Costs to Purchase and Maintain Scuba Diving Equipment

The costs of scuba diving equipment can easily run over $1,000 dollars. Although renting is always an option, for a diver that is developing a long term interest in this sport, purchasing is worth your while, not just in money but also in the quality of your scuba equipment.

Without going into the pros and cons of renting vs buying the scuba diving equipment, let's talk about the various types of scuba equipment that you should consider buying and how much you should budget for spending on them.

Mask: a mask can range from $20 to $150.00 dollars. A mask has relatively little travel inconvenience compared to other scuba equipment so packing it in a suitcase and walking around in it will not be a big challenge.

Snorkel: They should not run you more than $50.00, and the lower end will be around $17.00

Fins: Although they are not as easy to pack as a pair of snorkels, they range from $30 to $150.00 and are more affordable than many other scuba diving equipment.

Regulator: They range from $150 - $500, sometimes even more and are at the higher end of the price range than other scuba equipment.

Exposure suits: They vary according to type (ie wetsuit vs drysuit). Check here for types and prices.

BC: Typically from $150 to $500.00 and like regulators, are also at the high end of the price range than other scuba diving equipment.

Weights: $1.70 a pound.

Tanks: Between $100 to $400.

Remember, the last two are heavier to carry around than the others. We recommend buying tanks and weights last, and the others before as they are less expensive, and easier to pack and travel with.

The maintenance for scuba equipment is astonishingly the same. Although there is specific preventative care that is required for only for dive suits, tanks, or BCs, there are some things you can do to all your scuba gear that will insure a long life for them.

After every dive, make sure to give your all of your scuba gear a good rinse with fresh water.

After rinsing the scuba diving gear, allow it to dry, but not in direct sunlight. Most of the scuba equipment that you carry is made of neoprene rubber, which can be broken down when exposed to direct sunlight. Extra care should be taken between dives, when they are most vulnerable to the sun, especially in tropical climates

Whether you have a wet or a dry suit, neoprene exposure suits should be hung on a non-wire hanger to dry. Wire hangers can cause unnecessary creases.

All your scuba diving equipment should be stored in a cool, yet dry place.

Separate your neoprene related equipment from your other scuba gear, especially if they are damp. Over time, they can stick together and tear when pulled apart.

After you return from your dive trip, make sure to unpack as soon as possible to prevent any compression or flattening of the scuba equipment that you paid good money for.

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San Diego Sights for Scuba Divers' Eyes

At the southern-most tip of the USA is beautiful San Diego, California -- my home town and a playground for every water sport from skiing, sailing and surfing to fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving.

As a scuba diver you'll find an exciting variety of marine life in Wreck Alley, in various kelp forests and in La Jolla's massive underwater park.

The park combines La Jolla Submarine Canyon and Scripps Canyon, an underwater treasure of marine life including some of the more bizarre creatures among us.

The valley of this huge canyon system is about 1600 feet down. Its steep walls rise into two branches just made for convenient scuba diving access from the beach at either the La Jolla Cove or La Jolla Shores.

At the La Jolla Shores side you can start at the foot of Valicitos Street and swim to the buoys that mark the canyon's upper reaches. Better be pretty skilled at swimming in surf. Otherwise, take a scuba diving charter boat out of Mission Bay.

By the time you've descended to about 30 feet you'll be at the Scripps Canyon rim and its precipitous, narrow walls that plunge ever deeper toward the abyss. Be very careful here because the dropoff is nearly vertical at some points, often involving overhanging walls.

Visibility is good but variable due to upwellings and occasional strong currents. Winter water temperature is in the 50s; summer water gets up to the high 60s and sometimes low 70s.

Scuba divers and scientists alike have made the La Jolla and Scripps Canyons one of the most-studied undersea environments in the world. You can see the prestigious Scripps Institution of Oceanography and pier from any point along the La Jolla coastline. La Jolla Canyon's fan valley was the site of the world's first deep oceanic drillings, where core samples were retrieved from thousands of feet below the sea floor in 1961.

15 minutes south of La Jolla is Wreck Alley, about a mile off Mission Beach. Here you can explore artificial reefs created by eight sunken ships and a couple of unlikely structures that got there by both accident and intent.

