What you need to know, from head to toe, to get the gear that's right for you.

So, you want to start diving, but how are you supposed to know what to buy? The choices can be a little overwhelming. No worries. After reading this article, and with your instructor's help, you'll be outfitted in no time. It's easiest to think of buying diving equipment in two phases: first, the basic stuff you need for class; second, the major pieces of life support—regulator, BC and dive computer—that you're allowed to purchase once you've got a certification card.

Phase One: The Basics

Masks

Your job: Choose the one right for your face.

What It Does: The mask creates an air space in front of your eyes that allows them to focus under water. The nose pocket allows you to equalize the air pressure in your mask as you go deeper. (You'll learn about that in class.)

What to Look For: A good watertight fit. Look up at the ceiling and place the mask on your face without using the strap. It should rest evenly with no gaps. Place a regulator or snorkel mouthpiece in your mouth. Does the mask still feel comfortable? Any gaps yet? Look forward. Place the mask on your face without using the strap and gently inhale through your nose. The mask should seal easily on your face. Caution: A strong inhale will close minor leak areas and invalidate this test.

Repeat the sniff test with a mouthpiece in place.

If the mask is still in the running, adjust the strap and put it on your face. Make sure the nose pocket doesn't touch your nose and that the skirt feels comfortable on your upper lip. Put the regulator mouthpiece in one more time to make sure you can easily reach the nose pocket to equalize your ears. Any mask that passes this test is a potential keeper.

You'll find a whole range of options on masks, including side, top and bottom panes for a wider field of vision. Some also have purge valves for venting any water that leaks in, and others have quick strap adjustments. These options (and a range of color schemes) are a matter of personal preference—just make sure the mask you choose fits right.

Snorkels

It seems simple enough: a curved tube that lets you breathe while floating face-down on the surface. Yet, as you look at the giant wall o' snorkels at your local dive store, you'll see an array of options and features to choose from. Don't worry. Stay focused on the basics.

What It Does: As a diver, you primarily use a snorkel to conserve air in your tank when on the water's surface.

What to Look For: Comfort. You want a mouthpiece that feels good in your mouth and that breathes dry and easy. The problem is, most attempts to keep snorkels dry also make them bulkier and harder to breathe through. The snorkel for you is one with a good compromise between ease of breathing and dry comfort. Remember, the bigger a snorkel is, the more drag it creates in the water. Also important: how the snorkel attaches to your mask. Look for a durable yet simple and easy-to-operate attachment.

Fins

Fish don't have legs for the simple reason that fins are the best way to move through water. So if you're going to play in the fish's territory, you need a good set of flippers too.

What They Do: Fins translate power from the large leg muscles into efficient movement through water, which is 800 times denser than air (a bit of trivia that's likely to show up on a quiz during your class).

What to Look For: Comfort and efficiency. When trying on fins, look for a snug fit that doesn't pinch your toes or bind the arches of your feet. If you can't wiggle your toes, the fins are too small.

Efficiency of fins is largely determined by their size and stiffness. Divers with strong leg and hip muscles can efficiently use a bigger, stiffer fin. Smaller divers or less conditioned divers will be more comfortable with smaller, more flexible fins. Finally, make sure buckles and straps are easy to use.

Wetsuit

Form-fitting exposure suits are usually made of foam neoprene rubber (wetsuits) or spandex-like materials (skins), sometimes with fleece added.

What They Do: Exposure suits trap a thin layer of water between the suit and your skin to insulate against heat loss. Even warm water can rob your body of heat 25 times faster than air (that's another fact you're likely to be tested on in class). The thickness and type of exposure protection you need depends on dive conditions. Simple Lycra suits provide little thermal insulation but do help protect from scrapes and stings.

What to Look For: Fit and comfort. Exposure suits should fit snugly without restricting movement or breathing. Reject any suit that's too loose, however. Gaps at the arm, leg, crotch and neck allow water to circulate and defeat the suit's ability to prevent heat loss.

Phase Two: Life Support Equipment

Regulators

The good news: Among major-label regulators—the kind sold in dive stores—there is no junk. This is the most important piece of equipment you will purchase, so you want to make sure that it is reliable and durable. In other words, purchase a major manufacturer brand regulator.

What It Does: Converts the high-pressure air in your tank to ambient pressure so you can breathe it. A regulator must also deliver air to other places, such as your BC inflator and alternate second stage.

What to Look For: Rlieability, durability and performance. The best regulators can deliver a high volume of air at depth, under heavy exertion even at low tank pressures. Some can be more complicated than others, containing various knobs and switches, so you want to purchase a model that you can be comfortable with.

Comfort. Look for a comfortable mouthpiece and have your local dive store select hoses of the right length for you.

Buoyancy Compensators

The BC is the most complex piece of dive equipment you'll own and one of the most important. So choose carefully based on the style of diving you'll be doing most.

What It Does: What doesn't it do? It holds your gear in place, lets you carry a tank with minimal effort, floats you at the surface and allows you to achieve neutral buoyancy at any depth.

What to Look For: Correct size and fit. Before you try on BCs, slip into the exposure suit you'll wear most often. Look for a BC that fits snugly but doesn't squeeze you when inflated. The acid test: inflate the BC until the overflow valve vents. The BC should not restrict your breathing. While you've got the BC on, test all valves for accessibility and ease of use, then make sure the adjustments, straps and pockets are easy to reach and use.

Pay particular attention to the inflator hose. Is it easy to reach and extend over your head? Make sure there's a clear distinction between the inflate and deflate buttons and that you can operate them easily with one hand.

Dive Computers

Nobody enjoys working the dive tables, but they're an invaluable tool for safe diving. Dive computers are an even better tool for the same reason a laptop is better than a slide rule.

What They Do: By constantly monitoring depth and bottom time, dive computers automatically recalculate your no-decompression status, giving you longer dive times while still keeping you within a safe envelope of no-decompression time. Computers can also monitor your ascent rate and tank pressure, tell you when it's safe to fly, log your dives and much more. That's why dive computers are almost as common as depth gauges these days.

What to Look For: User-friendliness. The computer should allow you to easily and quickly access the basic information you need during a dive: depth, time, decompression status and tank pressure. Some models have both numeric and graphic displays for at-a-glance information.

Some computers are conservative in their calculations, automatically building in safety margins; others take you to the edge of decompression and trust you to build in your own safety margins. Before you buy, ask to see the owner's manual and check it out. Complete and easy-to-understand instructions are important, especially on feature-packed machines.


Portions Reprinted with permission from Scuba Diving - The Magazine Divers Trust