Din or yoke regs

[denisegg]

Well the particular dives I am talking about did not appreciate us not diving 30 minutes??? Please. Even with an AL 80 I can stay down longer on a 60 to 80 ft dive than 30 minutes on air...not even nitrox.

---------- Post added August 2nd, 2013 at 12:28 PM ----------

Sorry...rant is over..we are talking about doubles rather than singles. I just choose who I dive with now based on how long they allow you to stay down.

---------- Post added August 2nd, 2013 at 12:51 PM ----------

How can I say this politely, don't mix yoke and din when sidemounting with an instructor..you are only going to get your ass kicked..

 

[Peter69_56]

Well the particular dives I am talking about did not appreciate us not diving 30 minutes??? Please. Even with an AL 80 I can stay down longer on a 60 to 80 ft dive than 30 minutes on air...not even nitrox.

---------- Post added August 2nd, 2013 at 12:28 PM ----------

Sorry...rant is over..we are talking about doubles rather than singles. I just choose who I dive with now based on how long they allow you to stay down.

---------- Post added August 2nd, 2013 at 12:51 PM ----------

How can I say this politely, don't mix yoke and din when sidemounting with an instructor..you are only going to get your ass kicked..

I think if they chose to take your money then its your dive after all. I usually tell them if I am running doubles (independent doubles), so lets say 2 dives per trip. I will tell them what we are expecting, if they have an issue its then up to them to organise boats to get the right mix. If we are shoved onto a boat with say inexperienced single cylinder divers, we still expect to be able to dive our way. My response would be very curt indeed if they started to put the heat on us over dive times, if they have already been told about our plan.

If the LDS cant get their act together or chose to save a few bucks in mixing groups, then be it on their head. In saying that, I do also agree that if the LDS choses to charge us more for dives because we soak up a boat for few divers, I accept that, just let me know before hand though so we can make a decision to either dive or not.

Make it clear up front (both LDS and divers) and come to agreement before hand, not during the event.

 

[DaleC]

People are so equipment dependent...

 

[denisegg]

I think if they chose to take your money then its your dive after all. I usually tell them if I am running doubles (independent doubles), so lets say 2 dives per trip. I will tell them what we are expecting, if they have an issue its then up to them to organise boats to get the right mix. If we are shoved onto a boat with say inexperienced single cylinder divers, we still expect to be able to dive our way. My response would be very curt indeed if they started to put the heat on us over dive times, if they have already been told about our plan.

If the LDS cant get their act together or chose to save a few bucks in mixing groups, then be it on their head. In saying that, I do also agree that if the LDS choses to charge us more for dives because we soak up a boat for few divers, I accept that, just let me know before hand though so we can make a decision to either dive or not.

Make it clear up front (both LDS and divers) and come to agreement before hand, not during the event.

True. The Captain and us made assumptions. Our assumption was we could stay down as long as our gas supply allowed (one tank) because he did not call a maximum of one hour, he assumed no one could stay down over an hour at the site and depth he chose. But in all fairness on our part he did not call a max dive time because he felt it not necessary, or so he said. At Bonaire last month, the DM called a max 1 hour dive so you know what to expect.

 

[Peter69_56]

True. The Captain and us made assumptions. Our assumption was we could stay down as long as our gas supply allowed (one tank) because he did not call a maximum of one hour, he assumed no one could stay down over an hour at the site and depth he chose. But in all fairness on our part he did not call a max dive time because he felt it not necessary, or so he said. At Bonaire last month, the DM called a max 1 hour dive so you know what to expect.

Yes I agree, no point in the captain going off his/her nut after you spend 1.5 hrs on twins or a big single if he didn't state up front his expectations.

