Gear Santa, are you listening?
Like most divers, we aren't brand loyal, but we are loyal to the products that work for us. Our loyalty to the following products has been earned over time due to their value, not price. Within each product category the price may be high or low when compared to the alternatives, but we have found the following products to be the best value as a function of price and performance for recreational diving. Why can't I go to my local dive shop for straight talk on dive gear? Well, you can...sometimes; however, let's think about the incentives for a moment.
The TUSA Paragon S isn't the most expensive mask out there, but it's pretty close. Luckily the TUSA Zensee mask is a great lower cost alternative to the Paragon S if you need to save a little $$$. We like single lens masks because they tend not to create a pressure point between your eyebrows on long dives. Our bottom line on masks is that they have to be comfortable and leak free. Jeff has pretty thick facial hair, and the mask skirt on the Paragon S and Zensee is supple enough to seal over his soup strainer! As always, get an extra mask strap for the save-a-dive kit.
First, Dive equipment manufacturer's have gone through a period of massive consolidation, so a particular "brand" is more of a convenient fiction than a promise of quality at this point.
Second, most local dive shops are forced to align themselves with one or maybe two giant conglomerates in order to meet the yearly sales quotas required to qualify for dealer pricing.
We don't really have a "favorite" snorkel. We don't wear snorkels when we're boat diving and only rarely when we're shore diving. Snorkel skills are an important part of the basic skills any diver should master, but we tend to think that the safest place for a diver is underwater (assuming you have air/nitrox). While we don't dive with a snorkel generally, we always pack our snorkels in case we want to do some snorkeling on the day before we fly home. Just remember that if you do go snorkeling, wear bright colors and take a marker buoy with you so that boats and kite surfers can spot you in the water.
These circumstances limit their product offerings and have a huge influence on their gear recommendations. Thus, visiting a brick and mortar dive shop is more akin to a trip to a local car dealership these days. How likely is it that your local Ford dealer will recommend that you buy a Chevrolet because it's the right choice for you?
The Italians know their fins. From Leonardo Da Vinci to Ludovico Mares, why switch teams now? The latest Mares fin, the Avanti Quattro+ is the best fin we have found for many reasons. They are durable, efficient, powerful, easy to put on, and easy to get off. When we're on the dive boat, we notice that frequently more than half the divers and most of the crew are wearing these! Make sure and get an extra set of bungee fin straps for your save-a-dive kit.
The sad fact is that most dive shops are unable to stock the best products in every category, and it's unlikely they are going to recommend a product they don't carry. For example, pay attention to what dive professionals are using as opposed to what they are selling. After all, they are divers too, and they like the good stuff!
Every diver needs a DSMB (Delayed Surface Marker Buoy). If you come on a trip with us, we will ask you to bring your own DSMB. If you haven't been trained on the deployment of a DSMB, we'll show you how. This is an essential piece of safety equipment for EVERY diver! We like this one because it has all of the parts and pieces you need to properly rig and store your DSMB for use.
This subject is a little disheartening for us, as we both grew up in family owned businesses. So, if your local dive shop stocks some of the items we recommend, great! There are still a lot of good reasons to support your local dive shop (dive buddies, gear service, travel advice, etc...).
We like big boots, and we cannot lie. Seriously, we like full height dive boots because they protect the bridge of your foot from fin abrasion, not just the heel. The BARE 5mm S-Flex boots are full sized dive boots (or booties if you prefer) that will serve you well in a range of recreational diving scenarios. We like them shore diving in Bonaire, we like them on the boat in Cozumel, we like them in temperate water down to 65F and in warm water up to 88F.
The Zeagle Stiletto is the best balance we've found between a lighter weight travel BCD that's also rugged enough to take a beating on the shore or the dive boat. You can easily spend twice as much on a BCD for 5-10% more durability (e.g. Scubapro Hydros Pro) and similar comfort and performance. For 98% of recreational diving, this is more than enough BCD to get the job done.
Apeks regulators are built to function in almost any aquatic environment. We love the Apeks XTX50 as a workhorse reg, but it's a little heavy for routine travel and a little overkill for recreational diving. The environmentally sealed Apeks Ocea XL4 regulator package is the perfect combination of durability and versatility that Apeks is famous for in a more compact regulator that fits easily into a carryon or small backpack.
We recommend keeping the SPG (Submersible Pressure Gauge) simple. The traditional gauge console can be cumbersome to wield at the surface, and it can be a reef wrecking ball under water. At most, we like a pressure gauge/compass combo. We love just a simple SPG, with a compass on the wrist where it's easier to use anyway. We like to stick with Apeks on the SPG for service reasons.
While this isn't diving related, it is travel related! We love to have podcasts or books already downloaded when we fly!
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