Choosing The Best Scuba Diving Equipment

Before you start regular scuba diving for recreation it will help the overall experience if you get some of the more essential equipment and gear of your own. There are a lot of options out there, and a lot of things to consider such as if you wear lenses or glasses, do you need to get a prescription scuba mask? Here is a closer look to help you make the best choices.

The best scuba mask

The diving mask is your most important piece of gear because you need it to be leakproof, comfortable and let you see what is down there! Most diving masks let divers breathe out into the mask so that you can avoid the squeeze when you descend from the pressure. You need a mask that suits your head size and one that seals. Preferably you want one with a silicone skirt as it lasts longer and is better, but there are also masks with PVC or rubber skirts. There is also a prescription scuba mask for people who need corrective lenses or glasses.

Fins and weight belt

Fins should fit your feet perfectly not being too tight or too loose. You do not want your comfort and ill-fitting fins to compromise your dive. The weight belt helps you with buoyancy, this is something you will need help with if you are new to scuba diving.

Suits

The diving suit you choose depends on a few things such as how warm the water is where you go diving. There are drysuits and wetsuits that prevent problems like hypothermia and offer thermal insulation.

Types of scuba sets

There are 2 main types of scuba sets, closed-circuit and open-circuit.

Open-circuit - Most divers use a standard air mix which is 79% Nitrogen and 21% Oxygen for open-circuit sets. It is more affordable than mixes like trimix or heliox. Also called Aqualung the open-circuit set is more popular because of its affordability. You have the cylinders on your back and breath in to take in the air and out to get rid of waste.  

Closed-circuit - This type uses rebreathers, so the air you exhale is reprocessed so it can be inhaled again. If you want to do long dives this is a lot more economical.  

Other useful accessories

If you want to move your head around more when under the water and really explore you might want to get an underwater light, a knife, a compass and a surface marker buoy. Other things you might want are;

A regulator - This carries air from your gas cylinder and should have a second mouthpiece and a gauge. 

A buoyancy compensator - Crucial to control depth.

A dive watch - Great for measuring the depth and length of the dive.  

Summary

When you are looking to buy the best scuba mask you should head to a good diving shop and talk to people who know what they are talking about. You can also do research first online to find out what you should be looking for and asking them.