I agree with everything said in this thread except for one thing nobody has touched on. If you decide to get certified and you think you will advance in the sport....advanced open water....rescue diver....master diver....tech diving....then I suggest when you do decide to buy equipment, get the gear needed for this. Go for Dive Rite or Hollis, and think about a start with side mounts. Spend the $3000 and you'll never have to buy another BCD. When I started, I bought the "Beginner package". I believe I spent about $1600 fro Aqua Lung BCD, Aqua Lung Legend regulator, cheap octopus and a Sunnoto computer.
By the time I was ready to get my specialty certifications (about 4 months), I needed to upgrade. So I spent another $700 on an Aqua Lung Black Diamond BCD, as I needed more pockets and rings for reels, compass, safety sausage, lights, knife, whistle.....Had to get another set of fins, smaller for wreck diving, spring straps for rescue diving, larger for currents. Had to change my regulators (I now have a spare one too) to din valves for cavern certification. Also had to buy shorter hoses for cavern. Bought single steel tanks... Now that I am ready to start tech diving, I need to spend another $3000 for a new BCD with a steel plate for doubles or side mount, better regulators, better wrist computer, I still need a spare pony bottle (steel 40) with regulator and the list goes on and on and on. And if I do side mount, that 4 more tanks to buy and another regulator.
So, my point is, had I been told last year that if I continued my training I would need better gear, I would have just started with it. You are learning, why not learn with better equipment? Also the double bladder BCDs, like Dive Rite or Hollis (I would get the Hollis as it comes with all the additional parts unlike the Dive Rite) make buoyancy so much easier! I could have saved $2000-$3000 on equipment if I knew. Sure it costs more up front, but like I said, if you plan to stay in the sport, it is well worth the up front investment. Spend the money on the BCD, fins and regulators. Get a Hollis wrist computer...it can do up to 3 gases and it is only $100 more than the cheaper ones. If you decide to do tech diving, you need a back up computer anyway and then that is one less you have to buy.
I travel with my first BCD, my normal regulator and my smaller fins. I do not like to rent equipment when my life depends on it. I know that my regulators are serviced every year and I know how well I clean my gear. I am a bit paranoid about safety when I dive as I had an equipment failure on two of my first dives and nearly drowned because I had a panic attack. Now it is my stuff or I don't dive.
We have thought about getting our own boat. We have decided that the $60 we spend for a two tank dive is well worth it. We also have plenty of areas here to do shore diving. The east coast of Florida is great from Jupiter to the Keys. Fresh water diving in the middle and north of the state is fun, but very cold IMHO.
