Scuba Diving -

Realistically any of the major players make excellent gear.  I use a ScubaPro set of regs, that I've had since I first began diving around 10 years ago.  The only change I made in the set up was recently to take off the octo and convert the BC inflater to accomodate an octo as well (part of my streamlining the gear, as I also switched to a hoseless computer system - the compumask, which cost me almost as much as my carbon fiber bike the year before).  I might try a few in the shop to see what felt like it breathes easiest for you.

BC's are more dependent on the type of diving you plan to do.  I started out doing mostly wreck diving, so I have a rigid backplate BC. I just got a soft one for tropical dives, but I seriously considered going with a backplate/wing set up.  More expensive, but potentially more configurations out of it. 

I would not get the gear on-line - BC's should be tried on for comfort; and you should try to support your LDS - there are fewer of those and fewer divers than LBS and cyclists.  Plus you may get a good deal - one of the shops I go to will offer free lifetime inspection and hydro of any tank you get from them.

Once you get comfortable with the diving itself, there is a world of gearing up available - I just added a videocamera to my dive supplies. Not to mention all my various configurations for different dive conditions, night dives, etc. 

Good suggestions on buying gear but I suggest renting until you decide diving is a regular pastime. I recently refreshed after 30 yrs out of the water. I'll dive some more and I will buy my own regulator to start, then add as the enthusiasim and weightloss dictates. I already have mask, snorkel, fins.

I've got about 1000 dives since 2000, although very few in the last couple years due to tri trainin/racing. It's my opinion that you should not get an integrated BC inflator/safe second. I could get into specifics if you want (and due respect to jim an gearboy above) but those devices solve nonexistent problems and introduce unnecessary new ones, and adds complexity in mechanics and technique at the exact time you don't need additional task loading. I dive California kelp fields and am about as streamlined as they come, one less hose isn't the answer to that issue. OK, off my soapbox.

Atomic and scubapro are both very good, as is apeks. there are others, the most important things are your price range, reliability and servicability, both at home and on vacation. I'd second the recommendation for a backplate and wing system. Not necessarily more expensive than a traditional BC, and likely less as it will probably last longer. You'll probably look at them and say "too technical," but it's really not. Fantastic for recreational diving.

Just don't think about taking a camera underwater unless you want to spend ALL yor money.

eta: i have about 300 dives in a soft bc and the rest in some sort of backplate. in my experience the backplartr style holds the tank more securely. ymmv. Another huge benefit of a steel backplate (have an aluminum one for warm water diving) is you need less ditchable weight. i dive with 4 pounds on a belt in a 7 mil wetsuit, and 8 pounds in a dysuit

Edited by ChrisM 2010-01-30 6:25 PM

Chris - I'd agree that there is a an added burden of technique using an integrated second.  I don't know if I agree about the more complex mechanics, but my point was more that the equipment is durable.  As I said, any major brand should do, meeting as you point out the issues of reliability and servicability. 

Cost for backplate and wing systems (new, at least), when I was looking around recently, is about double that of a more traditional BC system.  I will say that my buddy scored up a nice pair of wing set ups off craigslist pretty cheaply (which is how he does everything - he also recently got himself a few sets of regs and tanks, including an old, old, old tank that was literally a converted fire extinguisher that had been used for ages by the original owner, as well as one of those old style double hose systems.  I hope he doesn't try diving with those antiques!!!). They might amoratize out better than the traditional style, but by that reasoning, he might go for HP steel tanks first rather than the more common aluminum 80's.  Not that it would be a bad idea, if he has the cash to spare. He might even be able to totally ditch weights with steel 120's or 130's.

Oh and until the OP feels comfortable with just maintaining bouyancy and control, don't get even a cheap camera.  Task overload is a real issue.  Of course, then you will want to get a camera.  Then a better camera,  a video camera, a better video camera...

Just looked at some prices, and you're right. Depending on what you get BP can be a lot more....

