Posted by Chuck Tribolet on December 27, 2001 at 07:01:26:
In Reply to: Wait. posted by msblucow on December 27, 2001 at 01:52:02:
Absolutely rent before you buy. Try different
stuff each weekend. Don't buy anything until
you've tried some things you didn't like.
Are there any SoCal shops that rent Halcyon? I
think Manta Ray does in Monterey.
The first major piece of gear you should get
(assuming you got mask and fins for glass) is
your suit. That way you don't have to fine-tune
your weighting for each different rental suit.
My gear list (on open circuit) is the same as Ms.
BluCow's, except I don't have the split fins
(though I'd probably try a pair if I were buying
fins today).
And I have one of those masks with
the side windows. Works just fine. I wouldn't
have bought it, but I needed a new mask NOW, and
it was the one that fit best. You can't see
anything out the side windows, but you can sense
things. You can tell there's a diver on the
right, and I find I turn the right direction to
check my buddy much more often.
Don't go in to the store to buy something, and
let them sell you something else. Don't get a
BC that's a touch big with a California suit --
it will be TOO big in the tropics.
Chuck