| I am often asked to recommend equipment
to my students so I have added this link to Rodale's Scuba Diving magazine. Rodale's has the results of their extensive
tests performed in their Scubalab including their "tester's choice" and "best buy" recommendations. I also find it helpful that they list the suggested retail price of the equipment they have tested, that way you know whether you're getting a good deal at the local dive shop or if you might want to shop around. There are any number of considerations you should examine prior to purchasing any scuba equipment such as price, quality, and the
ability to have your equipment serviced locally by a properly trained technician but don't over look the importance of fit and comfort. For this reason I do not recommend purchasing scuba equipment through the internet or any mail order service, however Performance
Divers has an excellent line of accessories with prices to match. Please contact me if you would like my advice on any particular equipment or have any questions about your pending purchase. If you are in the western North Carolina area I can also recommend various dive shops that carry a particular
name brand. eMail at 103050.313@compuserve.com for more information.
As for my personal equipment selection, I don't use just one equipment manufacturer but several. Typically I wear a Tusa mask and a Scubapro Classic Black BCD, my regulator is a Scubapro MK10/G250 paired with an Apollo Prestige instrument console and I use Scubapro Jet Fins. I also
use a Dacor Extreme Plus regulator with Oceanic gauges and hope to soon augment my personal equipment with one of Oceanic's new BCs. I still use a Sherwood Source computer but plan to switch to a Oceanic Data Plus soon.
Remember to dive safe and slowly ascend from every dive. A good rule of thumb is to ascend no faster than 60 feet per minute until you reach a depth of 30 feet and then slow down to 30 feet per minute and perform a safety stop at 15 feet for 3 minutes. |