Cool thing about BP and wings is that a backplate is a backplate is a backplate. I bought my steel one on ebay, and my aluminum one from a guy that makes them in Louisiana. Replacement straps were 2" webbing. The wing is the expensive part, but if made well it should last several years. A complete rig from a place like Deep Sea Supply (which makes good wings) https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?&page=rig_configurator is about $470. A Zeagle Ranger, for example, >$500 http://www.amazon.com/Zeagle-Ranger-Buoyancy-Compensator-System/dp/...

There are cheaper BP and wings, and cheaper BCs, guess it's what you're in the market for. But a BP and wing is going to last a lot longer, and is more adaptable to different diving environments (as you know). Plus they're just damn comfortable underwater, feels as if you're not wearing anything (and they tend to position your body better than traditional or back inflate BCs)

And spot on about the camera, don't start until: (1) you have buoyancy control and (2) you have, make, or can steal enough money to continually buy the next new DSLR and new housing, lights, arms, flash cards, netbook, photoshop... etc etc etc

And I love my steel tanks.

ETA - you bring up a good point as to what to buy when. Most everyone I know and dive with bought traditional BCs and aluminum tanks because that's what their instructor taught them (and probably tried to sell them thru the shop.) Then they bought BP/wing setups and steel tanks. Cheaper just to buy the right stuff first, eh?

Damn. now I want to go diving

Edited by ChrisM 2010-01-30 9:42 PM

I'm heading to Bonaire in 2 weeks!  Woo Hoo!

I still run with my aluminum 80's.  Thinking of getting steel tanks, but I'm getting mixed advice about going slightly smaller (100's) or larger (130's).  Plus if I get rid of the LP tanks, I have to have another plan for filling my paintball tank.  Dang, I think I have too many hobbies!

Not to mention that my 7 mm suit is showing its age, and I might want to switch to dry. Geez, I think the diving IS more expensive than tri...

You all are killing me.  When I lived in San Diego, I worked for a scuba shop teaching swimming, spring board diving, and yes syncronized swimming, as well as pre scuba in the pool.  We dove the La Jolla Cove (a protected underwater park), La Jolla Shores down 100 feet into the San Andreas fault, and every weekend in Baja (Mexico).

Now in Las Vegas, the only water is Lake Mead, not much to see except for beer bottles, mud and maybe a dead body or two of Las Vegas history. (just kidding, I think)

I sure do miss the ocean.

I have 2 sets of regs and BC if your interested in buying.  Don't know what size you are but PM me if your interested.  Enjoy...your class is money well spent

Yes, i'm interested! To be honest what they said in above paragraphs looks like Mandarin Chinese to me right now lol. Trying to do as much research as possible, and figure out what all this stuff is. Kinda like when I first got into cycling and didn't know the difference between all the different Shimano components, etc. Because of this site learned quick and have been reading one or two dive sites, so hopefully it'll sink here also.

I'm 6'2 - 200 -

Thought I understood it all, with BC, etc but what is the difference between Wings, etc. There a beginnerscubadiver.com? Honestly, i'm getting into this with a group of people so hopefully the group atmosphere helps. Most, are entry level like myself, but the local dive shop seems to be a pretty tight nit group.

Edited by thomas1999 2010-01-31 11:23 AM

Sorry - we forgot about the initial post, and got too excited talking about dive gear.
There is a big site - ScubaBoard.com, that has a lot of good information. I don't find it as intimate as BT, where I feel like I know many of the people, but then again, I don't spend a ton of time there.
Divers are pretty close, but (in my experience) unlike cyclists, they are very welcoming of newcomers.  As long as you like to dive, and don't do foolish things, you fell pretty welcome usually.  And by foolish, I mean know your limits and stay within them.  I've been the guy to pull short on a dive due to my tanks being smaller, and I've been the guy who could go longer.  Either way, it's always been cool.  Feel uncomfortable with the depth, or the conditions?  No problem. You'll usually get some helpful advice - my last dive in South Carolina, my mask wasn't sealing right (it was a little flipped under) and I got spooked (even though it was my 3rd or 4th trip there).  I surfaced, got it fixed, and the guy guiding the trip told me to just hang on for a while until my breathing slowed with no one seeming to be upset or annoyed.  Anyway, my point is that hanging with the dive shop guys, especially on a dive or two will help you feel much more a part of them.

