Equipment

 

The basic equipment you'll required to start your training will include a Mask, Fins and a Snorkel.

 

Typically these will cost about £30-£40 for a Mask, about £20-£40 for a set of pool fins, and about £10-£20 for a snorkel.

 

These can be provided in the first instance but it will be generally expected that you buy your own as soon as possible.

 

This will allow you to begin your training as we have the equipment to get you through your lectures and practicals although you will need a suit for your first open water dive, even in mid summer.

 

Basic Kit

 


Scuba Equipment

SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) comprises a Breathing Gas Cylinder (usually air, but never pure oxygen), a Demand Valve (or Regulator), and a BC (Buoyancy Compensator).

Diving Cylinders

Cylinders

Generally these are made of steel, although aluminium cylinders are also available. A cylinder is pumped up until it is full (about 230 - 300 times atmospheric air pressure) at your local dive shop. How long you can stay underwater will depend upon your breathing rate and the depth you dive to. More advanced diving can involve breathing a special gas called NITROX rather than air. Nitrox has the benefit of significantly reducing the risk of the "bends", although you cannot dive as deep.

A Cylinder can vary in size from 3, 7, 10, 12 or 15 litres and will be priced from £90-£150.

All training in the pool and your first sea dives will be with air.

RegulatorRegulator

The regulator allows the air (at the high pressure within the cylinder) to be reduced to the ambient pressure around you at any particular depth. A modern regulator achieves this in 2 stages. The first stage included the clamping device to connect the Regulator to the cylinder. The 2nd stage includes the mouthpiece.

The good news is that with modern materials and production standards even a reasonably priced regulator will offer high performance but it is still worth spending the time to research this to your own requirements.

A Regulator will generally range from around £150-£400.

Buoyancy CompensatorBuoyancy Compensator

To hold your cylinder onto your body and provide you with lift under water you use a BC or Buoyancy Compensator. There are other pieces of equipment you can use but this is by far the most common

The BC allows you to adjust the amount of gas held within it so that you can achieve neutral buoyancy in the water and will also act to keep you afloat when on the surface.

Most BCs have pockets and clips to help with keeping all your kit together and they are an important piece of equipment so take care before buying and ask others in the club if you can try theirs to see how they feel to you.

Your BC will generally range from around £250-£350

Within the club we have a vast array of different kit set ups and configurations so before you go out and spend any money talk to people and see what they use and ask if you can try things out in the pool. its better to have a go and find out you don't like it than find out after you've bought it.