| If you go into any scuba diving shop or dive centre | | | | quality items that will not stand up to any degree of |
| you'll find a bewildering array of different equipment, | | | | normal use and so a saving here will be at the |
| from masks and fins to snorkels, wetsuits, BCDs and | | | | expense of equipment life or safety. |
| whatever else you might name. So with all this | | | | Rather than think budget, think value for money - |
| equipment in front of you, how do you decide what | | | | ask if the store has ex-display models or stock from |
| is right for you? | | | | the previous season and remember that you can |
| Environmental conditions | | | | always get discounts right at the end of the diving |
| It doesn't matter the size of your scuba diving | | | | season. |
| equipment budget if you choose the wrong | | | | And you can save money on kit like dive bags by |
| equipment for your local environmental conditions. | | | | substituting other products - you can find cheap |
| Points to think of are: | | | | plastic storage crates in supermarkets and other |
| · Where will you be diving and what are the | | | | stores for a tenth of the price of a dive bag and it |
| environmental conditions? | | | | will do the job just as well. |
| · Will a shorty be enough or do you need a | | | | Comfort |
| full wetsuit? | | | | It's you that will be using this equipment, so make |
| · Is the water cold enough that you should | | | | sure you spend enough time trying it on and ensuring |
| invest in a dry suit? | | | | you are comfortable. When trying on equipment like |
| · Do you need an environmentally sealed first | | | | a BCD you should either take your wetsuit along or |
| stage to prevent freezing? | | | | wear a similar one and ideally you should dive with |
| · If much of your diving be done on diving | | | | the equipment before committing to purchase. |
| holidays, what are the conditions you are likely to | | | | If you follow the above steps you'll find that |
| encounter? | | | | choosing scuba diving equipment can be |
| Price versus quality | | | | straightforward as long as you apply a bit of |
| As we all know there is no such thing as a free lunch, | | | | forethought. Despite the amount of equipment |
| so if your budget is restricted you should carefully | | | | available on display in many dive stores you should be |
| consider the tradeoffs between price and quality. | | | | able to quickly filter your choice products down to |
| One area to look at carefully are zips, fasteners and | | | | just a few and then take real pleasure in selecting |
| buckles - it is easy to reduce costs by providing low | | | | you final purchase. |