SCUBA GEAR




Here you will see some of the gear that you will need to scuba dive.
Equipment

Equipment

Equipment

BC:

There are hundreds of different BC's on the market. Most of them are in three basic styles. The oldest style is the so called Horse Collar or frontvest. These were replaced in popularity by the jacket or vest styled BC's which are dominate in sales today. The third style is the back mount or Wing type BC's which are dominating among the technical/cave divers because of the extra lift they can deliver.
The BC, if it’s a vest style, should be close fitting and not loose to where it can slide around on you. A good way to check this is to put the vest on and adjust all the straps. While still un-inflated, have someone grasp the shoulders of the vest and lift upwards. The vest should not slide up around your ears.
The problem areas with BC's generally center around a persons size. Women can have a particularly difficult time finding a good fitting BC if they are particularly small. Another problem area for some women is that the location of straps on some vests go directly across the chest . To counter this particular problem, several manufacturers have begun making BC's strictly for women. It is best when choosing a vest to check out as many manufacturers and models as possible, be sure to at least wear the vest in the store and if available, it is even better to rent a similar model before choosing. In some places they let you borrow the vest for a tryout dive. If you are in the age of growing like me you should pick a vest with great ability to adjust.

Regulators:

Purchasing regulators is a confusing decision. At the same time it’s very important. You can pay as low as $100 for a first and second stage or as much as $600, so what's the difference. These prices are in the US in Sweden the first and second stages cost up to $1100 (Mares Mr22 Abyss Titanium, 7500Sek).
These are probably the things involved; inhalation and exhalation resistance, the ability to deliver at the same resistance at greater depths, quality of construction and mode of distribution.
One of the measures of how well a regulator works is how easily it breathes. What that means is how hard you have inhale on the regulator to get air to come out. Top line regulators breath so easily that you barely notice any resistance. This resistance is measured in water column inches and the best regulators are in the .4-.8 WCI on inhalation and .4 on exhalation.
The second measure is how steady this is at depth. Some less expensive regulators can become quite hard breathing in the deeper sport diver depth range.
Another measure is how much air a regulator can deliver measured in standard cubic feet per minute. This is a measure of how hard you can breath before a system causes resistance. The better quality units are in the 36-40 SCFM range.
Quality of construction is another factor. The known brands have good quality and a lot of other brands have great quality to. You’ll have to ask someone you trust and who knows the manufacturer.
The final factor in price is how you buy it, namely through a store or mail order! Yes, dive stores are typically more expensive than mail order, they have to be. They have trained sales staff, they send off technicians to school for repair clinics, maintain parts inventories on equipment and do a lot of other things all of which costs money. Mail order are often cheaper but the service you’ll get from you’re divestore is often worth the extra money.

Consoles and Gauges:

A console is something that hangs off the first stage and holds at least two pieces of equipment. The submersible pressure gauge and depth gauge. The SPG tells you how much air pressure you have in your cylinder. To be honest, one SPG is pretty much like another. Some have more pressure capability, say 5000 PSI, which is what I would look for, or may have better and easier to read graphics, but as long as they come from a reputable manufacturer, you should be okay.
It's always a good idea to buy the best quality gauge you can find and check it's accuracy early and often against other gauges while diving. If it's off, turn it back in to the place where you bought it.
Most Gas Filled gauges have the ability to adjust to the current altitude. They do this by a screw, which the user may loosen that allows the internal pressure to equalise with the external pressure. Where this really comes in handy is if you fly with your dive gear, since oil filled gauges should be carried in a pressure tight case or they might leak oil all over your equipment ruining not only the gauge, but making a real mess as well. Capillary gauges are about as low tech as you can get. But good quality capillary gages are also the most accurate non-digital gage at depths between 0-33 FSW. You do however have to wash them completely after a salt water dive, or the salt crystals will block the capillary tube ruining the gauge.
Digital depth gages are the most accurate gauges available. They come in a variety of styles and should not be confused with dive computers. Two considerations are whether the user can replace the battery and if it isn’t better to buy a dive computer.
Gauge

Regulator

It is recomended to have an octopus. (aditional regulator).
You may choose based in "easy breath", most of the highest performing regulators have one or two diver controlled adjustments on the second stage.
ZOOM 		REGULATOR

Wet Suit

They are used in cold waters or as protection. 		WET SUIT

Buoyancy Compensator

Correct size and comfortable fit are critical to your proper control of buoyancy.
ZOOM 		Buoyancy Compensator

Tanks

You must make a choice based in your air needs.
ZOOM		Tank
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