Over the past few articles on diving, we’ve been discussing so much technical information that I thought it would be a good time to open a dialogue about equipment. Whether you’re a seasoned diver, or if all of the cool gadgets we keep talking about have you excited to get started, you can benefit from the following information.
The most important piece of advice I can offer is plainly, do your research. Charlatans exist in diving as they do anywhere else. Money can be traded for goods and services, so be prepared to say “no” to an instructor or shop owner. It’s important to think carefully about some of these purchases, due to their learning curves or their relatively large price tags.
As we move forward here, I’d like to point out that I have personally used every style of kit we’re going to talk about. This doesn’t make me the authority on which piece of kit you should go with, but it does mean I have experience and knowledge about it.
My knowledge here pertains to my experience in the USA, Russia and Ukraine, so you may have different vendors in Europe, Australia, etc. As I list items, it’s important to also remember that I’m not providing an exhaustive list of every single variant for each item. There may be hundreds of options, but I want to provide a solid foundation so that you have a better starting point on your SCUBA journey.
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