The Dive Otter - What Gear to Buy When

ALL OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE FOR A RECREATIONAL DIVER IN THE MIDWEST

Scuba diving can become expensive, especially if you’re into gadgets and technology. But do you really need all that gear? Here’s a guide to help you prioritize your purchases, listed in order of importance and with reasons why. Remember, for items requiring regular maintenance like regulators and BCDs, it’s best to buy from a local shop that can service them. Sometimes, you'll get free lifetime parts with your purchase. making it more practical to stick with your local shop, even if it limits your brand options. Supporting your local dive shop ensures you know the people servicing your gear and helps you maintain a good relationship with a shop that fits your vibe. You are also going to need them for rental tanks or air-fills. You can't get either of those online.

Gear Item	Low	High
1. Mask / Fins / Snorkel	$300
2. Defog	$15
3. Wetsuit	$200	$600
4. Gloves	$30	$100
5. Hood	$40	$100
6. Boots	$40	$100
7. Regulator Set	$750	$1,500
8. Computer	$500	$1,100
9. dSMB	$50	$170
10. ~100ft Spool	$50
11. Bolt Snaps	$80	$120
12. Dive Bag	$200
Total:	$2,255	$4,355

....don't dive much...stop here...

Gear Item	Low	High
13. Flashlight	$150
14. Air Integration	$300
15. BCD	$500	$800
16. Weights	$150
17. Trilobite	$30
18. Save-a-Dive Kit	$100
19. Compass	$150
20. Whistle / Mirror	$50
21. Slate	$20
22. Thigh Pockets	$80	$300
Total:	$3,705	$6,405

...most divers should stop here...

Gear Item	Low	High
23. Backup Flashlight	$150
24. Scissors	$40
25. Rolling Cart	$150
26. (2) Tanks	$600
27. O2 Analyzer	$200	$500
Total:	$4,845	$8,145

...Oh wow...okay...

Things You Might Want

Gear Item	Low	High
28. Wet Notes	$40
29. Tank Strobe	$20
30. Dive Flag	$100
31. Drysuit	$4,000
Total:	$9,005	$12,305

Things You Will Never Need

X. Mesh Dive Bag

X. Dive Knife

X. Tank Banger / Noise Maker

X. Pointy Thing

X. Dive Watch

Gear Discussion

Unless otherwise stated, none of the gear examples are specific recommendations for your situation. I have not dove with every item I reference below, they are examples of the type of equipment and price point only.

Mask

Your mask is a personal choice. There are dozens of shapes and sizes of masks and you are bound to find one that you like. This is the reason that I recommended you find a shop that has a good selection of masks. Don't be upset or surprised if it takes buying and trying two or three masks over your first 50 dives to find the one that works for you.

Defog

I've used it all. Baby shampoo, spit, some boat mix thing in a bottle...buy yourself a small bottle of Stream2Sea defog and call it a day. It has never failed and it beats all of the other options by miles. (Note: If you don't prep a new mask nothing will help...prep your new mask!).

Snorkel

Buy the absolute cheapest one your local dive shop offers. You are going to use it in your Open Water Class and then likely never use it again unless an instructor in a future class demands it. I don't know anyone with more than 20 dives under their belt who wears one. They are annoying, get in the way of things and are completely useless except in one extremely rare situation.

Boots

They're just boots. Buy whatever your local dive shop offers. I think anything greater than 5mm is going to be way too warm. I dive 1.5mm socks and good old Converse hightops in water down to 60F. Make sure when you buy your fins that you have already picked out or purchased the boots you want because the fin foot pocket needs to fit the boot you are going to wear.

Fins

There are less options when it comes to fins than masks, but there are plenty. You generally have three style choices:

Traditional - I recommend you stick with these. The Mares Aventi+ Quattro is the standard.
Split Fin - Unless you know you need them and why, do not buy them for your first fins
Technical - If you dive long enough you'll eventually buy a pair

You also DO NOT want a full foot pocket. You want one that requires you wear a boot and has a heel strap.

Wetsuit

Proper fit can make a HUGE difference in how comfortable you are underwater which is why I recommend you buy your own as soon as you can instead of renting. If you are always cold...you won't keep diving. For Chicagoland...start with a 5mm unless you know you run cold. You won't be diving lake Michigan right away (or at all until you get a drysuit...brrrrrrr) and the local quarries are all 5mm doable except early spring and late fall.

Note: I originally purchased a 7mm...I think it's overkill for Chicagoland unless you want to try it in lake Michigan or you are looking to push into early spring or late fall when the water is below 65F. Once I got my drysuit my 7mm wetsuit never gets used so think long and hard before you buy a 7mm as your first wetsuit.

