How To Buy Scuba Gear and Not Die Trying

You have doubts about how to buy scuba gear. We know because it has happened to all of us.

Which items should I buy?  Where should I start?  How much should I spend? Is it better to rent? Should I buy expensive scuba gear or more economical?  What about buying second-hand scuba gear?

In this article, we propose to solve the doubts that assail us after obtaining our Open Water Diver certification.

Is it better to buy scuba gear or rent it? We will see which option is the most suitable for your needs, review which items to prioritize, and help you choose to take into account your driving habits, budget, and preferences. Let’s get started!

Is It Better to Buy Scuba Gear or Rent It?

Regarding renting or buying scuba gear, the best advice we can give you is to evaluate your needs and decide depending on them.

A complete set of scuba equipment is not cheap. It would be a shame if after buying it you have regrets because you hardly use the equipment. It is also not a good option to discover you have spent a lot of money on rentals because you didn’t buy your scuba gear soon enough.

The way to avoid regrets of any kind is to answer this question: How often do you plan to dive?

You just came back from your vacation with your brand-new Open Water certification card, and you are thinking about buying your own scuba gear. However, you live 1,000 km / 6214 mi. from the coast or in an area where it is cold most of the year, and you can’t bear the thought of diving in freezing water. It is virtually certain that you will only be able to dive on vacation. If you are like most mortals and you can only plan a couple of dive trips a year, you better seriously consider renting. In this case, our advice is to save the money it would cost you to buy scuba gear and invest it in dives.

But if your forecast is to do more than 20 dives a year, everything changes, because the cost of renting would exceed the cost of buying scuba gear.

To be sure, divide the cost of purchasing your diving equipment by the number of uses you plan to make with it and compare this with the cost of renting at your favorite dive center.

Cost / Number of uses

What is Your Budget to Buy Your Scuba Gear?

To answer this question objectively, read the article List Of Scuba Diving Equipment: Everything You Need To Dive.

Research the costs of each piece and decide whether you want to buy it new or second-hand. The price difference can be substantial. However, we cannot fail to say that diving equipment is the diver’s life support. At Dressel Divers, we always prioritize safety over any other aspect. Our advice is not to skimp. Quality is synonymous with peace of mind and comfort when it comes to your scuba gear purchase.

If the item we are talking about does not belong to the basics, but you can use it or not depending on the type of dive, use the equation we have just seen. Buying some items of the scuba gear and renting others may be worthwhile. Your personal preferences will also condition the investment involved in buying scuba gear.

When Buying Your Diving Equipment, What Are Your Preferences?

You are cold and need to use a neoprene thicker than 3 mm, even if you dive in tropical waters. You wear glasses, and you need a prescription mask because you don’t like wearing contact lenses for diving.

You like to double tank, and your priority is the dive computer.

You prefer the Hoggartian configuration because your Dive Instructor does too.

You want to buy a lightweight regulator because you travel with it.

In short, functionality, quality of materials, and your design preferences are going to vary your budget when it comes to buying your dive gear.

After all, comfort is the fundamental reason to buy scuba gear. There is no other equipment more comfortable than your own.

Besides, we cannot forget that the more comfortable you are with your diving equipment, the better your skills will be like buoyancy, finning, air consumption, etc.

So, to estimate the investment, you will need to buy your scuba gear, compare the features and prices of several models of different brands and purchase the most suitable to your needs.

Buying Your Scuba Diving Equipment, Which Parts to Purchase First?

We know that it is tempting to buy all the diving equipment in one visit to the store, but reality imposes its tyranny, and we are rarely willing to make a big one-time payment. So, we opt for adding pieces to our equipment little by little. Perfect! What do I buy first?

1. MASK, SNORKEL, AND FINS. These are the most affordable items of equipment, but they can also make a considerable difference to your comfort as a diver.
2. NEOPRENE WETSUIT. While it’s an easy item of gear to rent, it’s also tricky to get an ideal fit. In addition, many divers feel anxious about how many people used the wetsuit before.
3. DIVE COMPUTER. Computers automatically calculate how long we have left underwater or how long a decompression stop should last and how deep to do it.
   In other words, a dive computer monitors a person’s underwater activity under specific conditions. As far as it records the dives, we could say that the computer learns, and the more you use it, the more it provides more accurate data.
4. THE REGULATOR AND BOUYANCY CONTROL DEVICE (BCD) These are more expensive equipment items, but they are the lifeblood of diving. Using your own scuba gear, you will have total peace of mind, and you will know without a doubt about maintenance checks.
5. ACCESSORIES AND OTHER PARTS. Buy the rest of your scuba gear as you need it or have the opportunity.

Now you know how to buy scuba diving equipment and not die trying, do you have any other questions? Let us know!