Invest for success

When I talk about ‘Invest for success’, I am not just talking about spending money, investing can be time and energy, so just remember during your diving career you do not need to continue spending copious amounts of money on new dive equipment.  Also, I am writing this in the hope for you not to make the same mistake I done at the beginning of my professional career.

For anyone that has looked up diving equipment, it can look more confusing than the Rosetta stone. There are many different brands that specialise in different parts of equipment. Diving is also a sport with an individual needed lots of different piece of equipment;

The list can be endless, it is also made even more confusing with the types of diving there is;

Your own opinion

Once again, this list goes on. For someone who has just started their diving adventure this can be daunting.  However, like with most things, the more you do it and research the more of an understanding you will have. Just so everyone who reads this knows, there are many different people with many different opinions, but for me personally I would always try something before ever either dismissing it or buying it. Always make up your own opinion on something.

When I was starting off my professional diving career I made the mistake that I do not want anyone else to make which was to invest poorly in equipment I knew I would have to invest in again after a little while. This was from the fact I felt that people cared more about me spending money than rather help me choose the right equipment for what I wanted. It was caused by naivety and greed. I invested in equipment that after diving for a few months I needed to replace as it was not good enough for a professional. So, I ended up spending twice as much on the same but better-quality equipment for the second time.

Diving equipment if treated correctly and properly maintained can last a life time. This is why I say if you invest for the long term at the beginning of your career you will not need to invest again if you are happy with your equipment.

Dive mask

There are always two things I recommended to any new or experienced diver to own and that is a dive mask and dive computer. These two pieces of equipment do not take any room up in your luggage whilst you travel, and diving always feels better with your own tested stuff.

The reason I say you should have your own mask is for fact that like any experienced diver knows, just like your hair, you can have a bad mask day. However, owning your own mask that you have properly fitted and are comfortable with can reduce these bad mask days. The mask I use at the moment and I would 100% recommend to anyone is the Scubapro Devil. It costs around 59€ and is a single frame. But like I said before, before buying anything especially a mask, go try them on first as a mask that fits my big head might not fit someone with a smaller face.

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Dive computer

The second piece of equipment I would always recommend for a diver to own personally is a dive computer. A lot of beginner divers over look this as you may think ‘I will just rent it from the center’ which is obviously a choice or you may think as it is a little more expensive you do not want to invest right now. What I can say is that having your own computer that you understand and can set to your personal comfort is something that can keep you out of danger.

Renting a computer from a dive center is not a problem but lots of different dive centers use different computers, with different settings. If you read the manual and understand the computer before the dives then all is fine. Having your own computer, you will understand your limits and the computers directions which makes any dive more comfortable.

Dive computers can cost anywhere between 190-1100€, the computer I use now is the Scubapro Galileo G2, which is an amazing computer for divers of all skill levels, from beginner to tech diver. However, if you are more a casual recreational divers a dive computer I would recommend is the Scubapro Aladin A1. It is around 330€. If you think about it, a dive computer can last years if looked after properly. Lots of centers will charge around 6€ a day to rent a computer, so that is works out to 55 days of diving. Which many of you can easily do in a year. A dive computer is a long-term investment and it will prove to be one any diver should make.

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Scubapro demo center

With all the other equipment make sure you do your own investigation before purchasing, if you have any questions on equipment, please feel free to send us an email and we will help in any way we can. 

As the first Scubapro demo center in the Canary Islands we can give you the possibility that you can try several Scubapro products before you buy.

At the dive center you will find a full range of regulators for single, double, stage and sidemount configurations, computers, bottom timers, compasses, BCD´s and wings for single and double cylinders, sidemount systems, fins, masks, snorkels, suits, boots and SeaLife underwater camera´s.

For testing we have some rules so feel free to contact us and see if we can work something out.

Here at Aquarius, we are here to help first to make sure all divers are happy with their own equipment.