Bump... Rusty?

Yes Sir, right here ready to help.........

buy the best mask that fits your face well, and give the best visability all around up and down, I like black skirts myself, less reflections and distractions.

Do a web search on different reviews. lots of good info out there from professional testers.

I'm REALLY liking my newest mask, the Tusa Visulator. I have 4-5 other masks as spares. My prior favorite was an Oceanic Shadow. Very nice even after 6 years of use, then the glass broke after I stepped on it during a suiting up "Accident" Crap, I loved that mask, but now I love my Visulator even better. The Mares X series is also something to look at, but whatever fits YOUR face is the "best" mask out there.

Any personal fitting items really MUST be tried on in person at your local dive shop, Mask/gloves/boots and for that matter snorkle and regulators all have different fitting mouthpieces.

support your local dive shop for these items. You'll need them for your local lessons anyways. You can rent the bigger $$$ items for a while, BCD and even regulator for that matter.


This is all supposed to be fun, there is no one "best" answer, and the interweb is full of people who all have their own opinion, for their own application.

I haven't found a shop that had that Mares yet... Hitting one in Tulsa over the break...

Wow... forgot to update this...

Anyways.... I LOVE my gear... Especially the Mares mask...

I had a little trouble with the swim test... Kicked its ass the second try though. We are done with the book and did total ditch and dons in the pool tonight... going on our outdive May 5-7th. I'm way excited.

Bump again...

After a full year of not donning a suit, I will be starting to gather gear again over the summer! I am going back for my Rescue diver! For the college course I will need a compass, light, knife, and maybe another goodie or two..

Considering picking up a Henderson wetsuit as well....

I think we need to start planning a Pelican Dive Trip in a few years....

4 way stretch henderson 3mm/2mm full length suit is my tropical wetsuit. DUI CFX200 dry suit for puget sound.

Wristmount compass is nicer than a console mount IMHO.

Knife, get a SMALL blunt tip, you don't want or need a Rambo sized Machette blade.

Buy the best best most expensive light you can afford. I have some small C4 LED ones I'll make you a screaming deal on, as I don't use them anymore. AquaSun blows away my Light Canon HID, both are super bright crisp white light though. Don't even think about standard bulbs or even Xenon. Rechargable batteries are a must.

Underwater Kinetics AquaSun eLED Rechargeable Dive Light

A buddy of mine has a 7mm Henderson. Most of the water we dive is in the 60 degree range...

I've got you a 7mm wetsuit I'll sell you cheap too. Farmer John bottoms and jacket top. Maybe 6-8 dives on it. Fits me at 6' ~240 lbs.

Puget Sound is 48-50F. If you're going to go often in 60F, go drysuit. You stated though that you haven't dove in a year though. You might just want to rent then.

USIA make nice economical drysuits, ~$1000-1200 range. Watch OUT for buying used, as zipper replacement alone is $400+ and neck and wrist seals replaced isn't cheap either.

I'll pick up a suit to wear in the pool. 2hrs a week and I get cold....

I'm 6' 140. Finding a suit is tough....

if YOU really think about this.................just where in hells name is a wet suit going to be comfortable????????????????



you have a few choices:


hawaii-1/2mm

carribean-1/2mm

oz-1/2mm

south pacific-1/2mm

sea of cortez-1/2mm


all the above to avoid coral cuts,etc.



i know for a fact even in the summer off calif. its cold as hell AT DEPTH let alone pudget sound,washington.




for ANYWHERE ELSE quit stroking yerself and spend the bucks for a DRYSUIT!



you will thank me. ask me how i know. been diving since i was 17. im 53 now. do the math. thats 36 years now.



a DRYSUIT IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO!




literally year round diving anywhere including under ice if ya spring for a full face mask like my scuba pro.

if really damn cold , use thermal underwear. it iz the katz azz!


i bought mine thru USIA. mucho choices of colors.



if yer a secret squirrel...................even have multi camo ones.



since i AINT a SECRET SQUIRREL i opted in my infinite wizdumb of worst case scenario of being left by a dive boat floundering offshore a few miles, TO BE SEEN!


hence blue and INTERNATIONAL ORANGE!



the smartest thing i ever did diving. wez dont care how cold the water iz anywhere!



always bring mucho baby powder for donning. no fuss no muss getting in and out.



being on the edge of, if not downright getting HYPOTHERMIC can really screw yer dive/day/week/month/year/life up.