The latest addition is the 366-foot Canadian destroyer Yukon, which was intentionally sunk here in about 100 feet of water during the year 2000. The Yukon still has years to go before it can compete with its older companions as a showpiece of densely populated cover.

The Ruby E, a 170-foot Coast Guard cutter resting in about 70 feet of water, was covered bow to stern with brilliantly colored Corynactis Californica anemones only a few years ago. But being one of the most beautiful sights for scuba divers' eyes brought so much scuba diving traffic that some of the life has disappeared. Yet you can still drift through the wheelhouse and be absolutely dazzled by thick growths in a stunning array of colors. Be sure to bring a light.

Then there's the kelp cutter Del Rey and several smaller wrecks, all with much more growth than the others because of lighter scuba diving traffic.

Now if you want to feel like you're on an underwater highway, be sure to visit the Ingraham Street Bridge at about 60 feet down. It was demolished and dumped here in the '50s or '60s to make way for a new bridge in Mission Bay Aquatic Park. Now with some 50 years of cover it has become more like a natural reef with abundant growths of kelp, fans and algae, great colonies of filter feeders and all the marine life that comes to nibble.

Finally, there's NOSC Tower, thanks to a 20-foot wave that dealt a fatal blow in the dark of one 1988 winter night. For three decades the NOSC Tower had served as a research platform off Mission Beach for the Naval Electronics Lab and the Naval Ocean Systems Center. Now it's a twisted mass of steel covered with anemones, mussels and star for fabulous scuba diving in a world of stunning color. Bring a light for the show and a sharp knife for the fishing line and rope that you're likely to find.

Bring your camera too, of course, for a great photography dive. Visibility averages 15-25 feet and by the way, hunting is not wanted here.

You can reach this great scuba location on such Mission Bay charter boats as Blue Escape (619-223-3483), Dive Connection (619-523-9282) and DiveQuest (800-303-3483).

Copyright MBPCO 2006 and Beyond. Elizabeth Miller is a professional freelance copywriter for Miller Direct, and a general partner in Miller Bridges Partners. Here's where you'll see more about scuba diving.

New Line of Scuba Diving Activewear Clothing Launched by Canadian Scuba Diver

Montreal, Quebec, Canada - January 25, 2006 - Clint Leung, a scuba diver based in Montreal, has created a new line of scuba diving clothing starting with t-shirts and tank tops. This new line is being launched through his new company, Free Spirit Activewear.

Leung, who is a certified Master Scuba Diver through the scuba dive training certification agency NAUI, says, "Scuba divers are modern day adventurers who explore the undersea world. These people are true free spirits who are not afraid to show the rest of the world of their chosen underwater activity." In fact, these free spirited individuals influenced the name of Leung's company. Leung further adds, "I'm a free spirit who is creating designs for other free spirits."

The initial design for Free Spirit Activewear's scuba diving line immediately identifies the wearer as a scuba diver. This design is called 'Scuba Dive Adventurer' which reflects the adventurous spirits of all scuba divers. The design features a compass with the four directions. Within the compass is the red and white scuba diving flag with a scuba diver in the center. This new scuba design is available in t-shirts and tank tops in regular adult sizes as well as in ladies fitted sizes. The ladies fitted sizes acknowledge the fact that many female scuba divers want a tighter, sexier fit compared to that of a regular t-shirt. There is also a choice of four different shirt colors.

So far, Leung's scuba diving designs are available exclusively through the Free Spirit Activewear website.

For additional information, see www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com.

About Free Spirit Activewear:

Free Spirit Activewear is an online retailer specializing in premium activewear with specialty sports themes including scuba diving and martial arts. Free Spirit Activewear has numerous information resource articles on specialty sports and is based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Contact Information:

Clint Leung Free Spirit Activewear 514-421-1124 http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com

Clint Leung is a NAUI certified Master and Rescue Scuba Diver. He is also owner of Free Spirit Activewear (http://www.FreeSpiritActivewear.com) , an online retailer/designer specializing in premium quality scuba diving activewear. Free Spirit Activewear has numerous information resource articles on scuba diving as well as free Cards.