Higher Quality Option: Bare Reactive 5mm (~$600)
Lower Price Option: Neosport 5mm (~$200)

Gloves

I love my 3mm Bare Ultrawarm gloves...so much that I bought a second pair just in case.

Note: I originally purchased 5mm gloves...overkill for Chicagoland unless you've decided you need a 7mm wetsuit too

Higher Quality Option: Bare Ultrawarm 3mm (~$100)
Lower Price Option: Neosport 3mm (~$30)

Hood

Get a 5/7mm or 3/5mm of whatever brand your local shop has. Something like Aqualung will work just fine

Higher Quality Option: H2 3/5mm (~$100)
Lower Price Option: Pinnacle 5mm (~$40)

Regulator Set

This is life support equipment and the one thing that if poorly maintained...can literally kill you. I don't trust the service interval on rental equipment and you won't either once you've seen the rental equipment in remote locations. Save up your money before you buy anything else.

As a recreational diver any major brand regulator will be fine...go with whatever your local dive shop can service.

Higher Quality Option: Apex MTX-RC Regulator Package (~$1,500)
Lower Price Option: Dive Right FT/XT Regulator Package (~$750)

Computer

One could argue to buy a computer before the regulators because it is likely cheaper. I think you should get the reg first because you don't need a computer as a new diver doing 2 dives a day in the local quarries because you will have no deco obligations and the depth is rarely more than 40ft. And at this point you don't really know if you want Air Integration or not which will change the model you buy. I would recommend you buy a computer with AI capability just in case. The Peregrine TX is a good middle ground computer.

Higher Quality Option: Perdix 2 (~$1,100)
Lower Price Option: Shearwater Peregrine (No AI) (~$500)

dSMB

Do not get the pre-packaged ones or ones that come with their own pouch. Sounds like a good idea...they suck. Just buy a normal one from your local shop...it's probably HOG brand. I prefer closed end SMBs, but open ended are fine too for recreational needs. Your first one does not need to be some 7ft monster...just get a ~4ft and do some practice and carry it with you on EVERY dive. Literally every dive.

Higher Quality Option: Halcyon 6ft DAM (~$170)
Lower Price Option: HOG 45in ($50)

~100ft Spool

You do not need the $120 Apex spool. Your local dive shop should have a ~$30 plastic/Delrin basic spool. A stainless spool seems like a good idea until you drop it and it goes bye-bye instead of slowly sinking like a plastic/Delrin one does.

Higher Quality Option: Halcyon Defender Spool - 150ft (~$50)
Lower Price Option: HOG Finger Spool - 100ft ($30)

Bolt Snaps & Double Enders

Buy at least 4 double enders and 4 bolt snaps. Don't cheap out or you'll end up buying these twice. Spend an extra couple bucks and get the xDeep brand. Yes..they are better. Bigger finger knob to open the gate and a bigger hook area with a wider gate opening. No Brass. No "regular" steel...you want stainless steel.

Higher Quality Option: xDeep (~$15 each)
Lower Price Option: OMS (~$10 each)

Dive Bag

At this point you've probably been throwing stuff in an old duffle or carrying it in your hands. You have a couple options here. You can get a duffle bag on Amazon (make sure it fits the parameters of checked luggage if you want it for travel too) or you can go specialized like a Pelican or Stahlsac. I used cheap duffle bags for 2 years and they worked just fine before I invested in something nicer. You'll have to consider if you are willing to carry a 45lb bag on your shoulder or if you want wheels for the airport. (Note: This is not the "mesh" bag your local dive shop tried to sell you...see below. You don't need this...save your money.)

Flashlights

Checkout our deep dive into dive lights. In short...get an OrcaTorch D710 or D530. They will work just fine for what you need. You do NOT need a Canister Light!

Air Integration

Checkout our deep dive into Air Integration vs SPGs. In short...you want it!

Buoyancy Control Device (BCD)

Oh man...picking a BCD can start a holy war. Checkout our deep dive into BCDs. In short...The main choice will be a "jacket" style or a Backplate and Wing (BPW). Jacket style BCDs will serve you just fine unless you intend to technical diving. However, a BPW feels sooooo much better from a buoyancy/trim perspective....at least for me. I have owned both types...I simply prefer the BPW if I have a choice.

Higher Quality Option: xDeep Zen (~$800)
Lower Price Option: Aqualung Pro HD (~$500)

Weights

You'll need to pick hard weights or soft weights. I prefer soft...but get whatever you can find locally because shipping lead is expensive. If you buy the following you can do any combination of weight up to 32 lbs and have enough assortment to work on adjusting weight placement for trim as you get better...

