Hi SD fans, and welcome back. In this video, we look at the advantages of owning your own
equipment rather than renting when you are on your diving holiday. Nothing beats having a set of your
own kit, and I’ll be telling you all the reasons why you should invest, and try to help you avoid
some of the pitfalls we have all encountered when buying dive equipment for the first time.
For those here for the first time, my name is Mark, I am the editor-in-chief of the
Scuba Diver media brand, and welcome to the Scuba Diver YouTube Channel.
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It has to be said, nothing compares with having your own set of diving equipment. There is just
something comforting about slipping into gear that you know and are familiar with before
heading off on your next underwater adventure. There are lots of reasons why it is better to
have your own kit rather than rent when you are at your dive destination. One, you know the equipment
has been well looked after by yourself, two, you know you have had it serviced regularly – or you
should have! – three, you know how it works and, where applicable, where all the controls are,
and four, it will fit you perfectly. There is a fifth reason in these times of COVID-19 – you will
be the only one who has used it! Just be sure to spend your cash wisely. Don’t buy budget,
as you will only outgrow it in a few years and be wanting to upgrade. You are far better off aiming
for mid-range and above, so that you can get many years of service out of it. I’ve said it before,
but it is worth mentioning again – my mantra is ‘buy once, buy wisely’.
Most rental equipment should be well-maintained and in good condition, but I have seen
some shocking examples in all my years of diving around the world, and to be honest,
I’d rather not wait until I arrived at a location to see if the rental kit is up to standard or not.
Even if the rental gear is up to spec, you will still encounter the issue that you will
undoubtedly be using different equipment at every location you go to, as dive centres have their own
brand preferences, and so on. You might be in a Scubapro BCD one place, an Aqua Lung the next,
and then a Mares at another. This applies to every piece of kit, from mask and fins to regs, BCD,
wetsuits, dive computer, etc. As well as the hassle of having to get sized up with all the kit
on your first day, you will then spend the first few dives getting used to the fit and feel of the
rental gear, learning where all the controls are, and perhaps more importantly, how well they work,
whereas when you have your own familiar gear, you can hit the water far more confidently.
Let’s look at particular pieces of kit. The humble mask. Yes, it is a basic piece of kit,
but having a comfortable mask that fits you well and doesn’t leak will make such a
difference to your diving experience. Often dive centres will have a selection to choose from,
but having your own mask is definitely the way forward – and even more so if you are
one of those people who needs glasses, and might require a prescription mask. I have yet to see
any dive centre with those for rent. Next let’s talk regulators. These are a
core element of your diving equipment, as without it you are not going to be breathing underwater.
You want a regulator that has a comfortable mouthpiece, breathes well, and depending on
your personal preference, has controls such as a venturi lever and/or cracking resistance control
so you can tweak the breathe to your liking. I have to say, I own regs that have no controls,
and others that offer both, but to be honest, once I have got the latter set to how I like them,
I rarely touch the controls. This is all down to personal choice. Most rental regs will be
entry-level models, though I do know of places where good-quality mid-range regs make up their
rental fleet. When it comes to your own kit, regs are one item that it is vital you know it has
been regularly serviced and is working well – I have had some lousy wet and asthmatic breathes
in my time, and it is not pleasant, especially at depth and working hard in a current, for example!
You can also fit your own mouthpiece to your own regulator. I love the Aqua Lung Comfobite,
but some people prefer those that you mould to your own jaw shape, such as the SeaCure.
With your own reg, you can customise as you wish. Next up – BCDs. Whether you opt for a jacket-style
BCD, a back-inflate BCD, or a backplate-and-wing – if you are confused as to which would be best
for you, I’ll put a link to our video looking at the pros and cons of all of them at the end
of this video – but whichever you choose, it is good to have one that fits you perfectly.
Not only will your own BCD fit you properly, but you will also be instantly familiar with the pinch
clips on the shoulder straps and waistband, the operation of the integrated weight systems (if
fitted), where the D-rings are, how to get into any pockets, the location of the pull dumps,
and the controls on your power inflator. Some power inflators are rapid, others quite slow. Some
dump valves vent extremely efficiently, others do not release gas so quickly. Some integrated
weights use pinch-clips, others just pull free. Most rental BCDs will not have integrated weight
systems, so you will probably end up wearing a weightbelt, and personally, I really hate these.
Owning your own BCD and being familiar with its operation is probably one of the most-important
parts of your gear arsenal, as you will be so much more relaxed and comfortable underwater on
your dives, your buoyancy control will come more naturally, and at the end of the day, being at one
with the fishes is what it’s all about. Let’s talk fins. Fins are another vital
component of your dive equipment set-up. Without them, you are not going to be going anywhere!
