Purchasing your first set of scuba diving equipment or even upgrading your gear is no easy task. With so many different options available on the market choosing your own scuba diving equipment can be stressful, particularly if you’re just getting started. To help make sure you have the knowledge needed to make the best decisions. We provide some quick thoughts and items to think about when deciding on a new piece of equipment. We’ll explore which pieces of dive equipment a new diver should  purchase first. We will also cover  helpful tips on where to buy equipment for new and seasoned divers alike.

We have listed the essential pieces of scuba gear for beginner scuba divers.

Diving Mask

A quality mask is the most important piece of scuba equipment you should get right away. We say this because faces vary widely in size and form, fit and comfort is important when it comes to masks. Scuba masks that are too wide will leak, while those that are too small will feel uncomfortable. Having a leaking or uncomfortable mask will put a diver under additional stress and potentially lead to more issues.

You can already get a good scuba mask from a reputable company like Scubapro, Mares, Aqualung or Cressi for a reasonable price. There are a ton of options – but check out our mask guide for recommendations on finding and caring for the right mask for you.

What to look out for: A good watertight fit. 

Cost – From $50 to $200.

A whole set of scuba gear may be purchased for 30–50% less than retail with a little research. Nevertheless, purchasing second hand scuba equipment carries some risk in case it doesn’t work well and you don’t get your money back. There are ways to protect yourself so that you can minimize this risk. It is also important to remember that when in doubt, it’s usually better to just buy new and save yourself the disappointment if you feel that something is off. 

Have a handy advice when buying second-hand scuba gears? Share them on the comments

Here is a sample of my work that is currently published at a scuba diving website.