PDC Hotel recommendations for two young (and new) divers

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4C/39F is just cold. :cold: After that, you won't need a wetsuit in PDC, just a dive skin maybe.

Gear for 4C/39F is just different in many ways from Caribbeam dive needs. A cold water reg will work fine in warm water, not necessarily true of the reverse, but BCs vary more. I dive a BC wiht a lot of lift in 50 to 84F water, but I don't dive 40F.

You'd probably do better to discuss this with neighbors on the Canadian forum and get their views.
 
USD 1600 for a BCD and reg is expensive !
If you regularily dive in close to freezing water, you'll probably end up in a dry suit. Which is a lot bulkier than a wetsuit.
Do not buy a vest size BCD until you have figured out what protection you will be wearing on a regular basis, as it may not fit you.
A backplate and wing can be ajusted infinitely. You can also change wings (one with a small lift for warm water diving with little weight and an aluminium tank ; one with a bigger lift for cold water diving where you will carry a lot of weight and maybe a steel tank). I personally bought a Deep Sea Supply backplate and wing, super easy to travel with, no need for a single-tank adapter, less than USD 500. They have a website as well as a subforum here in the equipment section.

You should be able to find a regulator with octopus and gauges suitable for cold water diving for less than USD 500. Again, check in the equipment section for recommandations and advice. I don't know if my reg is cold water safe but it doesn't matter, you'll never see me in 4°C water (unless my plane crashes over Greenland next time I cross the Atlantic).

Glad to see you enjoy the classes. Have a blast.
 
Most people here dive in 4C waters with a 14mm wetsuit :D We're human-polar bear hybrids in Quebec!
 
Most people here dive in 4C waters with a 14mm wetsuit :D We're human-polar bear hybrids in Quebec!
I have to think that's a sliver of the population. :shocked2: The closest I have dived was the river at Brockville Ontario in a 5 mil, when a 3 mil might have sufficed, so I have no experience in winter lake diving there - but I bet few do.

I'd like to see you own your own reg and it sounds like you are going to like the sport enough to stick with it after your PDC trip, and you want to own and travel with your own signaling devices,* along with our own snorkel gear, dive computer, I think you can wait on the BC - and should. Your OW Instructor should be willing to teach you how to examine and test a rental BC before diving it, ensuring that it inflates correctly, will not over inflate, all releases and dumps work well, and such - and we don't like reading about accidents in which the deceased could not ditch weights, but we do too often.

Shop for a reg and associated items you want for cold water diving in case you go into that as they'll work fine in the tropics too, then see what those cost in Google shopping, then - see if your salesman wants to be reasonable or not. Of course they want to sell you as much as they can before you might shop elsewhere, but you can be a reasonably loyal customer without playing into that.

My BC is huge, 40 or 45 pounds of lift, bulky to pack for trips, but I take it anywhere. If I needed to dive it with a dry suit, I'd load 30# of lead in it and more on a belt - then make sure my bud & I both knew how to ditch from both. I like knowing my gear well and there are so many other pieces to tend, one BC is enough for me.

* I've read of divers who traveled light, renting dive gear rather than taking their own at times, and forgetting their signaling devices - and rental BCs usually have crappy whistles only. I remember one couple who spent 24 hours on a Florida buoy years ago as that story came up in a discussion recently. Then my friends who forgot to take their SMBs out of their dive bags before a dive that left them drifting lost at sea for an hour. :silly: They won't forget again.
 
I ended up building myself this kit, though I haven't pressed checkout yet. Fits within my budget with some left to spare for a wetsuit.

Atomic Z2 Octo Yellow
Cressi-sub Miniconsole 2 gauge console spg and depth
Suunto Zoop Nitrox Wrist Dive Computer
Atomic B2 Regulator Sealed Din
Bare Blackwing BCD

What's the deal with back-inflate BCD? People discuss them everywhere but they don't say why they're supposedly so great!
 
To ME, as a casual, vacation recreational diver, the best feature of a BP&W is that it can be endlessly adjusted. Meaning I can gain or lose weight, change from a thin wetsuit to a thick one, or even lend it to a friend, and the harness can be endlessly shortened and lengthened as needed, so it always fits (plus it doesn't squish my boobs but I guess that won't be an issue for you).

Fit is very important in a BCD, because if it's too tiny you can't use it at all. And if it's too loose, you can't keep your balance in the water, as the BCD which holds your tank will slightly shift and you'll be rolling left to right. Very uncomfortable.
While vest style BCDs can be adjusted somewhat, there is not much leeway. Go from a 1mm wetsuit to a 14mm or dry suit, gain or loose 20 lbs, and your once perfect BCD may not fit you.

Another perk I love is that it can be entirely taken apart (especially the Deep Sea Supply one, where it takes a few seconds to separate the wing from the plate), so it's super easy to rinse, store and travel with.
Vest BCDs tend to be bulkier (depends on the model, though).

