Gadgets vs essential equipment, when is it just excessive?

[MXGratefulDiver]

Understandable ... advances in technology often make perfectly functional gear obsolete ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Neilwood]

Understandable ... advances in technology often make perfectly functional gear obsolete ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Especially with LED lights.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I have a $120 handheld LED light that's nearly as bright as my $1200 HID canister light. I often loan it to dive buddies, as I can see them much better when they're using it ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[REVAN]

Diving Pensacola, I'd say "it" gets excessive at the BC. Warm water = thin wetsuit = you don't need a BC let alone a 60 pounder. Simplify and streamline. Your dives will be easier and more enjoyable.

If you feel uncomfortable diving without a BC, around 15 pounds lift is still more than you will actually need.

I usually dive a harness and single tank (no BC), one regulator, a small compass/slate on a back retractor cord and a pocket with scissors, a small emergency sausage and a light stick. My dive comp is in my watch. It is a simple and functional kit and it travels pretty easily. Paired with some good long blade fins, it travels pretty well underwater as well (as in efficient).

 

[REVAN]

The reason for my setup and the 60 lb bladder is I'm a bargin hunter that whole setup cost me under $200 new. I got the bladder for 60, the harness for 25 and the plate and tank holder for 110. I got everything from ocean enterprise tent sale a few years back. If I get a new bladder it doubles the price and even though it's overkill I don't see it being dangerous as I do not dive with any air in it.

The BC wing can be removed, and that doesn't cost anything extra.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

There has been dozens of gear discussions over the years on Scubaboard, many about this exact topic.
What is excessive for one person might make perfect sense for another. Some people in fact believe that even what most people agree is excessive feel it may not be enough gadgetry. Then there are some that believe anything more than a tank strapped on with a length of rope and a single second stage with nothing more is excessive.
The fact is everybody is right....in their own reality.
People change as their experiences change and as they mature as divers. What seems perfectly normal at one stage may radically change at some point in the future.
It can become very monotonous and fruitless for people to advise other divers about gear choices and diving styles. Each person must make that revelation on their own. All we can do is try and provide the information and if they use it at some point then I suppose we can claim success, but only in our world as we see it.
I learned that trying to fast track people into what we believe is the best way or right way doesn't always work. They need to live the life for the actual time frame to actually "get it".

 

[The Laconic]

If I'm really concerned about extra air for myself maybe mount a spare air somewhere out of the way and that would allow me to get to the pony bottle in case of a catastrophic failure.

Better yet, mount two spare airs in case you can't get to one of them on the way to getting to the pony.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Or get a set of doubles, two ponies and two spare airs.

 

[CT-Rich]

There has been dozens of gear discussions over the years on Scubaboard, many about this exact topic.
What is excessive for one person might make perfect sense for another. Some people in fact believe that even what most people agree is excessive feel it may not be enough gadgetry. Then there are some that believe anything more than a tank strapped on with a length of rope and a single second stage with nothing more is excessive.
The fact is everybody is right....in their own reality.
People change as their experiences change and as they mature as divers. What seems perfectly normal at one stage may radically change at some point in the future.
It can become very monotonous and fruitless for people to advise other divers about gear choices and diving styles. Each person must make that revelation on their own. All we can do is try and provide the information and if they use it at some point then I suppose we can claim success, but only in our world as we see it.
I learned that trying to fast track people into what we believe is the best way or right way doesn't always work. They need to live the life for the actual time frame to actually "get it".

Listen carefully to what I say and then do whatever the **** you want....

 

[REVAN]

@Eric Sedletzky is totally right that each person needs to find their own path. Over the years, I have done many different forms of diving. The one I decided not to do before I ever got to it was cave diving. Lately, I've been diving very clean rigs and it is bliss for me.

Here is some info on drag that I posted in another thread here on SB. The arrow in the header will take you to the original post if you want to see more on this subject. There are videos and links to articles on this. Regardless of what type of diving you decide is right for you, it is good to have the information on the trades for gear configurations vs. swimming performance. This is all for basic kits, so you'll need to use your imagination for what will happen if you start side slinging pony bottles light canisters or other gadgets.

Okay folks. I did more swimming tests, this time using my DiveRite Transpack 2 and no BC wing. I have a 48" hose on my single regulator with the hose routed in a low drag configuration. It's the kit shown in part 4 of the article.

Normalizing the data to that of a freediver swimming with arms at the side, here is how it all breaks down:

Cd Freediver = 1.0
Cd Diver with Al80 in experimental streamlined kit = 1.15
Cd Diver with Al80 in DR Harness with no BC = 1.6
Cd Diver with Al80 in OMS BP/Wing = 2.0

As a kit and compared to the OMS BP/Wing:
Ditching the wing cuts the drag of the scuba kit by 40%.
The streamlined kit cuts the drag of the scuba kit by 85%

For the whole diver system:
Ditching the BCD wing saves 20% in total diver drag.
Using the experimental streamlined kit saves over 40% in total diver drag.

Streamlining gear works and can make a really big difference in the overall diver's performance, level of relaxation and efficiency of air use.