Human nature I guess and people being people. Usually with the guys we dive with, they ask what our dive time will be, and that's what they expect from us (within reasonable limits). I was playing with my dive computer and set it too conservatively on one dive and spent an additional 15 min at deco because of it. he did question me, and I explained and apologised. Point made, he could see it was not intentional so I was forgiven. But more for him he has never lost a diver to date, and it is in a notorious area for very strong currents if dived at the wrong time or you miss the tide (Port Phillip Bay Entrance Melbourne Australia). He said even in a bad fog with 10m surface vis, he didn't lose anyone. The sign of a good captain, firm but also caring. He is a person I respect Oz Dive Charters - SCUBA Diving Charters Melbourne - Home . There are other charters that do the same trip, been with some and was not impressed.

 

[gekodivebali]

DIN is definitely better. You can give that to the Germans!
It can be a PITA travelling with DIN though. Here in Asia, dive centres are lowly converting to DIN...

 

[flots am]

I am going to take the recreation side mount class and eventually take the tec courses. The reg I have now is a yoke. Can I continue to use this reg or do I need to get at least two din regs?

You'll eventually need at least two regs, however if your profile is correct, I'd suggest getting in a lot more easy recreational dives before even considering technical diving.

Without trying to be overly dramatic, you'll get a better feel for things if you replace the word "tech" with "easily fatal if you screw up".

The biggest difference between recreational and technical diving is the near-immediate availability of the surface and literally all the air in the world.

On a recreational dive, no matter how badly you screw up, if you remember how to do an emergency ascent, you'll find yourself on the surface, embarrassed, but safe.

On a technical dive, the surface is not always available because you have a physical overhead obstruction (you''re inside something like a wreck or cave) or have a virtual overhead obstruction (a decompression obligation.)

If you screw up badly on a technical dive, you have a choice between solving the problem where you are, with what you have available, or risking permanent injury or death.

Now back to your original question: I actually like recreational sidemount, and would recommend DIN valves and regs if for no other reason than "you don't want two things on your tank valve that might or might not be a valve knob" I actually know a guy who had a "no air" problem underwater and accidentally unscrewed the yoke from the tank instead of turning on the valve. I never want to have two controls that feel very similar, but one causes breathable air to flow while the other disassembles your equipment. They're two very different things.

In most parts of the world, DIN also means "having your own tanks". If you're going to be renting tanks, you're pretty much stuck with whatever style you can rent.

That said, it's not an irreversible process. If you buy yoke regulators and the DIN conversion kits, it will take your regulator technician about 5 minutes to switch it over in either direction. Just keep all the parts and you can have whatever you want whenever you change your mind.

flots.

 

[denisegg]

I use a convertor out of the country. I use din on everything in the US. I have my own HP100's with din and carry them with me everywhere I dive. I do own 3 atomic regs, one for OW and two for sidemount. When I travel out of the country, I use a convertor from din to yoke. So far I have had no issues. I do carry a spare yoke 1st stage (my son's) just in case and the tools to convert it with.

---------- Post added August 8th, 2013 at 06:41 PM ----------

Why would you need a reg tech to convert a din 1st back to a yoke 1st? Are you saying if you don't have a yoke 1st on hand?

 

[denisegg]

I am not suggesting rebuilding a reg onsite. I am saying you should be able to fix minor issues like leaks, valves without running to someone who works on regs for a living...geez..bring a tool kit and know enough about your reg..your setup to fix simple valve issues..

 

[tphelps]

I am going to take the recreation side mount class and eventually take the tec courses. The reg I have now is a yoke. Can I continue to use this reg or do I need to get at least two din regs?

Unless you see yourself doing some serious tec, cave or sidemount diving...you can probably get by with a yoke. But if you are looking to buy your 2nd reg for SM, then I would get a DIN reg with a yoke adapter. Then, one day, you can replace your yoke one with another DIN reg.

I always prefer DIN, and if money wasn't an issue then I would get 2 DIN regs for sidemount. I have the APEKS XTX50s and they are phenomenal. Although I have heard the HOG sidemount kit is excellent for an economic price.