Where to buy gear
Submitted by silly on Tue, 2009-07-21 22:23
Just got my open water dive ticket and now looking for some dive gear. Which is the best shop to buy dive gear?? Probaly hoping not spend much more than a grand on bcd, reg, tank, guages etc...
Will i get anything decent on that budget??
I did my course overseas so cant wait to get into local waters
cheers
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Shoot me a message I have
Shoot me a message I have some spare dive gear I was waiting for spring to sell on.
kane
Posts: 1752
Date Joined: 07/12/08
A grand for that, doubt it mate
not new gear anyway.
A new cylinders 300 or more on its own...head in to PDA, they sell 1 year old ex rental gear which is top qaulity equipment and has been serviced prior to sale, they might be able to help you out with some of that stuff.
Thats where i go...they arent cheap mate but they sell really good qaulity equipment.
Gooooone Fishin!
Frank F
Posts: 481
Date Joined: 17/03/09
Dive imports
Scarbough beach rd.
They are on the net
www.diveimports.com.au
JJ
Posts: 9
Date Joined: 22/06/09
Dive Imports
Yep, i second that. I've bought bucketloads of gear there over the years, no complaints, good prices. ph: 08 9443 3580 and ask what they've got in.
deco1100
Posts: 18
Date Joined: 07/08/08
2nd hand gear
Silly congrats on finishing your open water course mate, now that you've got that ticket its only the start to your great new addiction.
Cheers
silly
Posts: 382
Date Joined: 02/01/09
ok cheers guys I'll check
ok cheers guys
I'll check out those options this weekend, I have a 4.5m boat so just need some gear and i can get in the water.
Btw what wrecks or structures are good for beginners which are close to hillarys or ocean reef??
cheers
tonyb
Posts: 188
Date Joined: 10/11/08
Lots of cheap stuff on ebay
Lots of cheap stuff on ebay but I would not risk that myself. PDA I would recommend also. Lots of GPS dive locations on the various dive sites inc pda.
Reefmonkey
Posts: 711
Date Joined: 22/09/08
diveimports
www.diveimports.com.au have a basic performance diver set up including 80cf catalina tank for $999. depending on how much u plan to dive tho, if u get right into ur diving it may pay to spend a bit more or go second hand for better gear.if u spend your grand and realise u'd prefer steel tanks, intergrated weights ect ect it's just gonna cost u more to upgrade in the end. that in mind my dive buddy has the basic performance set up and her kit goes everywhere my kit goes and does everything mine and every other kit can do.
p.s do u have a sounder on your 4.5?
Dave J.
muttdog
Posts: 10
Date Joined: 18/11/08
Hey Silly, Good stuff on
Hey Silly,
Good stuff on getting your open water! Me mate and I got our ticket this January and we are hooked!
My first tip. Make sure you only buy your gear once! therefore, don't go cheap just because it's cheap! Make sure its good quality and will meet your needs! e.g. go cheap if you are to dive once a blue moon, get good quality if you are gonna dive heaps.
One other tip! shop around...establish a price for the equipment....then approach you local dive shop. What we did was find the cheapest quoted price, then approach you local with your quote. They will be willing to match the price as they want your future business. You will also establish a valuable relationship with heaps of dive experience.
Enjoy i know you will.
Muttdog
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Good tip, I know my first
Good tip, I know my first set of gear was entry-level gear (cheap oceanic) and it wasn't very nice. I got rid of it pretty quickly and bought some nicer sherwood stuff.
Never buy the cheapest kit you can find, no one can do a good set for next to no money.
Buy a rear inflate BC as well, theycrap all over the jacket styles people use for courses.
silly
Posts: 382
Date Joined: 02/01/09
thanks for the response's,
thanks for the response's, appreciate everyones input
Didnt get a chance to check out the dive shops last weekend but will definately go this week.
yep the tinny has a sounder n hand held gps...
btw the way, i went out ont he boat on the weekend and saw the water temp is 16-17..... Whats it like diving in this temp, will a 3mm wettie be warm enough??
kane
Posts: 1752
Date Joined: 07/12/08
5mm is the go mate
5mm is the go mate
Gooooone Fishin!
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Just make sure its a
Just make sure its a semi-dry!!!
Don't be fooled into thinking a two-piece 5mm is any warmer than a 1pc in the same thickness of neoprene. The cheap 2pc suits are rubbish; too much flotation, no seals and unglued seams.
Its all about controlling the amount of water being flushed through the suit and good neck, wrist and ankle seals, along with glued seams, is what makes that happen.
I have a neptune krome and its ok, probably the cressi lontra seals better, just no one had it in a size I could fit into (I wear a -5 which is the length of a 5, width of a 4). Oh and forget wrist zips, they're just pointless bulk.
Reefmonkey
Posts: 711
Date Joined: 22/09/08
sounder = good!
heaps of good ground off hillarys between the reef break and the three mile strip from 6-15meters deep, all i used to do was fang around looking for green/sand patches, find them and sound around the edges looking for ledges on most patches u'll find they are surrounded by a good 1-3 meter ledge, jump in start from the ledges and start exploring over the reef. i've found some awesome dives sites this way, it can be pretty hit and miss but the unkown of exploring is wat keeps me goin everytime,
If your after somethin a bit easier to start with you can start with the exposed rocks/reef closer to shore ie. boyinaboat, wanneroo reef, and the lumps are all easy dives that are easy to keep yourself orientated
16-17 i'd prob be pretty cold in a 3mm i did some of my advanced course in the river in winter it was 14 wearing a 2pc 5mm and i froze my balls off
Dave J.