Saturday at Dutch Springs

Well, I had my first cold water diving experience at Dutch Springs on Saturday and had a great time.

I was using rented equipment and was in a heavy wetsuit for the first time, so practicing bouyancy control was my main priority for the day. I felt after two dives, I had made great strides in that regard. My buddy, Bill, who I got hooked up with through my LDS was a great help and I am grateful for his advice.

The best part of the day was my third dive. This weekend, Dive Rite, was there giving out demos and I got to dive with a Backplate, TransPlate Harness and their new Venture Wing. I also got to dive with their rep, Pete Nawrocky, which was a great privelage, because I got to dive with someone who had way more skill than I and I learned a lot just by watching him.

Pete and the two Dive Rite dealers that were there were really nice and really took the time to talk to everyone about their gear and I have to say, basend on my limited experience, that the Dive Rite BP/Wing system is a great set-up to dive with.

And I got a free t-shirt!

All in all, it was a great day of diving and I think went a long way to preparing me for my AOW/Nitrox dives this coming weekend.

Tell us more:

What did you think of the plate?

What's the new wing like? shape, lift cap. double or single bladder?

Sounds like we might have a new single tank wing on the market soon.

Ben

Well, going from a crappy store rental jacket BC to a brand new BP/Wing set-up was a liberating experience - enough to convince me that BP/Wings are for me.

The transplate harness has enough padding to be comfortable for the walk to the entry point, but still gives you a nice snug fit in the water.

The new Venture wing is a circular design like the pioneer wing and has 30LBs of lift. It does not have bungees.

I saw a recent criticism of Halcyon for not updating their website with their new wing. The criticism is warranted of Dive Rite too, but I think that both companies are waiting until after DEMA...

Yeah, seems that way, I'm going to be very busy at DEMA... Eclipse, Oxycheq and now the Venture, at least we should have some decent single tank options now.

Ben