New Desert Diver

[BigGumby]

Hello everyone, my name is Kyle. My fiancee and I have been planning on getting OW certified for the past year or so and are finally getting around to doing it. We are planning on visiting the GBR on our honeymoon, March 2014, and possibly doing some dives in Fiji. Other than that, most of our friends are certified and we are talking about doing some dive trips to Cali and Mexico next year.

I've been lurking here for around six months and have learned a lot, but figured it was about time to sign up and join the discussion. The difficulty I have is that I am 6'9" and wear size 15 shoes, this creates an issue with trying to rent equipment or borrowing from friends, so I am unable to try some equipment out prior to buying. So far, my biggest challenge is finding a place to try boots on. Other than that, it has been fairly overwhelming trying to determine the equipment I need, but this site has helped a lot.

 

[BFRedrocks]

Welcome Kyle...I'm also in Phoenix and got my OW last December. This past year I've been busy getting my AOW (in March), lots of dives between Lake Pleasant (which it's not BTW) and Grand Cayman (much better), and becoming a Rescue Diver (this past weekend). Anyway, I've learned a ton over the past year so if you have any questions about new certifications, equipment, shops in PHX, just let me know. Also, my fiancé and I are doing our honeymoon in Fiji next year, so it's funny you mentioned that.

 

[Dive Wananavu Fiji]

Bula BigGumby,
First congratulations on the upcoming wedding, my wife and I just celebrated our first anniversary last month so I know how exciting your life is right now. As a Dive Instructor I can't tell you enough how great SCUBA diving can be and the soooo many places it can help you travel to. So my recommendation is go get certified NOW. As for your issue of having size 15 feet a solution is to do your training with a company near your home who will let you demo fins and masks during your course to help you make a more informed decision to purchase after your course. Owning your own personal gear makes SCUBA diving more enjoyable because you know everything works and fits properly. I have worked for a couple dive centers that offered a demo program because it helped promote gear sales after the class. So check around your area and see if any of your dive centers offer a demo session during class.

Fiji is a great choice for a honeymoon. My wife and I have been living out in Fiji for two years now and love it. The people are great and if you hit the right areas the diving is world class. If you have any questions about Fiji, where to dive or where to go let us know. We work with Wananavu Resort which is a really nice resort with some beautiful Honeymoon bures. Of course it's the diving that keeps us here. But there are some amazing resorts around Fiji and the local staff make any one of them an amazing holiday.

Cheers,
Chris

 

[BigGumby]

Thanks for the welcomes BF and Chris!

BF - Congratulations on your Rescue cert, it sounds like you've progressed quite quickly. We are getting our OWs through Academy of Scuba and I was able to pick out my mask, but they don't carry my boots in stock. We do live around the corner from Tres Aquas and I'll probably go check them out. Do you have any experience with them? They look like they have a larger store and more items in stock.

Chris - We are both excited about the trip, unfortunately, we have many big life events between here and there, including our OWs. I haven't heard anything about demoing fins, but it sounds like a good idea. With my other sports (snowboarding and wakeboarding), I've done pretty well purchasing things without the ability to try them out, thanks to great sites like SB, and it looks like SCUBA gear is going to be another one. We will be staying at Likuliku Lagoon and I'm looking forward to diving the b26 and salamanda.

 

[BFRedrocks]

I did all of my training with Tres Aquas and I can tell you those guys are first class all the way. I know their courses are a little more expensive than others around town, but that's because they pay their instructors better, which also means (from my experience) that the instructors seem to care more about the individuals really learning rather than just churning out the certs. I would definitely check them out...Ray and Lee are great instructors, and the ladies in the shop are very knowledgeable. Tell 'em Bob sent you and maybe they'll give you a small discount.

 

[tracydr]

Welcome! I'm from Mesa and I'm DM. Have you considered getting a custom made wetsuit? I'm pretty sure they don't cost much more than a regular wetsuit. As far as boots, forget neoprene booties. Just wear regular old Chuck's Taylor's basketball shoes. You'll find they're cheaper and give better protection against the rocks on many shore dives, too. Then, the hard part is finding big enough fins. I believe most of the " paddle" large old style "Jet" type rubber fins - check out the Jets, Hogs,Hollis F2s for example, should have large foot pockets. Maybe somebody on Scuba Board with big feet can help with that. I have the opposite problem with tiny feet so I'm not a big help there, except that I know some large guys. My buddy for DM class is 6'7" tall. I'm 5'1". That was a challenge for both of us, since we had rescues and equipment exchanges to do.
Congrats on the marriage,too!

 

[BigGumby]

Bob - Thanks for the info, I'll definitely stop in there and talk to them.

Tracy - I figured I would have to go for a custom wetsuit. Is there someplace in AZ that does those or am I going to have go online? I have a couple threads discussing tall people problems and I've heard of using Chuck Taylor's and that might be the route I go. I've heard great things about jet fins, but I've also heard of fatigue and knee issues. I've been looking at a pair of used atomic split fins for roughly the same price and I might go with those, but I need to try them on first.

 

[tracydr]

I don't know where to get custom wet suits but I'm sure you'll have to go somewhere besides AZ. I bet there's a place in S.CA.
With your size I wouldn't worry about fatigue with Jets. I use Jets and I'm 5'1". In fact, I can't stand split fins because I can't keep up with my husband, who doesn't sim slow enough,especially if I'm diving dry or in some current. I've never had a cramp. Split fins are great, though for folks who have really bad knees or are very out of shape.

 

[iluvcozumel]

Hey BigGumby, Welcome to SB. I am 6'6" and I can relate. The custom wetsuit is probably your only choice. Comfort is paramount in diving. if you're not comfortable, it will impact your diving. I have a size 15 foot also, I have used several fins with success..... I currently use Aeris Velocity X3, and even with my 7mm boots, they fit fine. I have tried Jets, APS Mantaray, Tusa splits, and Cressi Frogs. Out of all of these, I like the Aeris and the Cressi best. I work for a shop in Goodyear, if you want some real world advice from somebody who has been there, let me know....

 

[diversteve]

At 6'9" an important consideration is getting the proper length jacket/back inflate BC. Most will be too short so the flotation or the weight pockets will be too high and your trim will be off. Some of that can be corrected with a BC with rear trim pockets or by adding extra weight pockets to the top tank strap depending on how you balance out. I've even seen people wear ankle trim weights.

You're an obvious candidate for a backplate/wing due to your size. Check with Academy of Scuba - they sell the OMS line and Hollis lines. The idea of a backplate/wing is that it's modular so can be custom sized to fit. It's also one of the more stable solutions for mounting tanks. Not the cheapest but you get what you pay for.

Hollis Gear: Backplate/Wing
http://www.omsdive.com/downloads/backplate-2010.pdf

You should also be able to get fitted by Tobin at Deep Sea Supply in SoCal over the phone. He sells a long plate that's designed for tall people. And wings are modular so you can buy the lift you need. A Stainless Steel plate also comprises much of your weight so in Mexico that's probably all you'll need. DSS also sells bolt on weight plates for diving in SoCal where the neoprene requirements will justify additional weight. Or some people use a weight belt. https://www.deepseasupply.com/ and they have a mfr's forum here. Tobin is CoolHardware52. There's a lot of favorable reviews of DSS gear here.

Just about any shop locally should be able to fit you for a custom wetsuit. And order it for you. I'd be very surprised if Academy of Scuba doesn't. Actually Pinnacle sells suits up to 6'10" so A of S could order one for you as they're a dealer.
http://www.pinnacleaquatics.com/male-sizing/

El Mar in Mesa is a Henderson dealer and they also have a custom fit program. Stock sizes to 6'6" so your extra length should be just possible - they advertise being able to add up to 3" in their Tailor Fit line - within days of purchase.

http://www.elmar.com/manufacture.php
http://hendersonusa.com/size-chart-special-fit-information/

Hollis Bat Fins (F1) in XXL are sized 13-15. http://www.hollisgear.com/prodview.asp?id=34 The F2's Tracy mentioned only go to 13.
Since you mentioned wreck diving - paddle fins are more optimal since it's almost impossible to back out of a tight spot with split-fins.