Buyers Remorse

[stargost]

Dont worry about the computer, especially if you can take it out from the console. If it does gauge mode with seconds, you are safe for a while, if not, wait untill you take the course where you'll specifically be asked to get that. It may be possible to borrow a gauge DC anyway, till you really want something specific.
You can get some SPG below 50$ easily. Hose are cheap on ebay.
Dont forget the fins, if you baught atomic split fins ... you'll need to replace. => jets on ebay can be found ~50-60$, sometimes with springs.

As mentioned, the first 'real' issue will be to replace the BCD, I agree with above, sale it asap so it doesn't loose a lot of value.
If you are on budget, getting a BP + wing is not that expensive compared to what you can get on ebay for a recent BCD. Scubatoys has 375$ offers and others like DRIS will offer HOG gear at the same level.


I don't think when moving to a DIR friendly approach what cost is the switching the basic rec stuff to BP, wing and long hose.

It is when you discover the value of powerful light for signaling (>1000$), want to get to the right additional training, realize you want to be in the water all the time and need a drysuit, and eventually start thinking about using doubles.

The probably small loss of the BCD is going to be completely negligible by then.

 

[flots am]

Thanks very much for the advice - I just ordered a copy of DIR the Fundamentals.

For now I plan on doing mostly single tank dives while traveling, although I definitely want to keep the option of diving doubles for the future.

You should probably do a little research and make sure of your assumptions and goals before throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

While the DIR stuff actually works very nicely, you don't need to "Be DIR" to take care of the problems you listed. Also, with DIR, the equipment is actually only an outward indication of what's going on and may actually be the wrong tool to accomplish your goal.

• If you're having problems reading your computer because you can't see it, you need a contact lens or two or a reading-insert for your mask.
• If you're having problems reading your computer because you don't understand what it's saying, you need to re-read the manual and get more practice.
• If your gear is full of danglies, you need to find out how to stow and attach everything
• If you're out of trim or improperly weighted, this is also just training and adjustments.

If you want to go DIR, that's great, however you should know what you're getting into and why and if there's a better way to accomplish your goals without selling your stuff and abandoning everything you already learned. Make sure you're not having a baby just because you like tax deductions.

Flots.

 

[flots am]

As mentioned, the first 'real' issue will be to replace the BCD, I agree with above, sale it asap so it doesn't loose a lot of value.

Too late. That happend the first time it hit the water.

Used BCs on eBay with only a handfull of dives are less than $200.

Flots.

 

[stargost]

delete double post.

 

[TSandM]

As others have said, you can salvage some of what you have pretty easily. And no, especially at the entry levels, you won't find a lot of absurdly dogmatic attitudes. Most of us started with computers, and a lot of us continued to use them AS computers for a while after Fundies, until we were really comfortable with the mental processes necessary to do without. My husband even took Fundies with a Cobra computer as an SPG, although the second day of class, the instructor asked him to change it because it was driving him crazy (he couldn't easily swim up and check Peter's pressure, as he could with the students with standard gauges).

You WILL take a loss on the BC, unfortunately, and probably a large one. But if you watch the classifieds carefully, you can probably pick up a backplate and wing at less than retail. Just be sure you know what you want, because backplates vary in size, material, and weight, and wings vary in size, shape and lift. Do NOT try to buy a wing that will serve for single and double tanks; no wing does both well, and that kind of corner-cutting is really contrary to the DIR idea of doing things right.

I will also endorse buying Jarrod's book, to get a better idea of what DIR is about --- gear is only one part of a multifaceted approach to diving, although it is the one most people notice first, and talk about the most.

I would also HIGHLY recommend you contact Steve Blanchard, who I believe is the closest GUE instructor to you, and talk to him about the changes you are making. I'm sure he'll be very helpful, and he may also help you hook up with some of the DIR divers in your area, which is one of the best ways to learn about the system and see how it works in real life.

 

[jscott099]

Oddly, it seems that all of this assumes that you only have one type of gear or the other. Surely there will still be occasions when you take a trip to Cozumel and want your basic recreational gear. If you can afford the expense, why not have both?

 

[PfcAJ]

I've taken my BP to Cozumel and I was much happier with that than the jacket BC I used in Thailand. The traditional Padi style gear falls short after using dir equipment, imo.

 

[scubamountaingirl]

At first glance this is unexpected, but I think I understand the logic here.

Just out of curiosity, is the DIR philosophy dogmatic about these sorts of things? (Or perhaps I should wait to read the chapter on Computer Diving from the DIR Fundamentals book )

you most certainly can use a computer while still diving DIR. you will want your analog gauges to be on you at all times, if and when you have a computer failure, or are doing deco stops that your computer does not recognize. As we are taught from the first class. We are diving our equipment , it does not dive us. So the more you are prepared to know how to use your gauges your good to go.

the only thing DIR is about is safety. One either loves the philosophy or makes fun of it.

JUST MY TWO CENTS. AND JUST MY HUMBLE OPINION.

WW

 

[TSandM]

Surely there will still be occasions when you take a trip to Cozumel and want your basic recreational gear.

A Hog rig IS basic recreational gear. I've done all kinds of tropical diving in mine . . .

 

[DaleC]

I've taken my BP to Cozumel and I was much happier with that than the jacket BC I used in Thailand. The traditional Padi style gear falls short after using dir equipment, imo.

DIR equipment?