worth every damn penny X 1-BILL-YON!


one and ONLY drawback.................it is another bag to hump on a plane.

p.s. i sprung for a scubapro 1/2mm specifically for tropic areas. all it takes is one swell in a shallow area, the current etc to shove you into a rock/coral. and as we all know blood anywhere diving just downright sucks. especially hawaii with freeking hammerheads/tigers and the same in the sea of cortez as well as the carrib-bean.



i have not worn my poseidon wetsuit in years. flat got tired as hell of freezing my butt off.



and all it takes is one lil itty bitty piece of jelly fish to TOTALLY screw up yer day also.




about the only place i dont wear any suit is lake powell in the summer when we have gone there.



remember diving is just like flying. wanna beez jump in with more money than brains. buy all sorts of high end gear, get the crap pounded out of them on a surf dive, see a shark and poo themselves, have a equipment malfunction etc. and then run home to mommy squealing like lil pigs and then sell all their gear for pennies to the benjamin.


sooooooooooooo..........................LOOK FOR A USED DRYSUIT DIRT CHEAP!

At 6 foot 140 you're a skinny dude, who most likely will get cold.

One downfall of a dry suit, is when you have to peee.

If you're just doing pool time, Craigslist is your friend, as chlorine is hellllllll on gear.

For tropical diving, everything Weasel saids is correct, it's not just for thermal protection, but for stinging critter protection, sun burn protection, and so on. Wearing a lyra skin under a 3/2 mm long wetsuit for ease of donning/removal is the way to go.

keep searching on craigslist:

oklahoma city all for sale / wanted classifieds "wetsuit" - craigslist

high dollar gear to key on that ALWAYS is the 1st to go after some wanna-bee poos himself silly after seeing a seahorse or a moray eel,or gets seasick in 6ft swells(thats when its just getting good trust me:


dive computers

dry and wetsuits especially after a few years of eating twinkees and ding dongs and GETTING FAT! classic garage sale item along with excercisers.

b.c.s buoyancy compensators- ZEAGLE ARE HOT POO! the shizz ninny.


fins mask snorkels usually are kept for working on pools at home and telling all their neighbors they used to be U.S.N. SEALS after a few drinks.

DIVE CAMERAS! look for NIKONOS IV w/strobes and NIKONOS V's w/strobes.



i havent been around the world diving but i have been to:


hawaii numerous times

sea of cortez numerous times

lake powell and lokal lakes

pudget sound-3 times

southern calif numerous times

lake tahoe 3 times

and the best of the best of the BEST so far.....................BARBADOS!



you aint seen a reef/wreck until you have dived off of BARBADOS! mucho wrecks and they ALWAYS GIVE ME A CHUBBIE!


27 turtles in (1) dive. flat azz the coolest/best vizability diving i have EVAR DONE! and during hurry-kane season its DIRT DAMN CHEAP(september).



if i could pull of a ice dive in the arctic or antarctic i would in a HEART BEAT!

I would like to pick up a dry suit... But for as little as I am diving right now, I will stick with a wet suit....

M & B Wet Suit Design (M&B Wetsuits) - Long Beach, California (CA) | Company Profile


best custom wetsuit builder in the country that i could find

he'll send you a detailed build form

he's built 4 of them for me and a few for friends


if off the rack crap is good enough you don't need him

An XS henderson is tight, but keeps me warm...

I may give them a call when I get close to ordering though, what kind of money are we talking though?

Dry vs wet

it depends on what type of diving you do besides convience and creature comforts



and where did i get my rants. I started free diving at 10 and I'm 62 now.. Living on a sandbar forever may have had something to do with it

Wet for now. Like I said, as much as I would love a dry suit, I can't justify the expense....

wetsuits shouldn't be tight as it thins your insulation

if the Henderson is good enough save your bucks. M&B prices are at the top end of off the rack suits. His rubber is personally picked off the rolls. Many Calif spearfishing guys use him besides people who are built different than "normal"

I'm the little guy in the pic. I'm thin and wear a hat on the street when it's below 50F and wear silk thermals when below 40F. I get cold. Also I have the only hooded shorty in the Carib when I'm down there.



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Picked up an akona farmer john 6mm on craigslist. Was advertised for $85, but I guess they liked me, and I got the suit and the 7mm harveys hood for 45. The hood is a M, and a bit tight, I'll sell it to a classmate and get a bigger one....


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