price of scuba gear in shops?
i just bought a scuba knife for $44 in one shop in Monterey (it is normal scuba shop). I saw it on the internet for $23 (of course after I used it in the ocean) …. there are other things way more expensive in this shop.
Are all shops pricy like this? On one side you would think no, but there are not that many shops and really not that many divers, if you think about how many people actually buy anything, they need to have the prices high just to survive.
Keep in mind the fact that your LDS (local dive shop) has more overhead to pay. They pay to have someone stand there all day to explain products to the five to ten people that come in each day. That human being is paid off the sales the store makes to 2-3 people’s purchases. No product line is completely foolproof either. Virtually every product sold at retail has a return rate, some lower than others. The LDS has to pay to send things back to the supplier. These are two major reasons you have higher prices at a ‘brick and mortar’ shop.
Let’s give you a really good example of why you might want to purchase your gear from a reputable LDS. A young man who is currently taking an open water to instructor course with a local university college came in to ‘my’ (by affiliation not ownership) shop 3 weeks ago. Several times. He has had alot of luck with gear in the past 10 days. All of it bad.
1)The first time he came in, his octo hose fitting had just broken off INSIDE his first stage. I will tell you almost every manufacturer of Scuba equipment will decline warranty obligations if you purchase your equipment on what is considered the ‘grey market’ or internet based stores. His would have been no different so there was NO POINT in even asking our rep. As it was, I personally had a tool designed to remove broken fittings at home and decided to help the poor kid out.
Cost: Buy new low pressure hose and pay service tech time to fix, both at RETAIL prices.
2) Same young man had several key seams on his BCD fail less than 5 days after the regulator incident. Because it was a brand we do not normally sell, and the one unit we did order in in the past year was a different size, EVEN IF our shop owner was willing to LIE for someone who made the choice to go elsewhere to buy gear, the supplier would have caught on instantly by BOTH serial numbers and size discrepancies.
COST: rent a BCD from us for 4-5 days while local shoemaker REBUILDS the BCD. Pay both at RETAIL prices.
3) Mask failure two days after BCD. I was not there to hear what the specific failure was, but this time out of sheer pitty our owner did approach this particular rep. Because our shop spends thousands of dollars every year purchasing ALL of our rental equipment from this particular rep, he was willing to help out based on OUR loyalty.
COST: begging
4) 4 days ago the school’s compressor took a dive itself. It was going to take a couple days to get fixed, but they still need to dive in order to get their required number of dives in before the Instructor Exam. Our owners are out of town for 2 weeks on their one vacation a year, and are therefore unavailable for ‘deals’. You might say air is cheap right?? well think about it this way: each standard 80 costs in filters and labor to change the filters, the electricity to run the compressor, plus there is the labor of the individual to fill the cylinder, and the compressor itself… theirs broke down, when will ours?? These machines cost 15 000$. So was the employee able to give him “free” air?? Not without getting in trouble from the loyal divers in the shop at the time. We would have smacked him silly since we GLADLY pay for air as one way we keep the business operating.
Think for a moment now about the nature of businesses. All Businesses. They exist to make money. If they don’t make money they fold. In a situation like this where the Business provides a multitude of other services which individually cannot hope to support an operation on their own, if the Business fails then the people whom it serves loose out too. It costs money to pay the rent, buy the equipment, maintain things, turn on the lights and connect the telephone. All these costs are significant and must be paid somehow. The owners are not running a charity. Gear sales are the largest source of income for any shop. If you take away all the other services a shop provides, you are then looking at a greatly reduced cost, and you can sell to the internet in order to make up for lost customer traffic generated by your other services no longer offered…. can you see where this is heading??
So if every LDS decided to turn to internet gear sales exclusively so as to concentrate on the ‘gravy’ where would you get your air fills?? who would you turn to to rent gear?? or try on sizes before you buy?? Internet sales do not contribute to offsetting all the other costs of running a dive store so while it may look like the Internet prices are better (and therefore RIGHT since if they can sell it at that price everyone should too) keep in mind that gear prices support the WHOLE operation as well.
snorkeling gear in cancun…?
is there anywhere in cancun where i can rent some snorkeling gear for at least a few days for a reasonable price? i dont want to have to buy everything and it’d be nice if i didnt have to pack it around it the airports, etc.
Take a trip down to Xel-ha. It’s a great place to snorkel. They have equipment to rent there. Watch the video below.
What is the best brand of dive gear?
This is always a debate so, I’ll give you my personal recommendations and you can go from there.