Also, because of their design, BP&W are very streamlined (no excess drag and volume), so you won't need as much lead to submerge (we're talking a few pounds here, not 20 kg).
The streamlined design means less drag in the water, so less finning.
The back inflation (which is also available in some vest-style BCDs) helps achieving better trim (being horizontal in the water), which also reduces drag.

Since the plate (which is usually made of steel, some are built in less dense material such as kydex for people who don't need extra weight to submerge) and the wing can be separated, it also allows one to buy different types of wings to adapt to their diving needs (for exemple, a small wing for tropical diving when you don't need a lot of lift, and a big wing to dive with thick or dry exposure suits, as those require more lead to submerge).

Note that a BP&W is typically designed for those who dive with double tanks, which is why many designs require that you use a single tank adapter (STA) if diving with a single tank. (that's one of the reasons I went with the Deep Sea Supply design, it doesn't require a STA, as I have no desire whatsoever of diving with double tanks).

Finally, a BP&W can be customized to your own needs, by adding D rings anywhere on the harness wherever you want them to attach your gear (SMB, whistle, lamp, weight pockets, whatever). Those rings can be removed, put somewhere else… so the kit pretty much grows with you.

The backdraws of a BP&W according to some people are :
• they are a bit harder to get into (you adjust the harness before you don it, whereas a vest style BCD can usually be loosened before donning and then tightened). Haven't found that to be an issue.

• they tend to "push you face down" while on the surface. In my (short) experience, this is true if you fully inflate it. If you just inflate it enough to float, not an issue, just lean a bit backwards and problem solved.

• some people enjoy the "safe feeling" of being envelopped by a vest jacket. I'm the opposite, having something inflated around my stomach or chest area makes me feel "squeezed" and uncomfortable. To each their own.

• a BP&W harness usually has a crotch strap (a piece of harness that hangs in your back, goes in between your legs and attaches to the front). Some guys find that uncomfortable (not being a guy, I obviously don't have that issue). That strap really helps in keeping the BP&W and tank in place (with vest style BCDs, my kit would "ride up" every few minutes, and I'd have to pull it back down). That being said, I've read of several people who never had that issue and of BP&W users who just got rid of the crotch strap. Again, to each their own.

You'll find more arguments about the pros and cons of both types of BCDs in the equipment forum. I tried to be as objective as I could, but as you can see I'm pretty sold on the BP&W…
 
Very nice description of the BP&W, Annlaur. :thumb: I've never dived one, but I like my Oceanic Probe BCs for me.
I ended up building myself this kit, though I haven't pressed checkout yet. Fits within my budget with some left to spare for a wetsuit.

Atomic Z2 Octo Yellow
Cressi-sub Miniconsole 2 gauge console spg and depth
Suunto Zoop Nitrox Wrist Dive Computer
Atomic B2 Regulator Sealed Din
Bare Blackwing BCD

What's the deal with back-inflate BCD? People discuss them everywhere but they don't say why they're supposedly so great!
Going with DIN huh? I guess those are more common up there. Always check with your dive Ops to be sure that they have DIN tanks or adapters, or carry one. I've ran into the opposite problem in Ontario and Seattle, adapting my Yoke to DIN. Be sure you can get the reg serviced yearly. My bud just mails his back to Leisure Pro, while mine has been going to Dallas - but I may try LP next time. I carry 3 on trips so it's pricey getting their yearlies.

I don't know anything about Suunto computers, but as long as the battery is user replaceable. I get spare batteries from Ebay stores. I think all of my BCs have been back inflate.
 
Atomic regs require service every two years, and they can be serviced in BC, at the only authorized dealer in Canada. The same company is also the main distributor for BARE products, which are Canadian as well AFAIK. As for Yoke vs DIN, our OWD instructor suggested we get a DIN 1st stage if we could. The adapter is supposedly cheap, but I will contact Tank Ha before leaving to inquire about it.

The Zoop does have user replaceable batteries. It's Nitrox compatible and was recommended by our instructor (he's been diving with it for 10 years, 2000+ dives in his logbook. Looks durable).

As for the BC, back-inflate is probably a better bet. I've lost 50 lbs this year and will probably end up losing another 20 by New Year's, so it'd be disappointing to spend 300$ on a vest-style BC and have it no longer fit two months later.

All that's left is to figure out whether I should get a 5mm or a 7mm. I'll probably end up going with a 5mm.
 
Now there's back inflate BCs and Back Plate and Wing. Anna was describing the BP&W, while I dive a BC but find the adjustments rather easy.

For your Mexico trip, I doubt you need more than a skin or 1 mil. Wearing a 5 mil takes requires about 8# more lead. You won't know for sure until you get there, but for that trip - I'd take the skin or 1 mil and if you get cold, then rent a shorty to wear over it. Over my years and trips I have accumulated a skin, 1 mil, 3 mil, 5 mil, 7 mil - all long jump suits, and if I wear the 3, 5 or 7, I use the skin or 1 mil underneath.

For your Canadian diving, different needs - decide when you get to it.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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