Posted by Randy Medaris on September 10, 2001 at 18:56:42:
In Reply to: Scuba class with minimal investment posted by Alex Chen on September 10, 2001 at 14:43:51:
When I was looking around to get certified a year ago, I only found one shop here in Orange county that did not require buying "personal gear" which is mask,fins,snorkle,boots, and gloves. If you intend to dive much after getting certified, you really need to spend the money to get good gear, starting with the mask,fins,snorkle,boots, and gloves. If you just want to try out diving, then maybe you can borrow or rent some of the stuff from the shop. Please beware that Scuba is not a cheap hobby, I have already spent over 2 grand in about a year on quality gear. Expect to spend about 500 bucks just to get certified between Personal gear, lessons, and boat trip.
Good luck.