halocline
Contributor
laffslast:This is what I'm looking at as dive system.
The BC - Zeagle Escape $320
The Regulator - Oceanic Alpha 8 $149.95
Octopus- Oceanic Slimline 2 Octo $89.95
SPG - Sherwood 3 Gauge Navcon with Compass
and Max Depth Indicator 200 feet $200.00
Computer - Aeris Atmos 2 Air/Nitrox Computer $214.98
Looks okay; I'd reconsider the $200 3 guage console. What you really need is a simple SPG. You can rely on your computer for depth/time info, and wear a compass on your wrist if you need one. One of the most common "upgrades" that divers make is getting rid of their console for a wrist computer and single SPG. The analog depth guage is good to have I suppose, but your atmos computer is pretty reliable and if it fails, you can just stay with your buddy for the remainder of the dive to get depth info. The scary part of AI computers is if they fail, you lose all dive info.
Regarding the reg, it is true that almost any reg sold by a reputable company is likely to give you prefectly adequate performance for recreational diving. The higher end regs will supply more air, more easily, if you're under a lot of stress (meaning breathing heavy) while at extreme depth. I've had my low performance scubapro MK2/R190 (about $200 when I bought it) to 130ft and BARELY noticed it's performance falling, if that gves you any indication. I would not hesitate to dive with it to that depth again. Now, lets say at that depth your buddy got trapped out of air and scared so you were both breathing off it like hoovers; then you'd notice for sure. You'd still get enough air. (well, for a few minutes anyhow depending on your tank!)