Anyway, to convert the mandarin back to english - regs = regulators; octo = the spare regulator for use in emergency.  Most BC's use a LP (low pressure) hose to inflate them.  You can manually inflate them as well, and sometimes people (or the BC manufacturer) puts an octo on the BC inflator as another back-up.  You can still have the octo, or do what I did and ditch the octo (but like Chris said, don't do that until you have a lot of comfort with your skill set, since there is a big difference in the way you share air when you do).
BC's for most tropical or rec (recreational) diving are very soft, and have few rigid parts.  Tech (technical) diving BC's have more metal D-rings for attaching stuff, and have a more rigid, often plastic (or metal) backplate to support the greater weight of the tanks (doubles - 2 tanks yoked together), or larger steel HP (high pressure) tanks.  Backplate and wing systems speparate the components - so you get a separate metal backplate (that looks a little like a small shield) out of metal - either aluminum (light weight) or stainless steel (more rigid for tech diving or cold water diving with greater demands put on it). You buy a separate harnass (sets of straps), and wings (inflatable C-shaped or O-shaped tube that will hold the air to provide lift.  The bigger the wing, the greater the lift.  The advantage is if you dive in varying conditions, you can get different wings for the appropriate dive - e.g. smaller wings for tropical dives, bigger ones for deep cold dives to collect/scavage from wrecks in the North Atlantic.
Most people start out either renting tanks, or buying the aluminum 80's (80 cubic feet of air).  These are LP (low pressure) tanks, and cost on average about half of a similar size steel HP (high pressure) tank.  They also use a different valve (yoke on LP, DIN on HP).  You can get a reg converted from one to the other, and can get adaptors to use a DIN first stage on a yoke tank. Stell tanks are negatively bouyant, so you can use less weight on the dive itself.  Also, if you get a larger tank, you have more air.  The HP also holds more air, such that a steel HP 100 will hold about 1.5 times the air of a LP 80. 
Tanks all need to be inspected visually every year and hydro's (hydrostatic) tested every 5.  There are stickers and marking on the tank to tell you whether it is in compliance.  If it is out of date, the shop should not be filling it. Anyway, a shop that throws that in is saving you money every year you dive. Regs should also be serviced regularly to maintain the warranty (and be safe).

It is easy to get overwhelmed with all the options, and of course, when you are starting out, you may not have any idea what kind of diving you want to do.  So renting different gear makes some sense at first.  Of course, there  is also something to be said for owning gear, not the least of which is the opportunity to own gear to get intimately familiar with the operation of that specific gear so you know what to expect and what to do when underwater. 
Task overload is possibe in diving, no matter how long you have been doing it. Everytime you try a new kind of diving, or add new gear, or change configurations, you are adding tasks.  The first 40-50 dives should be spent just getting comfortable with diving.  Then you can think about things like taking pictures, or exploring wrecks, or spearfishing (I haven't done that yet).  The main thing is to know your comfort level.  I usually try new things out when I go to my quarry dives, since it is not too deep, and very familiar to me.  If I lived somewhere with warm clear water, I would practice there.  But I don't.

Hope that helps! 

BC's require maintainence as well, though most people forget about that. I would get the regs ahead of a BC, even for the occasional diver. You can be more certain that the maintainence is up to date (unless you rent them from your LDS, and know they are doing a good job.  I've stopped using the one shop since they botched up my first stage and I had to bail on my diving that day. I would not trust them anymore to maintain my equipment, and will go 30-40 minutes out of my way to one of the other shops. And I wouldn't rent from them knowing what I know now).

If you do rent the regs, I would invest in my own mouthpiece.  Cheap, and lightweight. And better than "sharing" the mouthpiece with all the divers who have rented the gear ahead of you.  Yuck!