BASIC SCUBA GEAR

* My opinion, There is a wide variety of scuba gear available for today's diver, When purchasing scuba gear it is imperative to seek advice from fellow divers and from the dive stores. 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 & end up spending a small fortune on equipment that is over engineered & over priced or on gadgets that you will rarely need.

Mask
Most important is make sure that the glass is tempered, The word "Tempered" should be etched onto the glass. All good quality scuba manufacturers use tempered glass but it is always worth checking.

The skirt of your scuba mask should be manufactured from soft Silicon (normally transparent), a double seal (inner & outer) ensures that the mask is comfortable and seals well against your face. The silicone skirt should also extend around your nose to allow you to pinch your nose.

It's important that a mask is comfortable and leak free. 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 may 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
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.
* My opinion, a snorkel with a purge valve is well worth an extra few quid

Fins
Fins 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 somewhat hyped up. There are literally hundreds of varieties, colours and types of fins available. 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,

 

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