Regulators: Poseiden X-Stream series or Kirby-Morgan regs (this is a commercial company but, they make regs for scuba and they are great. This same reg I have used in Saturation at 500 feet) www.kmdsi.com
BCD: OMS www.omsdive.com
Fins: Scuba Pro Jet, Rocket, or Twin Jet
Wetsuits: Pinnacle has the best in my opinion. They’re merino wool lined and have 10mil spine pads
Masks: Dacor or Tilos make good low volume masks
Dive Computers: VR technology’s VR3 and other computers are great but, expensive
Knives: Spyderco. I personally carry 2 folding, 1 serrated and 1 regular on clips. Have had them for years
Hope this gets you started,
Pitch
ACDE/IMCA Saturation Diver
For experienced divers only: best scuba gear?
I am looking to invest on the best SCUBA gear and would like to hear from hard-core recreational divers – what brands and models are on your scuba wish-list? Post links whenever you can, please. Thanks in anticipation!
It’s going to be best fit and what sort of diving you plan on. STAY AWAY from online sales for numerous reasons, the main one being unsafe gear that’s sold there. It’s not uncommon for an online “dive shop” to get rid of factory seconds and defective gear this way. Besides, you won’t get a proper fit, nor will you get personal service, both important as this gear will need servicing by a pro and if it doesn’t fit, it can be dangerous. By buying at your local shop, you also help support it. It’s hard to find buddies via an online store. It’s easy in the dive shop and beers can be on the menu after the dive.
Just about all the major manufacturers of gear have been around a long time and are quite reputable, so it’s going to boil down to type of diving (warm/cold, wreck/reef/cave, travel gear/stay at home gear, etc), the fit of the gear ( it may be rated the best but if it doesn’t fit you, it’s the same as it being the worst) and your price range.
If you plan on doing a lot of local diving, hit your nearest dive shops and take note of which manufacturers they deal and what they recommend for local conditions, then start trying stuff on. If at all possible, rent it to try before buying. Many shops rental gear will be the same as they deal.
Your number one consideration in where to spend the bucks, starts with the Regs, then the BC. Get the best you can afford for the diving you’ll do.
My Xmas list? Lol, none. I have at least two of everything.
Apeks and Scuba Pro regs, Dive Rite Trans Pac and OMS BC’s, Cressi Sub and Ocean Master masks, USD and Bare wet suits ( 7mm 2 pc with integrated hood and 5mm 2 pc respectively), Viking vulcanized rubber and Brooks crushed neo dry suits, Mares Quattro closed heel and Old style Blade open heel fins.
Dive computers are an old beat up ( my fav though) B’Air and an Uwatec Galileo that I use on tech dives. It replaced my old Aladin.
What I’m going to use of all that depends on the dive(s). I may lug all of that to a site, I may just take half, I may mix it up.
What are the signs that there are sharks or a shark will attack you?
im going to the beach tomorrow but i kept watching shark movies like jaws and i also kept searchin abt sea monsters and now im scared to swim but not in the pool.
ps. it was planned when i wasnt expecting it.
AND HOW DO U AVOID THEM
Shark attacks are incredibly rare. Less than 100 people are attacked each year. Think of how many people enter the ocean everyday!
Don’t be afraid of the ocean. Not to sound morbid but you are more likely to get in a car accident and die on the way there.
What is the proper way to install a valve into a scuba tank?
I bought a scuba tank for airgun filling purposes. Will not be used as a breathing aparatus. If it just needs some sort of anti-sieze and a proper torqueing, I can do that. Since the tank will be empty they may want to do a VIP anyway correct? Therefore should install the valve for me.
Any preesurised gas container should be visually inspected annually (at least) and pressure tested every 5 years, 3 years or annually according to local law.
If you are going to have it tested, screw the valve in loosely as they will need to examine the threads on it in order to pass the tank and valve as a unit.
BUT ALL THAT ASIDE, the answer to your original question is: Replace the tank neck O-ring, very lightly lube the threads of the valve with a SCUBA silicon grease, wind the valve in to finger tight (if you have a torque wrench you could find out setting) if no torque wrench, nip the valve tight with a light tap from a rubber mallet on a 12″ wrench (I know it is a bit approximate, but the O-ring makes the seal, not the tightness)
Where can I get a dive mask with a BIG nose – cheap?
Hello,
I am not a diver, just a pool guy who can not keep the water out of his nose without a mask. I have a large nose and every mask I try on is extremely tight. I need a large nose mask, but do not want to spend a lot of money.
Thanks
Wal-Mart 