through :

www.scubadiving.com.au and went to visit the shop there which is huge stocked warehouse affair with a serious amount of kit and shelf stock in it, the most I have found here in Brisbane. Whilst they only really concentrate on Oceanic, Mares, Cressi (eww), Beauchamp (wash your hands after touching please) and a few others, I had a good chat to one of the guys there who dished a lot of dirt on the Brisbane dive scene, instructor to instructor.

Essentially I've moved from Scubapro to Oceanic because they have moved to lower Au prices because of the US Dollar whereas Scubapro have not. Also ongoing service costs are considerably less expensive, which is a huge factor as I've found out to my detriment over the last couple of years trying to get my kit serviced.

User replaceable batteries in the dive computer range puts an end to having to get ripped off every year for a $3 battery ending up as a $120 job, free service parts for 18 months and even then comparatively easy to get hold of cheap service kits makes it an easy choice.

Matched the prices up against three of the cheapest in the UK and even with the exchange rate was, wait for it...cheaper to buy here once delivery was factored in although they will match any price you can find.

I know the Fiji sharks will be flattered being filmed by a well dressed diver. Now all I have to do is to get it looking as beaten up as by last kit, which took about a decade. Hate getting used to new kit, but needs must.

Anyhow - hope the link helps someone not get too fleeced here.