(4) 1 lb
(2) 2 lb
(2) 3 lb
(2) 4 lb
(2) 5 lb

Trilobite

You don't need a dive knife. I repeat. You do not need a dive knife. Get one of these...put it on your belt or chest strap...or some folks put it on the strap of their dive computer.

Save-a-Dive Kit

Checkout our deep dive into save-a-dive kits. In short..No need to buy everything at once. Put spares of things you buy in a tupperware you stole from your kitchen.

Compass

Do. Not. Go. Cheap. I did....and I paid for it. If you need one for your Navigation class...borrow or rent one. Buy the Suunto SK8 in either retractable or wrist (or convertible). You won't believe that they are better...even though everyone tells you they are...until you buy a crappy one and it sucks and you realize it's true.

Whistle / Mirror

Unfortunately, there are plenty of stories of a boat crew leaving their diver behind. For $50 it's well worth putting a whistle and a signal mirror in a pocket.

Slate

Useful to have, but not on every dive unless you have pockets. A regular dive buddy of mine wears a wrist slate. It's not for me, I prefer the flat slate...but it works for him. Buy a cheap flat slate, cut off the crappy buckle and the crappy pencil and go buy a proper graphite pencil off Amazon and attach a proper bolt snap. You can also easily 3D print a dive slate if that's your thing.

Thigh Pockets

In a wetsuit you'll eventually think about having thigh pockets. They are dead useful. You have basically two options...the Bellows Thigh Pocket...I have it...it works fine and attaches to your BCD waist strap as a "dangler" and then straps to your thigh. Or Technical Shorts which will cost you 4x that amount, but are arguably less hassle.

Scissors

If you do rope or line work these are far more useful and safe underwater than a dive knife. I purchased the Dive Right Shears and they work perfectly fine.

Rolling Cart

I found a folding cart on Amazon that works amazingly well for hauling 2 tanks to a park bench or the waters edge. Save your back....get one...even if you rent tanks and gear.

Tanks

See our analysis of Tank ownership. In short...unless you are diving at least ~20 days a year locally, there is no reason to own your own tanks unless you just absolutely hate renting. You will also have to decide between Aluminum 80 or one of several different Steel sizes.

I own:

(4) Aluminum 80 - So I can dive a weekend without refills
(2) HP100s - So I can single tank dive in Lake Michigan in a drysuit and have ~40% more bottom time than my AL80s

O2 Gas/Tank Analyzer

See our deep dive on Nitrox labels and analyzers.

In short, unless you dive Nitrox and you own your own tanks then you do not need an analyzer.

Wet Notes

Generally speaking, recreational divers will never need Wet Notes. If you do want some, I prefer the Highland Deluxe Wet Notes because of how they are constructed. But lots of different brands are available. You are likely going to also want to purchase spare/different graphite pencils.

Tank Strobe

If you do night diving or want a little bit of extra safety on murky dives, grab a tank strobe. Not strictly necessary...but a bit of added comfort for your dive buddy to keep track of you. OrcaTorch makes a couple different versions. They work fine.

Dive Flag

Some places require them or say they require them...but then actually do not. You can also use your SMB as a "dive flag" in a pinch. It can be useful to have one if you want to do buoyancy drills in a place that does not have a fixed buoy.

Drysuit

You are easily going to spend more than double what you have already spent on diving. A drysuit will also make owning that 7mm wetsuit you paid $700 for pointless because whenever the temperature is cold enough for the 7mm you'll want the drysuit anyway. Be absolutely sure you want a drysuit and why. Don't forget it's not just the drysuit, but the undergarments, the gloves, the boots, the whole package. I didn't buy a drysuit until I got an unexpected large bonus from work. Yeah...they are expensive!

At this price...I recommend you buy once / cry once. Unless you have a particular reason NOT to use Dive Right In Scuba...you really should. They are literally the largest drysuit distributor in America and they have two shops within driving distance of us...they also offer lifetime warranty, yearly leak checks, the works.

Gear You Will Never Need

Mesh Dive Bag

Yeah...I bought one just like everyone else. It seems like a good idea. Put all your crap in one bag...but it's actually a pain to use. You will be much happier if you buy a dive bag you can also use for travel. There are much better options for tropical boat diving.

Dive Knife

Totally unnecessary...we're not hunting things underwater and there are far superior cutting devices. Like the trilobite or scissors. But they are cool..I'll grant you that.

Tank Banger

I swear to $diety I want to stab anyone who has one on the dive that isn't the dive master. Okay maybe I do need a dive knife.

Pointy Thing

Dude. You're not the dive master! Put that thing away!

Dive Watch

They are absolutely beautiful and one day I will own one and dive it. But totally unnecessary. It's going to be a hard day when I have to pick either a luxury Dive Watch or a rebreather. My favorite is the Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean.