Tec Diving Equipment Advice Needed

[impulse]

Hello,

I am planing to buy my first set of technical diving equipment including the wings, harness, backplate and full set of regulators. Do you think that I need to buy cylinders? I do not really know where to start from. I do not want to buy a tec dive computer in the first place. Maybe after some experience I would...I think I can do quite exciting dives by using runtime tables....

Which is the best site to shop tec diving stuff online, with good discounts and closeouts :)

Thank you.

[PfcAJ]

Hello,

I am planing to buy my first set of technical diving equipment including the wings, harness, backplate and full set of regulators. Do you think that I need to buy cylinders? I do not really know where to start from. I do not want to buy a tec dive computer in the first place. Maybe after some experience I would...I think I can do quite exciting dives by using runtime tables....

Which is the best site to shop tec diving stuff online, with good discounts and closeouts :)

Thank you.

Before you start looking at discount stuff, find exactly what you want.

I would start with a backplate and wing appropriate for the tanks and exposure suit you plan on diving with. Skip the computer for now, use the saved money for diving. A good set of regs is important to have, too.

Browse this: Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers (http://gue.com/?q=en/Equipment/Config/index.html) , its chock full of great information about equipment that actually works and has no gimmicks attached to it.

Nothing about technical diving is cheap, and when you cut corners is where you'll run into problems.

[TSandM]

Have you got a class picked out yet? If so, your instructor will hopefully be a mine of information about appropriate equipment for the environment and the types of dives you are looking to do.

Plate and wing choice will depend on water temperature and exposure protection. Whether you buy cylinders will depend on whether they are easily available to rent where you will be doing your technical dives. It would be my guess that the vast majority of people doing such dives own their own cylinders, at least in the US.

But the first step is to decide how you want to get your training. That may determine some of your configuration choices.

[TSandM]

Have you got a class picked out yet? If so, your instructor will hopefully be a mine of information about appropriate equipment for the environment and the types of dives you are looking to do.

Plate and wing choice will depend on water temperature and exposure protection. Whether you buy cylinders will depend on whether they are easily available to rent where you will be doing your technical dives. It would be my guess that the vast majority of people doing such dives own their own cylinders, at least in the US.

But the first step is to decide how you want to get your training. That may determine some of your configuration choices.

[battles2a5]

I would look at getting this stuff first:
1- BP/W
2- Regs
3- Good fins
4- Good light

Then find the guys that are diving tech, buy them some beer, and convince them to let you test drive their gear. I would not buy tanks until you know what kind of diving you will be doing and figure out what tanks you like to dive with. Last time I dove in the Aegean I wished I had a drysuit, so I would look at the different sized steel doubles available and see how you trim in them. Once you figure out what you need, want, and what works you can start building around that. But borrow stuff or rent it so you get an idea of what you want before you blow a bunch of money.

If you have a good technical shop nearby, I would stick with them for your initial gear. You will build a good relationship (which you will need for fills, repairs, trips, etc.) and you will have a lot more flexibility to try things, return as needed, and get advice along the way. Once you get your basics, you will figure out what makes sense to buy online vs. at the LDS.

Good luck, enjoy the journey, and go ahead and call the credit card company to have your limit extended :)

[CyprusSeb]

Borrow, dive, borrow, dive, borrow dive. Don't be in a rush (unless renting it costing you an arm and a leg or you're more of a pain than anything by always having to borrow things) and dive dive dive. It'll save you money in the long run.

[craracer]

Tech diving is expensive enough....even when you buy everything correctly the first time around (like that could ever happen to anyone:shakehead:).

I would wait and talk to your prospective instructor (if you don't have one yet), before making any purchases. Hopefully they will be a great asset, and guide you down a good path. Learn from their "purchase mistakes".

Or, if you want to go ahead and get your mistake purchases out of the way early, I'll sell you all of the garbage I've bought over the years. :D

[impulse]

Before you start looking at discount stuff, find exactly what you want.

I would start with a backplate and wing appropriate for the tanks and exposure suit you plan on diving with. Skip the computer for now, use the saved money for diving. A good set of regs is important to have, too.

Browse this: Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers (http://gue.com/?q=en/Equipment/Config/index.html) , its chock full of great information about equipment that actually works and has no gimmicks attached to it.

Nothing about technical diving is cheap, and when you cut corners is where you'll run into problems.

Thanks for the link. It has pretty much information that enlightens me greatly.

I will not cut any corners but seeking a little bir discount when buying quality equipment would not be something that will put me introuble under water. Thanks for the advice tough. Tec Deep Diver manual of the PADI emphasizes this do not cut any corner philosophy on an on again.

[impulse]

Have you got a class picked out yet? If so, your instructor will hopefully be a mine of information about appropriate equipment for the environment and the types of dives you are looking to do.

Plate and wing choice will depend on water temperature and exposure protection. Whether you buy cylinders will depend on whether they are easily available to rent where you will be doing your technical dives. It would be my guess that the vast majority of people doing such dives own their own cylinders, at least in the US.

But the first step is to decide how you want to get your training. That may determine some of your configuration choices.


I am taking the PADI Tec Deep Diver course and will move in to Trimix later. This will happen in a two months. My instructor is alway so busy with students and tells me that he cannot deal with equipment import. He tells, just find the equipment online, show it to me and discuss it togather if it's appropriate for you or not and than buy it. So I need to find something that would fit my needs online. He is a technical insturctor but he does not sell tec diving stuff. He owns some sets and hires them.

Because I will be a very unexperienced technical diver for a while, I do not think that, after getting my trimix class, I would go and dive the blue hole or something like that. I will need to gain some good experience befor I do something serious. I would like to perform cave dives in the future.

But for now, I would like to spot some equipment that will benefit me. A full set of regulators and B/W BCD set will do the jop for now. I can hire the cylinders.

I got a question, are those bungees that some wings have removeable or if I buy a wing without those bungees is it possible to attach them later?

[impulse]

I would look at getting this stuff first:
1- BP/W
2- Regs
3- Good fins
4- Good light

Then find the guys that are diving tech, buy them some beer, and convince them to let you test drive their gear. I would not buy tanks until you know what kind of diving you will be doing and figure out what tanks you like to dive with. Last time I dove in the Aegean I wished I had a drysuit, so I would look at the different sized steel doubles available and see how you trim in them. Once you figure out what you need, want, and what works you can start building around that. But borrow stuff or rent it so you get an idea of what you want before you blow a bunch of money.

If you have a good technical shop nearby, I would stick with them for your initial gear. You will build a good relationship (which you will need for fills, repairs, trips, etc.) and you will have a lot more flexibility to try things, return as needed, and get advice along the way. Once you get your basics, you will figure out what makes sense to buy online vs. at the LDS.

Good luck, enjoy the journey, and go ahead and call the credit card company to have your limit extended :)

I do not have a good technial shop nearby.

If I call the credit card company to have more lines, they would be more than happy :p

[impulse]

Borrow, dive, borrow, dive, borrow dive. Don't be in a rush (unless renting it costing you an arm and a leg or you're more of a pain than anything by always having to borrow things) and dive dive dive. It'll save you money in the long run.


Okay man. Borrow-Dive cycle sounds good :D

[impulse]

Tech diving is expensive enough....even when you buy everything correctly the first time around (like that could ever happen to anyone:shakehead:).

I would wait and talk to your prospective instructor (if you don't have one yet), before making any purchases. Hopefully they will be a great asset, and guide you down a good path. Learn from their "purchase mistakes".

Or, if you want to go ahead and get your mistake purchases out of the way early, I'll sell you all of the garbage I've bought over the years. :D

I have an instructor. I alway ask him stuff about equipment choice. But I still seek advice. Maybe there would be something useful for me among the garbage crowd your have. I would like to have a look :)

[TSandM]

Don't buy a wing with bungies. If you buy a wing that's the right size, you don't need them. And if you buy a wing that's the wrong size, you have several problems related to them. They make the contour of the wing "bumpy", so it doesn't present a smooth surface to the water -- thus increased resistance, something a tech diver, festooned with tanks, really doesn't need.

Worse, if you get a hole in the wing, you will be unlike the diver with a simple wing. You won't be able to park gas in the undamaged portion of the bladder, because the bungies will squeeze it out. And with an undamaged wing, when you go to vent it, the bungies will create little "diverticulae" that trap gas.

Bungies are a strategy for dealing with too much wing -- buying the right size of wing is a far better solution.

Edited to add: Please take a second look at your choice of class and instructor. If your instructor is too busy to bother with helping you select appropriate equipment, he's too busy to focus on you and teach you well. Good equipment choices are a critical part of correct preparation for technical diving. He should not be "too busy" to help you with this.

[Slamfire]

www.northeastscubasupply.com has decent prices, quality equipment and great service. John is very helpful and if you have any problem he'll make it right in no time.

For example, I ordered a Blue Steel convertible DIN/yoke valve for an Al80 I was converting into a stage bottle. The one I got had a defective thread that would not allow regulators to seat in properly to create a seal. I called John about it and he literally told me that life is too short to be worrying about it and that he was going to send me a higher quality, higher priced Thermo valve at no extra cost to me.

[Slamfire]

For backplates, try Hammerhead Scuba - Hammerhead II Backplate (http://www.hammerheadbackplates.com) . They are the manufacturers. They make really nice backplates at very good prices.

[japan-diver]

I second TS & M suggestion - find a new instructor. If your instructor does not have the time to sit down and talk about equipment with you its time to find someone who will. I would find an instructor who has the time to discuss equipment in detail. A tech instructor should have well thought out reasons for requiring each piece of gear and a list of acceptable choices. They should have a wealth of experience with different gear so that can give solid advice and they should be diving at the level they are teaching and higher.

[craracer]

Maybe there would be something useful for me among the garbage crowd your have. I would like to have a look http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/images/smilies/More%20Smiles/icosm14.gifAlthough you will get a good deal buying my equipment, realize that there is a reason I am selling it. Prior to tech, these items served my purposes. However, as I made the transition, it/they have proven to no longer be beneficial.

Now, that's not to say that someone wouldn't find a benefit for the type of diving they are doing. Given your chosen path, I doubt it would be you.

What I was attempting to convey is that you should be learning from others experiences. In this case, what works, and what doesn't.

One word of caution, and is definitely not always the case; Instructors are often, if not always, "attached" to a dive shop. It would be in their interest to promote the products of that shop. Keeping that in mind, when a product is suggested by the instructor, make sure that you spend time thinking about the item before making a purchase. Does it make sense? Is it beneficial to you? Is there a product out there that might better suit your needs? Think "Big Picture" and "Down the Road".

[TSandM]

It's true that something someone is selling is something they don't want. But in tech diving, there are a lot of people who either quit it, or move on to rebreathers, so there is always tech diving equipment for sale that is actually quite good and often in very good condition. I've bought quite a number of things off the Deco Stop :)

[Michael Kazma]

Your instructor is your best source for equipment information when starting technical diving. He will be the one who tells you what new equipment you will need for the course and some he advises you to get. When it comes to which to buy you should be asking advise on suggestions to which product technical divers use and why they would suggest that item. Technical dive gear is very much a personal preference (as all technical diver should be only buying the best so the only factor left is personal preference).

Find out what you need for the course, then ask for suggestions on that piece of equipment.

[craracer]

Good point TSand M. I forgot about the rebreather people. :crafty:

[Peter Guy]

Impulse -- amongst other things you wrote
I do not want to buy a tec dive computer in the first place. Maybe after some experience I would but you also wrote you are going through the DSAT program. IF I am not mistaken (and I may well be!), DSAT requires the use of a dive computer (I vaguely remember they require a redundant one) as part of their training.

Also (again if I am not mistaken) the DSAT program has changed and the first "technical class" is TEC 40. In looking around on various websites, it appears the following is generally accepted as the minimum required equipment for the class:


The equipment requirements for the Tec 40 Course include
Standard Scuba Equipment with a BCD of appropriate lift and attachment points for a single stage bottle

Exposure Protection appropriate for the environment

A single cylinder with a dual outlet valve or A single cylinder with an 30 cf (or larger) pony bottle Or Double cylinders

Two complete regulators with one equipped with a seven foot hose

Stage/ Deco Cylinder with attachment hardware and a regulator and SPG

Dive computer and additional timing device for use with dive tables

I must say I agree with others who have said you MUST talk with your proposed instructor -- if for no other reasons than to make sure he is teaching a course that still exists!

[Pacific-Explorers]

Have read bits and pieces of most of the posts here and have to throw in my 2 cents.
First off, the Padi Deep Diver course has changed and been split into 3 sections: Tec 40,45 & 50. Trimix is after that. Its a long process and you should take a few months between each to practice practice and practice.
Prior to the course itself, if you are not familiar with Tec diving at all, you can do a "discover Tec". (this is a good option for alot of people)
Now in saying all that, I agree with a few of the posts I've read... beg, borrow for the first while. The Tec crowd are very close nit... kinda off on there own abit... but thats not to say unapproachable. Get to know some of them, see what gear they are using. Tec gear varies ALOT depending on the enviroment your in. (its somewhat less involved in the warm gulfsteam water in comparrison to 40* current swept zero vis type diving).
You'll figure it out from there but is should be you to figure it out for your own needs... eg. twin 130's kick ass.... so long as you can get yourself out of the water after a 2hr. dive. If your face down in the rocks and cant stand up... maybe twin 100's would be more your speed.

For what its worth thats my 2 cents

[Michael Kazma]

Here is a small list of some of the extra equipment you will "need" to move from rec diving to tek diving:

BP/wing (50lb min lift)
appropriate regulators
primary reel (line longer than deepest depth)
backup reel
2x surface markers (I would recommend one SMB and one lift bag)
Wrist slate
either one dive computer and one backup depth/timer or two depth/timing devices
spare mask
deco tanks, kits and regs

[Michael Kazma]

If you really plan on doing technical diving I would also highly recommend you getting your own set of doubles. Then you will be use to the trim of them and not have to make adjustments to the bands etc. each time you rent/borrow doubles. It will also mean that you will always dive with the same size tanks which makes a huge difference of comfort level in the water.

The list I gave you above is just a small suggestion. I would highly recommend talking with you tek instructor and finding out what he requires and then ask for suggestions (I know I said this before but each instructor will want things slightly different and then we can help a little bit more).

Oh, and welcome to technical diving! :beerchug:

[judereguera]

My experience with the OMS bungee wing is that you can't attach the bungees on the wing that is not build for a bungee because it does not have the 40 mm eyelet that the bungee loops from.

[DevonDiver]

As TS&M said, there is a good second-hand market for tech kit. Ebay and Craig's List can see you equipped at a fraction of the cost.

It is VITAL though that you know exactly what you want/need BEFORE you start shopping. Do lots of internet research and talk to as many tech divers/instructors as you can.

Personally, I would expect any potential/future technical instructor you may employ to spend time with you and help you equip properly.

[Cruisin Home]

and you will learn little helpful things like even some quote instructors in this post need to learn like "tuck your maskstrap under your hood."

it's fun and exciting, i can see your enthusiasm and thats great, we need more in the sport, but go slow. tortoise wins the race, rabbits die!

[Cruisin Home]

suggest you buy Gentile's book or some equivalent before you go on your spending spree

The Technical Diving Handbook
ISBN 1-883056-05-5, softcover lay-flat binding. Large Format 8 1/2 by 11
192 pages, 125 color photos, 12 tables, 12 equations, fully indexed

[berk]

If you really plan on doing technical diving I would also highly recommend you getting your own set of doubles. T

True, and try to get the same sized ones as your buddies if your RMV/SAC is close, as you tend to collect and fill tanks in a group. Having similar trim and bouyancy characteristic in the tank library is nice. Do you have people doing local diving beyond recreational type limits, or a group you could dive with? That can be important especially when starting out.

-matt