Why dive doubles?

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One mans rubbish...as the saying goes. I dove jackets for years. Loved my Black Diamond. Until I took an Advanced Nitrox course and the instructor suggested we use the same gear. ss backplate with wings. Better streamline, definetely less drag. Have 2 backplates now and while I think its good to learn basic scuba with a jacket bc. You should move quickly to wings if your serious.:flame:
 
Why don't you just get a Big Johnson and be done with it?

The Pirate
 
I dive them on recreational dives for balance and also much more comfortable (which I still find bizarre when you look at them).

Another benefit when using them and boat diving you don't have to change tanks in between dives (recreational of course) which give me more time to get tea and biscuits down my neck!

Jonathan
 
In a past life, I used a jacket BC (2 of them), then a soft pack back inflation and then started diving doubles. After my first try with the backplate/wing/harness set up, I sold the rest of my gear. (I even traded the soft pack back inflation BC for carpeting in room :D )

I moved to South Florida (Jan 2002) picked up a single tank wing and a couple of single Al 80s. I lasted about 9 months diving that set up. I sold the rig and all 4 of my regs (2 back gas, 2 stage regs) and replaced it with a manifold, bands and 2 quality backgas regulators.

Now I have my PST 104s for the Caves and my AL 80s for anything else. It makes a huge difference to go back to cave diving after 2 months off and have minimum rust on diving doubles.

It's going to be very hard to get me back to diving single tanks.

I think most of the benefits have been pointed out already. I like not having to switch tanks in between boat dives.

One big disadvantage:

The local shops keep putting on a fill whip in each valve to fill them.

It takes a couple of fills to train them.
 
After diving doubles, for me the real question is, why dive anything other than doubles ?

In all seriousness, Ghostdiver, get comfortable diving with a single tank. Once you are experienced with that set up, if you feel that the type of diving you will be doing would necessitate diving doubles, get proper training. When you begin to dive doubles, you will feel like you are starting all over again.
 
Rush once bubbled...
why dive anything other than doubles ?

Top 10 reasons for not diving doubles.

1. It’s not practical to carry them on the airplane and you can’t rent them when you get there.

2. They’re expensive and I’d rather spend the money on a dry suit.

3. On recreational dives with an HP120s I hit the NDL before my dive plan says to surface based on air.

4. They’re too dang heavy to lug from the car to the quarry.

5. I’d have to buy another wing since my Pioneer won’t work with doubles.

6. A pony bailout bottle gives me 100% redundancy.

O.K. I could only come up with 6, maybe someone else can help me out.
Of course all these reasons go out the window if I decide to do decompression or penetration diving.

Mike
 
MikeS once bubbled...


Of course all these reasons go out the window if I decide to do decompression or penetration diving.

Mike

If you not the whole question is rather moot.
 
In response to your Top 10, er, Top 6 Reasons not to dive doubles:


1.) Sites I've gone to in Mexico and Florida have had doubles
available for rent or as part of the dive package.

2.) I went the other route; doubles first, dry suit later. With the
caves I have experienced, the money for the tanks and the
training was well worth it !

3.) Doubles have enabled me to spend hours exploring caves.
With the additional training, decompression dives are
possible, therefore extending your bottom time.

4.) I dive Faber steel 112's; they were heavy at first, but then
I got used to the weight.

5.) Again, the experiences, IMO, have been worth the expense.

6.) A Pony does not contain the additional air necessary to do
as long of duration dives as doubles would.


When you want to increase your fun, you should try doubles (with proper training, of course !)


:) :) :)
 
MikeFerrara once bubbled...


If you not the whole question is rather moot.

Mike,

That was my point, as far as I have figured out with my limited experience, if you’re not diving penetration or stage decompression there isn’t much justification for doubles.

Rush,

If I was going to do penetration diving, “exploring caves,” than doubles would make sense. But for non-penetration with no stage decompression diving I don’t see the point.

Mike
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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