Posted by Northcoast diver on December 20, 2004 at 09:45:08:
In Reply to: New to Scuba..again posted by Mike on December 18, 2004 at 19:28:03:
DIN is new, and well worth getting, for all of your tanks:
Main tank
Pony bottle
Argon bottle
B/Cs come in 3 styles:
Jacket
Back inflation
Backplate
The jackets squeeze you, so I do not recommend them. The backplates are useless for 100 ft diving or shallower. So I suggest the back-inflation B/Cs.
Drysuits and 3mm wetsuits are all you ever need anywhere in the world. If it is too cold for a 3mm, then you can use your drysuit. Problem is that the drysuits are expensive. Mine cost me $1500 for the shell and $500 more for the jammies.
If you avoid the temptation to get a thick wetsuit, you will avoid needing to load up on lead as well.
Tanks are readily available in aluminum and steel. If you find a dive store that will rent you steel, then that is probably a pretty good dive store. Avoid aluminum, as much as you can.
Good luck, and welcome back to scuba!