[Brian Prestwood]

Hey Alex

I saw Minh's comment on salt water in the eyes. My experience has been that a little really stings but flooding your mask doesn't sting nearly so much. I think it has to do with the mix of air and salt water vs all salt water.

I don't know if any one covered this but you will find that for your first few dives you are going to need much more weight than is recommended. With a full wet suit on I'd guess your recommened weight is around 20 lbs. You'll probably need more like 30 to get down the first few dives. Most divers drop about 10 lbs off in their first 20 dives.

Carrying all that gear can be a pain. A trick I've seen a couple of people use is to attach their fins to the lowest "D" rings on their BC with those spring loaded clips you see at Home Depot for a buck or two. The cheap ones will rust out quickly but at a buck or two they are cheap to replace.

Have fun.