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USMC_DS1

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Location
Austin, TX
# of dives
Hi all,

I've been browsing the board for some insight re the newer regs on the market to replace some of my aging 20+ years old gear... some great information here. Wish I had signed on years ago.

FWIW, I started diving 33 yrs ago. Got most of my training early on with a PADI Advance and a few Specialty Certs - Wreck, Deep, Night, Boat, Multi-level, etc... also dabbled in an Intro-Cave with NSS at one point. My boys are also certified and have been diving with me for the past 12 yrs. We have a variety of gear from rec to tech with various brands: Suunto, Poseidon, Oceanic, Sherwood, Aqualung, and Aeris. I broke down my doubles years ago when I started diving with the boys and we've mainly focused on open water rec dives, spearfishing, and some mildly cold(>50*F) water dives. Some of my gear, however, is getting antiquated. I do like diving with my steel 72's for shore dives and the HP 100's for deeper(100'- 200') spearfishing dives off the oil rigs in the gulf so will likely retain these tanks. I just replaced the bladder on my 18 yrs old Oceanic Chute 1 BCD. Oceanic indicated to me that they were sending me the last bladder from that "era" in their warehouse... wow, guest I have to start facing the facts. And some of my oceanic DIN regs are 20+ years in age plus they breath wet when I'm inverted so I figure it's time to start upgrading a few bits here and there. I just ordered a new Poseidon Jetstream MK3... likely overkill for what I may be doing but I've always wanted one. I understand it has some particulars(charm) and may take some getting used to - you either love or hate it. But I do like the idea of a proven design that's been around as long as I have. Have also been reading up on HOG and contemplating their new D3 set from Dive Right. I've been maintaining my own gear with the exception of my regs over the years... could never get the spare parts for my regs which HOG seems to have addressed. I appreciate their philosophy of trusting the diver to know his weight class when it comes to DIY maintenance... I enjoy maintaining my cars and gunsmithing so a regulator rebuild sounds like another potentially enjoyable endeavor. I also have my eye on a Zeagle ZX 50D as a possibility for another reg... LeisurePro has a decent price on them. Would welcome your insights re these regulator options and any others you believe I should consider. I don't mind paying a little more for over spec'd gear beyond what my immediate needs are. I would rather spend my hard earned cash once vs. constantly upgrading every few years to meet a future need.

I'd like to get back to a more regular local diving routine. I used to get in one or two dives a week when I live on Maui, CA, and even Saudi Arabia when I was a young man. When we moved to Austin back in the late 90's I pulled back to diving once a month locally. In fact, we stopped diving Lake Travis all together a few years ago due to our continually declining water level there. KXAN - Another Lake Travis restaurant at risk as lake levels drop My boys and I used to dive off Windy Point but now we've resigned ourselves to diving during our vacation travels instead... we're fortunate in that my wife's family lives in Hawaii. We've been waiting for the lake to fill back up to start diving locally again, however, that doesn't seem likely anytime soon... perhaps a biblical rain of 40 days/nights would do it. Recently a trip to Curacao with my boys (22 and 19 now) has inspired us to try some local diving again. Last week I dusted off the steel tanks (two HP 100's and three 72's) and the pony for some new hydro stamps with an eye on some dives near the dam. Wondering if anyone has tried Lake Travis Scuba: Welcome to Lake Travis Scuba A few treks over the lake in a boat might be an interesting way to get back into the swing of things locally. Also has anyone tried diving in the river near New Braunfels? I would also be very open towards getting back into tech if there are any know opportunities for that locally or via travel.

TIA for your insights and safe diving.
 

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