[rslomkow]

bring your equipment with you! Once you find a good mask stick with it until it dies!

People in California often seem to dive much shallower than in Europe (and maybe Hawaii) for succesfull hunting, but long fins are still used. The water is both colder and darker (lower visability), which makes hunting below 20m challenging and at least if you are doing central to northern california the main rich live zone is 5-20m. With plenty of fish in the first 10m.

The water is olso rougher (though hawaii can get rough!) which makes inner-tube floats more valuable than torpedo style floats because you really want something to grab on to at times. Also if you do ab diving, you have to have the measure, the iron, the tags, and it is nice to have an inner-tube style float to store your stuff in.

I have unusual feet so finding fins that feel good the problem. I find I am more warm with 3mm socks in a fin that fits well (little water moving around the foot) than in a 5mm (or 7mm) sock in a fin that has more water space.

The gun should be fine, but accept that you are going to bang it into some rocks. Having a shorter gun might be nice if you are really doing rock work, but it should be fine.

Weights are something I rent when traveling (even if it cost the same to rent or buy last time I was on Tenneriffe, but by renting I didn't have to dispose of the lead) mostly because of weight allowances.

don't know if that is the kind of advice you are looking for, but hope some of that helps.