SCUBA GEAR

There is a wide variety of scuba gear available for today's diver.  This area of our website is dedicated to helping the prospective diver to understand and appreciate each item of diving gear and to give information that will help you make a more informed decision when purchasing your scuba gear.

My opinion, When purchasing scuba gear it is imperative to seek advice from fellow divers and from the dive stores them selves.  Always remember however, dive shops often tend to want to sell the products which provide them with a higher profit margin, it's very easy to get carried away and end up spending a small fortune on equipment that is over engineered and over priced or on gadgets that you will rarely need.

Anybody that feels that information is improperly or inaccurately portrayed within this section may feel free to communicate his or her views and I will amend if necessary.

IMPORTANT NOTE: All information, equipment guidelines and recommendations assume that you have sought additional guidance and have the full knowledge and ability to use the items.  We accept no responsibility for consequences of improper use of scuba equipment.

Mask

Unlike fish, our eyes are unable to focus clearly under water. The purpose of the mask is to provide our eyes with an air space to look through thus allowing our eyes to focus under the water.

The most important consideration for a dive mask is to make sure that the glass is tempered (so that it won't break easily), The word "Tempered" should be etched onto the glass.  All good quality scuba manufacturers use tempered glass so this is not normally a concern but it is always worth checking.

The skirt of your scuba mask should be manufactured from Silicon.  This should be a soft (normally transparent) rubber double seal (inner & outer) that ensures that the mask is comfortable and seals well against your face.  The silicone skirt also extend around your nose, this soft rubber allows you to pinch your nose to equalize your ears (this practice is taught in early SAA lectures and pool training).

Although a mask isn't the most technical piece of scuba equipment that you can buy, it is important that it is comfortable and leak free to ensure that you have an enjoyable dive.  To test this, offer the mask up to your face (without the strap around your head) and breathe in through your nose, if the mask "sucks" on to your face and stays easily in place then you know the fit is good, the range of visibility can also be checked during this test.
My opinion, don't be afraid to try on lots of different masks, choose the one that feels right for you

Snorkel

The purpose of a snorkel is to allow you to keep your head under water while being able to breath on the surface.  Most scuba divers dive with a snorkel as this allows them to swim along the surface while conserving their air supply, a simply snorkel is a tube with a mouthpiece on the end, more developed snorkels are equipped with a purge valve near the mouthpiece. This valve allows the user to clear the snorkel of water more easily after diving beneath the surface. The correct techniques of snorkeling will be taught in pool sessions.
My opinion, a snorkel with a purge valve is well worth the extra few quid

Fins

Fins really break down into two categories:  Pool fins & open water fins.  Pool fins are comfortable to wear with bare feet and so are generally used in the pool or in tropical warm waters. For the somewhat cooler/tidal UK waters open water fins are more appropriate.  Open water fins have the rear of the foot hole missing and require you to wear a pair of boots; you then push your boots into the holes and fasten the strap around the heel to secure the fins.
The development of fins is something that is hyped up in scuba diving. There are literally hundreds of varieties, colours and types of fins that are available in the market.  Some boast that they give 30% more propulsion under the water.
My opinion, beware! You can spend over £100 on a pair of fins if you really want too but I doubt the possible performance benefits are really worth the extra money. If you are serious about becoming a diver you may as well buy open water fins and boots (as opposed to pool fins) as you will need them sooner or later anyway,

Suits

As water conducts heat from your body twenty-five times faster than air the purpose of wearing a suit whilst diving is to keep your body warmer for longer. There are three main categories of diving suit, each of which have advantages and disadvantages.  These categories of suit are:
Wet Suit - Wet suits are the cheapest type of suit and may be purchased for less than £100.  They are not watertight but allow a quantity of water to pass into the suit.  This water warms and keeps your body warmer.  The movement of water (the flushing effect) is kept to a minimum but they are only suitable for water temperatures greater than about 15°C and as such, are not normally suitable for diving in UK waters.

Semi-Dry Suit - these are a huge improvement on wetsuits as the movement of water (the flushing effect) is highly restrict by the built in hood and the close fitting wrist & ankle seal. Semi-dry suits often come in two parts (long johns & a jacket) and are suitable for much cooler waters than Wet suits (typically as low as 5°C). Semi-dry suits cost more than wetsuits and may normally be purchased at around £150.

Dry Suit - (membrane and neoprene types) these keep your body completely dry. They do not allow water penetration as they have built in boots, a watertight zip and seals on the neck and wrists. As the water is not in direct contact with your body it cannot cool you as quickly.  To prevent heat being conducted through a membrane dry suit a under suit is worn. As neoprene suits have inherent insulating qualities they require less in the way of under suits, Dry suits are the best type of thermal insulation but are considerably more expensive often-costing more than £400.
My opinion, As you need to be a competent diver with additional training before you can use a dry suit your first 10/20 open water divers will probably be in a semi dry suit, semi dry suits can be hired by the day or you may consider buying a new or second hand suit, to limit the "flushing effect" it is essential that wet and/or semi dry suits are a close fit.

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