You want a pair of fins that offer a decent amount of thrust for the effort you put in,
that give you a degree of manoeurvability – back finning, frog kicking, and so on – and that are
comfortable. Nothing worse than fins being tight on your feet – a sure-fire way to get cramp on a
dive. Most rental fins tend to be pretty basic, and when the going gets tough in a current,
you will definitely be happier having your own fins on your feet.
Short, stumpy paddle fins are currently en-vogue, as they are the preferred fins for tech divers,
but go with whatever works well for you. If you like longer paddle fins such as the Mares Avanti
Quattro, go for it. Personally, I have been using Force Fins for over 20-odd years as my go-to fins
both at home in the UK and abroad, but these are a real love-them-or-hate-them fin. The only fins
I would say to steer clear of are freediving fins – I do see people scuba diving in these,
but they are so long they offer no manoeurvability and are next to useless in confined spaces,
such as a wreck or a cave. Whether you go for full-foot fins, that you wear over a bare foot,
or open-heel fins you wear with a boot, depends on personal preference and where you are going
to be diving – if you are shore diving in Malta, for instance, you will want boots!
Next, exposure protection. Depending on where you are diving, rental suits can range from
shorties to full suits, and even drysuits in certain places, like Iceland, for instance.
But let’s focus on wetsuits, as they are by and large what you will encounter in rental stock.
Aside from the faff of finding a suit that fits you well, you are going to be wearing a suit
that has been peed in. Remember, there are two types of diver – those who pee in their wetsuit,
and those who lie about it. Now rental suits can be washed and rinsed to death,
but I much prefer being in a suit that I know has only been peed in by me! Owning my own suits,
I also like being able to pick and choose the right suit for a particular destination.
I rotate between my 3mm full suit and a 5mm full suit. I am not a fan of shorties, and I
don’t like thick semi-drysuits of 7mm and above. Everyone has their own tolerances for being cold,
but I prefer to be warm. I will wear my 3mm if it is 26 degrees C and above, I’ll be in my 5mm down
to about 22 degrees C, but anything below that, I break out one of my drysuits! A well-fitting
suit can keep you warm and comfortable with minimal flushing, and nothing is worse than an
icy blast of cold water hitting your lower back. Finally, let’s talk dive computers. More than any
other piece of dive gear, you need to know how your dive computer works if you are going to
benefit from it, gaining longer, more enjoyable and safer dives. If you end up with a different
rental brand and model every time you go diving, you will never get the full potential out of it.
If you buy your own computer, you can learn how it works, discover all of the functions,
get to know the menu, learn the navigation, get to grips with the screen display, and so on.
I’d suggest getting something that can at least cope with multiple nitrox mixes and full
decompression, so that you will not soon outgrow it. You might never end up using some of the
functionality, but it is nice to know it can do it if you do end up tempted by tech, for instance.
So that’s your mask, regulator, BCD, fins, dive computer and exposure protection suit.
Other things worth building into your diving arsenal are a DSMB
and spool or reel, a snorkel, a torch or two, a few cutting implements, a mesh bag,
and of course, a dive bag to haul it all about in. Obviously, one thing to bear in mind with all of
the above is where you are going to be diving. If you are potentially venturing into cold waters,
either at home or on a trip, then you will want a regulator that can handle freezing temperatures.
If you are only planning on diving on foreign holidays, bear in mind the weight
of your chosen equipment. Aim for lightweight travel-friendly regulator, BCD and fins to avoid
eating up too much of your valuable luggage allowance, which seems to be ever-shrinking.
Now if you are in the market to start assembling your own diving equipment,
you might be wondering where to begin, as not that many people go out and buy
an entire arsenal of diving gear in one fell swoop. Check out our video on what we consider
the first three dive equipment purchases for new divers – we’ll put a link at the end.
As I record this, the UK is currently in its third national lockdown, and many other places around
the world are still under some form of restriction or other to combat the threat of COVID-19.
While we might not be actually diving at the moment, it is a prime time to do some
research - chat to your local dive centre, get some advice from your instructor - and start
assembling your own dive kit ready for when we are able to get out there and hit the water again!
What are some of your pointers for someone getting their own dive kit together?
Leave your comments below, and if you have a question, fire away – if we can’t answer,
maybe someone in our community will be able to. Remember, if you enjoyed this video,
be sure to subscribe to our YouTube Channel, and don’t forget you can grab a free digital
magazine subscription in the description below. As always, stay safe – and if you are one of the
lucky people who lives somewhere you are able to get out and dive, enjoy!