Greeting from Puget Sound

[GarBear58]

I would do EFR, O2 and drysuit. Then just practice for while. Once ready do rescue.

Why sidemount?

That is definitely the sequence I'm thinking. I was at the dive shop and seen a side mount - it looked interesting.

 

[formernuke]

That is definitely the sequence I'm thinking. I was at the dive shop and seen a side mount - it looked interesting.

Side mount is a tool to be used in circumstances where it is needed. It is more complex then single and back mounted doubles.

I have nothing against it for the purpose it was designed for. Most divers don't need it. Doing it because it looks cool is frankly dangerous for a new diver.

Work on your basics. Drysuit will get you everything you need diving wise to get more pratice. I think everyone should do EFR but that's not a actual dive class. O2 is useful as well but not really necessary like EFR it's a non dive class.

Get around 20 under your belt, then do Nitrox if required for boats in your area do advanced, if not required skip it. Get a lot more dives then do deep if you want to start doing deep dives. That will get you everything in the recreational world. Then do rescue, because everyone should do rescue when ready.

After a WHOLE LOT OF EXPERIENCE if you want to start down the tech path look at the dives your doing, if sidemount is REQUIRED for those environments then do it. If not stay with backmount doubles.

 

[GarBear58]

Side mount is a tool to be used in circumstances where it is needed. It is more complex then single and back mounted doubles.

I have nothing against it for the purpose it was designed for. Most divers don't need it. Doing it because it looks cool is frankly dangerous for a new diver.

Work on your basics. Drysuit will get you everything you need diving wise to get more pratice. I think everyone should do EFR but that's not a actual dive class. O2 is useful as well but not really necessary like EFR it's a non dive class.

Get around 20 under your belt, then do Nitrox if required for boats in your area do advanced, if not required skip it. Get a lot more dives then do deep if you want to start doing deep dives. That will get you everything in the recreational world. Then do rescue, because everyone should do rescue when ready.

After a WHOLE LOT OF EXPERIENCE if you want to start down the tech path look at the dives your doing, if sidemount is REQUIRED for those environments then do it. If not stay with backmount doubles.

Agreed. All great advice. I'm going to focus on learning the basics first and establishing experience.

 

[GarBear58]

YSS is a great shop, very nice people and an impressive operation. I go diving on their charter boats pretty often. Sund Rock nearby is a great dive site as well.

As for gear, read this to get a bit more info:

Info - How to Choose a Regulator

How to Choose a Regulator (an overview of features and their value) One of the first pieces of equipment that every diver will acquire is a set of Regulators. This is one of the most critical pieces of your gear as it enables you to breathe underwater and are considered to be life safety...

scubaboard.com

Awsome. Thanks for the link.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Side mount is a tool to be used in circumstances where it is needed. It is more complex then single and back mounted doubles.

Some shore entries can be tricky, or hills can be steep, making sidemount an appropriate option in the Puget Sound.

I have nothing against it for the purpose it was designed for. Most divers don't need it. Doing it because it looks cool is frankly dangerous for a new diver.

@Jim Lapenta used to certify some divers in sidemount. With an instructor who knows what he or she is doing, it is fine. There are bad instructors who are dangerous to any level of diver.

@GarBear58

If you are interested in sidemount, the only place for training is Off the Hook Diving in Lacey. The owner, Don Pierce, is a highly experienced cave diver. That's the instructor I'd like to do a sidemount workshop with. The other instructors in the area teaching sidemount scare me.

When you take dry suit, I'd recommend playing with transferring buoyancy (dumping gas in one, adding to the other) between your BCD/wing and your dry suit to see the affect on trim. That's been hugely beneficial to my students (I'm not teaching right now).

Regulators are largely a religious issue. As you are in the US, if you want to self-service, you have limited options. Prior to self-service with Deep 6, I had my Apeks XTX50's and ScubaPro MK25 EVO/S600 screwed up by 3 different shops. Your best bet is to mail to Octopus Gardens in Port Townsend as the owner Don is the one who LE sends regs for any fatalities for inspection.

Good luck and I hope to see you under the surface. Oh yeah, join Marker Buoy Dive Club. They are hands down the most active dive club.

 

[Boarderguy]

Welcome to the best diving in the world.

YSS is a great shop. Katherine and John will take great care of you. For drysuit I'd recommend a Seaskin. They're about $1200 fully custom vs $3k+ for an off the shelf Bare that won't fit you quite right.

www.seaskin.co.uk

Review - Seaskin Nova drysuit

I ordered a new Seaskin Nova (trilam) drysuit at the beginning of June. It arrived last week. I took it up to the Saint Lawrence River and did 7 wreck dives from Fri to Mon (yesterday), as part of an Advanced Wreck Penetration class with @Trace Malinowski. I am VERY pleased with how it worked...

scubaboard.com

 

[rsqdvr]

I’m looking for some PNW dive buddies as well. Anyone know of dive clubs in Kitsap County?

