For most new divers, shopping for their first set of dive equipment is a confusing and mind-boggling experience. With many designs and technical specifications to chose from, most newly certified divers feel bombarded with too many choices.

Therefore Divewerkz would like to give you a practical guide for buying equipment as a short overview. Of course we will be happy to assist our customers in making the right choice when buying equipment.

Budget
For the novice diver concerned about budget, we often recommend investing in an above average BCD and a balanced regulator. There is often little justification for the novice diver to invest in the top of the range equipment unless budget is not an issue or you are very sure that you will be a very active diver. For about less than a thousand Singapore dollars, you can buy a decent set of BCD and regulator with all the essential gauges. With proper annual servicing, this investment will last you for a long time.

Type of diving
Generally speaking, your choice of equipment depends on the nature of your diving activity.
Water temperature
If you are diving in mostly warm waters similar to Singapore’s, a 3mm wetsuit and a BCD with an average lift of 25 lbs should suffice. The colder the water, the thicker your wetsuit should be. For cold water diving, a 3 piece wet suit or dry suit is necessary. If deep diving is your cup of tea or you are doing a lot of dives per day, e.g. in places such as Sipadan, you should at least have a 5mm wetsuit.

Diving Activity
If you see yourself doing technical diving with twin tanks and/or diving with task such as lifting objects, you will need a BCD that is of the toughest quality and enough lift for you and your objects.

Regulator
If you see yourself doing a lot of deep dives, a balanced regulator is more appropriate as the air flow is smoother and ‘automatically’ tuned to the surrounding pressure.

Servicing and technical support
Diving gear brands vary in market dominance from country to country. For example, Sherwood, a leading brand in the US is hardly present here. Choose a brand that is represented by a least one reputable dealer in Singapore who is equipped with a full fledged servicing outlet. You don’t want to be stuck with equipment that you cannot have serviced or repaired.

Comfort
Of course one of the most important considerations when buying equipment are comfort and fit. Buy only equipment that fits your size and you feel comfortable in. Even within the same size, some designs suit you better than others. This is true for wetsuits, BCD's, masks and sometimes fins. For the well-endowed lady, the for-ladies-only BCD that is styled with a cross BCD may be worth the money for the perfect fit.

In Summary
Diving is an equipment-intensive activity. You are advised to invest the time and money to get appropriate gear for you, taking above points into consideration. What is better than diving with gear that feels like your second skin and extension of your body? Happy Diving :-)

Note: this page should serve divers as a practical guide to making the right choice when buying equipment. The points discussed are based on our experience and are our personal opinion. Divewerkz does not promote any particular equipment models or brands.