First time buying scuba equipment online?

So, you have figured out that if you are in the market for discount scuba gear, the best way to do it is by shopping for scuba equipment online. The first thing you should do is to decide what kind of budget you are planning to spend on your scuba dive gear. We recommend that if you are on a limited budget, start with the basics like dive fins, a mask and a snorkel. These starter scuba dive equipment staples are relatively cheap compared to the higher-end scuba gear online. Divers-Supply.com also carries packages that include these items that should be the first additions to your personal diving materials. The next step is to add more high-end but still discount scuba gear to your collection of supplies. Scuba diving wetsuits and scuba computers are great investments for regular divers. Scuba diving BCDs and regulators are also on the pricier end of the scale, but they make diving trips that much easier when you don't have to rent. Divers-Supply.com offers many different packages if you would prefer to buy all together instead of choosing each item yourself. We have student starter packages, regulator packages, and system packages just to name a few. To learn more about the equipment check out out Buying Guide. 

Discount scuba gear accessories

Besides your initial staple items, diving accessories can make a dive smoother and more exciting. Sealife cameras are not a necessity, but they can make bringing dive memories back with you on land simple. Some models have removable casing so they work just as well on land as they do underwater. Dive lights, sheaths and knifes also add to the diving experience. We offer excellent packages with either just dive lights or a combination of knives and lights. And for fresh seafood dinner, see our Speargun section for the best in spearguns and lobster hunting scuba equipment online.

Why Buy Scuba Gear

Scuba diving, like many recreational activities, is equipment-intensive. Recreational diving has grown from an obscure sport practiced by a small band of youthful and athletic adventurers into an activity enjoyed by millions around the world in all kinds of water. Increasingly sophisticated and reliable equipment, and the training to use it properly, are largely responsible for that growth.

Whether an item of dive gear is considered essential or desirable, each was conceived and developed to satisfy a definite need and perform a specific function. From regulator to gauges, mask to fins, and buoyancy compensator to wet suit, recreational scuba equipment is purposeful, interesting to use, and a big contributor to the overall fascination and at-traction of diving.

Acquiring your own dive equipment is a major factor in the enjoyment of the sport. Sure, you can rent gear at many dive destinations, but do you really want to rely on the availability of much-used rental equipment for your personal safety and enjoyment of diving?

Owning your own dive gear has many advantages. As a beginning Open Water certification student, you can speed your learning curve and progress quickly into the open-water environment by purchasing and using a basic dive equipment package: regulator and BC in addition to mask, snorkel and fins. Learning how to scuba dive involves a lot more than learning how to breathe through a regulator underwater. You learn the art of buoyancy control, the subtleties of swimming and streamlining, and a host of other skills. Acquiring these skills quickly and comfortably has a lot to do with the equipment you use in training. If the BC is too small, you will struggle with it, which interferes with your learning. Fit and comfort are the prime criteria in selecting most items of dive gear, and in achieving maximum safety and pleasure underwater. The best way to ensure that your gear fits correctly and comfortably is to wear your own.

Even if loaner or rental equipment fits well, it may not be right for you because of particular features — or lack of them. Features are what distinguish one item of dive gear from another. When you buy your own gear, you evaluate and choose the features you need and appreciate. The process is fun, adds greatly to your knowledge of diving, and ensures that the gear you dive with does what you want it to, the way you want it to.

You will know how to operate it properly and care for it responsibly. You will know the condition of your gear, where it has been, and who has been using it. That familiarity contributes to the highest level of safety, which in turn gives you peace of mind.

Other less obvious but still important benefits accrue from owning dive gear. Buying gear deepens your relation-ship with your dive store. That store is your conduit to diving. It offers training opportunities, arranges trips, keeps you in contact with other divers, and services and supports your equipment. Having your own equipment also marks you as a serious, committed diver, and it encourages you to dive regularly, to stay involved in the sport.

The bottom line on equipment ownership: It's the way to achieve maximum enjoyment of diving.