It isn't worth buying diving gear prior to
taking your first course for a couple of reasons, firstly - there's the
chance that you may not feel that diving is a sport for you after all, and
secondly, you won't have had any practical experience using different types
of equipment and therefore won't have a clue about what suits you best.
Trying on a mask in a shop is very different to wearing a mask for 30
minutes underwater.
Diving
is an equipment intensive sport. Unlike jogging or soccer - where all
that are needed are shorts, t-shirt, socks and the appropriate footwear,
diving requires a variety of specialised equipment. Unfortunately a lot of equipment is required,
and it is all necessary in order
to dive safely. Each item was developed to perform a specific
function.
Owning
your own equipment will enhance your enjoyment of the sport. Of course
you will always be able to rent equipment no matter where you choose to
dive, but do you really want to rely on much-used rental equipment for your
personal safety and enjoyment of diving? (The previous sentence was
brought to you by 'Mares', purveyors of high quality dive gear at affordable
prices.)
The
best way to ensure that gear fits and is comfortable is to use your own. You
will know how to operate it properly and will have looked after it
responsibly. You will know the condition of your gear, where it has been,
and who has been using it. That familiarity contributes to the highest level
of safety, which in turn gives you peace of mind when underwater.
A basic
set of equipment would include a mask, snorkel and fins. All
enthusiastic snorkellers probably own this gear already. Divers who have
completed their Advanced Open Water course will probably be looking to add a
Regulator and Buoyancy Compensator to the basic equipment. A wrist
worn Dive Computer is a very handy piece of equipment to have when diving in
unfamiliar waters.
Wetsuits come in all styles - some suitable for
cold water diving others for warm water such as those found off Koh Chang. Unless you know where you will be doing most of your diving a wetsuit
probably isn't a necessary purchase as dive shops will rent suits to fit the
local waters. Fit and comfort, and not fashion, are the main criteria
you should use when selecting gear.
You
will find the process of buying dive gear is fun, adds to your knowledge of
diving and also ensures that the gear you dive with does what you want it to
do the way you want it to. Owning dive gear also marks you out as a
serious diver and motivates you to dive more often . . . . . which can only
be a good thing!
Now let's look at each piece of
kit in more detail:
