Headed For Tech...

My wife and I are new to diving and have been renting equipment. We got our Advanced Open and Wreck Specialty in January and by August will have Master rating. Looks like we will be heading for Tech training after that with mixed gases and will do a bit this summer. I'm in the market for a good regulator setup, BCD and dive computer for each of us. I don't want to have to buy another setup next year as we progress in our training. I'll be heading to a couple of dive shops for their recommendations but figured I would get an unbiased opinion here. I live in New England but prefer mainly warm water diving but probably will brave the colder water eventually. Is there a good setup I can use now for Rec diving and next year when we get serious into Tech? Prefer to buy once and I don't trust rental regulators on deep dives.

Originally posted by bridgenet
My wife and I are new to diving and have been renting equipment. We got our Advanced Open and Wreck Specialty in January and by August will have Master rating. Looks like we will be heading for Tech training after that with mixed gases and will do a bit this summer. I'm in the market for a good regulator setup, BCD and dive computer for each of us. I don't want to have to buy another setup next year as we progress in our training. I'll be heading to a couple of dive shops for their recommendations but figured I would get an unbiased opinion here. I live in New England but prefer mainly warm water diving but probably will brave the colder water eventually. Is there a good setup I can use now for Rec diving and next year when we get serious into Tech? Prefer to buy once and I don't trust rental regulators on deep dives.

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Yes there is. There is a BC you can buy that is one size fits all and that it also used for cave diving or any type of technical diving you want to do. The three major manufactures are Halcyon, Dive Rite, and OMS. All the three are great setups. As far as training going though, enjoy the rec world first. It sounds as if you're jumping from training to training right from the get go of being an open water diver. Now it's great to get better training and further your education, but stop and enjoy what you've been certified in! Enjoy the rec world first, tec diving gets a lot more dangerous and a lot of experience should go along with the tech diver. Get your dive master, master diver, any speicalty that interests you, and maybe even your intstructor rating before deciding to do 300ft. plus dives with hours and hours of deco time doing absolutely nothing but learning how to sleep underwater! But as for the gear, it's brilliant gear and can be suited for anyone, anysize. Make sure you go to a long hose and everything too. Here's the sites for the gear:

http://www.omsdive.com
http://www.dive-rite.com
http://www.halcyon.net

Dive on!

As for regs, Sherwood Scuba is considered the best and it's also the cheapest. I dive a Sherwood Maximus, and soon to be two of them. Their first stage is completely dry and bleeds air to keep all contaminants out.
Another good regulator that is the Posiedon Odin. It's used widely by the U.S. Navy and many tech divers. Very pricy though.
And a third option could be just using the so called tech regs that Dive Rite and OMS sell. Oh and I've heard the Dacor Viper TEC is a good reg too. Never had my hands on one though so I couldn't tell you much about it.

Bridge, what's the hurry and Why do you think you will receive unbiased opinions on this thread?

What you are proposing to do is equivalent to a moon walk without the requisite pilot experience and 5 years astronaut training. Granted, if you have an engineering background, are knowledgeable about physics and a strong natural swimmer; with the certs and a few open water dives under your belt you could go on a handhold dive on the Andrea Doria, but your wife too?

Do you really want to join up with a bunch of tight assed technical divers at this point? Why not plan a trip with some young folks on one of those "Blackbeard" cruises to the Bahamas. Bring your basic snorkeling gear including a CO2 vest, BC, and your Maximus regulator or whatever; enjoy the warm water on your skin, watch the colorful fish on a beautiful shallow reef, look for lobsters, drink a few beers. Enjoy new friends.

Later, back in New England, there is time to buy a thick suit and make a few charter wreck dives to 100 feet or so. Find some artifacts, get pinched by a big bug, watch your "D" meter rotate and later tell a few tall stories.

Five years from now, when you're more seasoned, revisit the idea of mixed gas diving and all that stuff.

I looked at the compensators on the three links. Pretty freaky and rather expensive. Strictly for the "in" crowd of cave divers, etc. Overkill for 99% of divers. Even the "rec" models are bulky with double bladders.

PS: Bridgenet, I see on another thread that you dived the "Rhone". Good start. You surfaced a bit low on air but stuff happens and since it was only a "safety" stop, no harm, no foul. Currents do increase air consumption, so just learn from the experience and keep that snorkel handy. Your standard "rec" BC will keep you high in the water but you have to have something to inflate it with. Heh. Last word, one of the few USEFUL new pieces of gear to come along are the "split" fins. Try the Apollo. They will cut your air consumption by 20%.

Only have a short period of time to respond:

2 Apeks or Zeagle regs 300 BAR DIN
PST 104's, Highland Mills Bands, Sea Elite Iso Manifold
Halcyon BP and 55lb Wing
GUE Deco Planner Software
Uwatec Bottom Timer

http://www.gue.com
http://www.wkpp.org

That's for starters. Read the equipment sections of those web sites . If you can read, you can learn -- no problem as long as you are comfortable underwater.

Mike

SAR, I took a peek at the Sherwood web page. The "Maximus" appears to be a quality reg as one would expect from Sherwood, a manufacturer of high pressure controls. They have come a long way since they decided to market their own diving hardware back in the seventies. They used to just make quality stuff for other vendors like USD, etc. Theoretically, they can sell cheaper than anybody because they are an "original equipment manufacturer". That explains the low price, not cheap quality.

The underarm swivel hose looks interesting. I've always been annoyed by the overarm reg hose when aiming my speargun. The "dry bleed" is a terrific idea. Are these piston first stages? They talk about a "moving orifice". Also, do you know if the underarm hose will fit my Scubapro MK20/G250hp?

I have another question, this concerning the "Blizzard" model. Sherwood advises the first stage is sealed but also has the bleed feature. Is this true?

Originally posted by devjr
SAR, I took a peek at the Sherwood web page. The "Maximus" appears to be a quality reg as one would expect from Sherwood, a manufacturer of high pressure controls. They have come a long way since they decided to market their own diving hardware back in the seventies. They used to just make quality stuff for other vendors like USD, etc.

The underarm swivel hose looks interesting. I've always been annoyed by the overarm reg hose when aiming my speargun. The "dry bleed" is a terrific idea. Are these piston first stages? They talk about a "moving orifice".

I have another question, this concerning the "Blizzard" model. Sherwood advises the first stage is sealed but also has the bleed feature. Is this true?

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The underarm hose is great! It's almost a half tec half rec reg. It doesn't have a long hose, but it's longer and underarm. Although mine will have a long hose shorty, just haven't had the time to switch. And I can see where you're coming from with spearing, I do some of that myself.
As far as the first stages go, all of them are the same for every Sherwood reg. Whether it be the Blizzard or the Maximus they are all sealed/air bleed systems.
Here's an article on diving under the Antarctic Ice. Guess what regs they're using?! Yep, Sherwood's awesome first stage and a modified Maximus! Also if you're into UW filming or photograpy the Maximus is great too. The exhaust valves and the exit chamber are positioned to force all the bubble around your head instead of in front of your face. All in all this is the best regulator I've found for it's price! Like I've told a lot of people, many pros have told me to buy nothing but Sherwood because their regs can do anything! Among one of these people was a Platinum Pro diver that has done everything in the world of diving including but not limited to commercial, military, technical, and every recreational aspect. My opinion does sound highly biased and definitely pro, but how could I knock Sherwood? They breath brilliant and consistent at any depth and any angle even upside down. They're Cheap (Sometimes under $300 for the whole setup, depends where you look and who you buy from), and I've heard nothing but good about them. Well the Maximus that is. I've heard that the Oasis "clunks" when you're upside down. Oh here's that Arctic site where they were using the Maximus:
http://scilib.ucsd.edu/sio/nsf/diving/index3.html


Enjoy!

Darn, that site brought back memories. In 1972, after returning from the West Coast, I sent a follow up letter to the owner of Diving Unlimited, I can't remember his name at the moment. I included a sketch of a proposed drysuit for the civilian market. At the time, he was big into hot water suits, primarily military contracts. He responded by saying that he couldn't design and build a custom for me but was looking into the whole matter. Nice guy, hard driven.

I got pretty excited when I saw the cutaway drawing of the first stage. The "moving orifice" of the regulator is a similar concept to the "floating valve seat", a feature of the antique Northhill two hose regulator. I always thought the idea was abandoned because it was ahead of its time and expensive to boot.

Backplate;stainless,under $200. Harness&d-rings made lovingly by myself $25.Bladders from $180 to $320.Single tank adapter ;under $150.Significantly less than the $500-750 you can spend on a "Tech" bc that is usually un-suitable for Technical diving.As for being tight-assed,well lets just say there are a lot of OCD's represented in the dive community as a whole.It would be wise to have at least 100-200 dives prior to trying on a new level of diving.It'll be required by any conscientious instructor.Good luck

I gathered from another thread that you completed your OW and AOW while on a 2 week vacation, and that you'll be going for a Master Diver cert this year on another 2 week vacation. Correct? I also get the feeling that you are not diving locally or haven't donbe any diving since you got certified on vacation. Is that the case? At any rate, my advise would be to slow down, dive your heart out, and perfect the diving and skills that you're currently trained to do, and not worry so much about picking up more certifications. But that's just my $.02.