 

[ngf2c]

@Boarderguy
Hey man, I’ve seen you on a ton of threads about the Seaskin nova. I’m about to order one tomorrow. Any tips or hints etc for a first time drysuit buyer? Options I’ve got picked are telescopic torso, plastic dry zip with protective flap, Trigon p valve, oval QCS wrists, quick neck and simple warm neck, sitech valves and Dir exhaust, expedition pockets, knee crotch back and shoulder protection, neo socks. Any thing you could have done differently with yours that you could share etc? Thanks for any info and help.

 

[Boarderguy]

@Boarderguy
Hey man, I’ve seen you on a ton of threads about the Seaskin nova. I’m about to order one tomorrow. Any tips or hints etc for a first time drysuit buyer? Options I’ve got picked are telescopic torso, plastic dry zip with protective flap, Trigon p valve, oval QCS wrists, quick neck and simple warm neck, sitech valves and Dir exhaust, expedition pockets, knee crotch back and shoulder protection, neo socks. Any thing you could have done differently with yours that you could share etc? Thanks for any info and help.

My original plan was to have the plastic zip but forgot to check the box after filling out the form for the 5th time (purchase anxiety to ensure everything was right lol). I'm a big fan of Kubi rings. Buying the full system from SS is often cheaper than piecing the other systems together and they're pretty much bulletproof. I'm also not a fan of velcro pockets, but that's just my preference. I also like to tuck my H1 hood bibb into my warm neck and the velcro warm neck helps with that.
So for your build I would go everything you have with these changes:
Kubi suit and glove side with covers
Standard warm neck (only if you plan to tuck your bibb, simple if you have a bibless hood)
I did not go for crotch reinforcement even though I dive a BP/W. Just didn't want the added bulk there.

Overall I'm happy with my suit and wouldn't change it other than plastic zip vs the brass and maybe room for extra thermal protection. I dive my 150 year round and don't get cold but the option to comfortably dive a 400 would be nice.

Also, don't forget to get some color on yours so as not to blend in with all the Santi and Bare suits you'll be around lol

Buy a few female and 4-5 male quick disconnects for your p-valve. Dry break is key, female on the suit side, male on your member. You'll also need a good method for rinsing the valve after use to avoid a painful reminder to rinse it.

we're all friends here... let's talk p valves and sensitive bits...

I just purchased my first dry suit yesterday from DUI and I won't have it for a few months but I did get the Light Monkey P-valve option. I've heard about a "quick connect" option and I know that I need a catheter but other than that I know nothing... Questions: 1. Can someone tell me about...

scubaboard.com

 

[ngf2c]

My original plan was to have the plastic zip but forgot to check the box after filling out the form for the 5th time (purchase anxiety to ensure everything was right lol). I'm a big fan of Kubi rings. Buying the full system from SS is often cheaper than piecing the other systems together and they're pretty much bulletproof. I'm also not a fan of velcro pockets, but that's just my preference. I also like to tuck my H1 hood bibb into my warm neck and the velcro warm neck helps with that.
So for your build I would go everything you have with these changes:
Kubi suit and glove side with covers
Standard warm neck (only if you plan to tuck your bibb, simple if you have a bibless hood)
I did not go for crotch reinforcement even though I dive a BP/W. Just didn't want the added bulk there.

Overall I'm happy with my suit and wouldn't change it other than plastic zip vs the brass and maybe room for extra thermal protection. I dive my 150 year round and don't get cold but the option to comfortably dive a 400 would be nice.

Also, don't forget to get some color on yours so as not to blend in with all the Santi and Bare suits you'll be around lol

Buy a few female and 4-5 male quick disconnects for your p-valve. Dry break is key, female on the suit side, male on your member. You'll also need a good method for rinsing the valve after use to avoid a painful reminder to rinse it.

we're all friends here... let's talk p valves and sensitive bits...

I just purchased my first dry suit yesterday from DUI and I won't have it for a few months but I did get the Light Monkey P-valve option. I've heard about a "quick connect" option and I know that I need a catheter but other than that I know nothing... Questions: 1. Can someone tell me about...

scubaboard.com

View attachment 797652

Well now the waiting game starts. Called Seaskin this morning to confirm everything and they said it should be here at the end of November.