Need scuba gear advice!! (Scubabob, where are you?)?

[Dennisen]

I am completely landlocked working for six months at a time in the oilfield in the Canadian north, so local dive shops don't exist for me. I will be in Toronto for 24hrs this winter on my way down to Cozumel and would like to buy some gear. I plan on doing recreational open water diving down to 130 feet max, and possibly trying some basic, beginner caves. About 50% of my diving will be done in fresh water lakes all well above freezing temperatures

[davefrombc]

Unless you have a lot of experience , and some specialized equipment , you won't be making any dives to 130 ft. Nearly everything you will want to see is in the top 30 to 40 ft. and snorkeling is really a good option .. Excursions beyond 40 ft. will require decompression time if you go down for any length of time ..
I would expect it may be better to take your own snorkeling gear with you , but rent SCUBA gear at your destinations .. The weight of the tanks would bring rather high surcharges on the airlines , and they would likely need to be shipped empty, so you'll be buying all your air locally there anyway..The difference in cost between rent and taking your own gear is likely to be very small.
You will need to show dive certification also , and you won't get that in a one or two day training session .