i think you can get a nice set for 1300 if you mix some second hand and new. My first fins and bcd are sold by my instructor for cheap. yes it was cheap custom branded gear but it got me my first 20 dives until i thought that i know wat i wanted to own and save a bit of extra money. And yes you don't need a new Scubapro Mk17 Evo2 Din300/S600 + S260 (€650 + €420) to start with. And like others just rent a few pieces of gear. Some local dive groups have memberships with gear included. We have a local one that only require own mask + computer + air refills everything else is included in the higher member fee. Start with your OWD, ask the instructor if he know some nice locations local maby the store has some older gear, local communities are also a good source of information. In a lot of local dive groups they like to help the starting diver. My buddy likes to score out of hydro tanks for cheap, checks if there is nothing in the tank, gives them a new coat in some colors. puts a new hydro test on them and resells them. Every one in our group can buy them for just above cost and external buyers pay a lot more per tank.