New diver looking for info.

[Jesse]

Hey guys. I'm new to diving and I am looking to buy some equipment to get started. I will be diving primarily in the Minnesota area, so it will be quite a bit of cold water. I found this package on Ebay, and I was wondering if you could help me decide whether or not this is a good package. I am trying to stay around $1,000 for all the equipment to get started, and then after that, I will upgrade as needed. The package consists of a Dacor Enduro BC, Mares MR12 Axis Regulator & Octopus, and a Genesis double guage. I'd really appreciate your opinions.

[igotoofar]

I don't know enough about the equipment to tell you if it is a good deal or not, but I can say that the training and information you get from you local dive shop is hard to put a price

[mnwilly]

I bought some of my stuff from my local shop because I do believe in supporting it!! However, some of the items off of ebay are just soo much cheaper its hard to ignore. I am in your exact same position as I have been collecting my gear over the past few months.

[Mnflyboy]

Jesse - I have the MR 12 setup and dove it to 80' down by West Palm Beach last month......worked great!! Also have a genesis 3 gage and that works good, too. Read Roadales gear reviews on the net, and of course, scubaboard. Lots to learn from these two sites. Jaye

[DRE]

Jesse,

before you go and drop $1000 you might want to read up on some of the postings about different gear configurations on this board. While the backplate harness - wing combo might seem very alien and overkill to you right now, I'd definitely check out the pros of this system before purchasing anything else which you might regret soon.
Email me if you want more info.

[jasondbaker]

Jesse, welcome to the forum. My advice is to take your time. Go to your local dive shop and rent a couple pieces of gear. Definitely rent a backplate/wing package from a knowledgeable shop. You might hate it. You might love it. I think the worst time to buy gear is when you first start diving. You really don't know what you like or need yet.

The only piece of gear that I am still using from my first big gear purchase is my mask. I bought all top notch gear. All of it was eventually sold to friends, ebay, etc. If you really get into local diving you may end up selling some of the gear you listed.