hi from illinois
- Thread starter gclaudio
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
Welcome, We have some great diving here in Il. What part are you in?
Dan1219
Registered
Im in a suburb close to Joliet- very familiar with LDS; local dive spots, and Lake Michigan. Over 400 local dives-what are your questions??
Dan1219
Registered
The first question to answer is what type of diving do you want to engage in. Are you going to be a cold water (local Lake MI) diver or a vacation diver who dives infreuently in cold water.
if youre going to be a cold water diver some things to consider. 1- IT IS COLD in our lake. Average temps in July at 90' in the Lake is about 50-55 degrees. If wet- I have about 300 wet dives in the Lake, nothing less than a 7mm will work- and invest in a good 7mm, a lot of people (me included) only dive the Lake dry. Dry suit diving is the "norm" on the lake- and I do recommend consideing dry- but only after about 50 wet dives.
Next is bc or wing. I have both. If you choose a bc you have to decide between back inflated and wrap around. Back inflated is better for buoyancy control and prevents a "squeeze" on the chest. Wrap around or jacket style has a wrap around air cell more like a life preserver- can constrict when compltetely inflated
I am a mask coniseuur, I prefer a 4 window- low profile; low internal volume- purges in 2-3 breaths. Also, the side windows do open up the peripheal field. I dive a dark skirt to avoid glare.
fins are also important- can bethe differnce between working hard or hardly working. For my wet rig, I use SP Sea Wing Gorillas, for my dry rig- I use AquaLung Rockets 2- I like the extended foot pocket.
Also- and perhaps most important- the reg. Do invest in a decent reg- if your going to dive local- buy a cold water rig. Both 1st and 2nd stage. Worth the investment.
A computer is also a great investment.
I would also advise to think about buying SOME equipment used first. There are great deals for equipment out there- just need to know what youre buyinh.
A lot of info- Good Luck building your rig.
if youre going to be a cold water diver some things to consider. 1- IT IS COLD in our lake. Average temps in July at 90' in the Lake is about 50-55 degrees. If wet- I have about 300 wet dives in the Lake, nothing less than a 7mm will work- and invest in a good 7mm, a lot of people (me included) only dive the Lake dry. Dry suit diving is the "norm" on the lake- and I do recommend consideing dry- but only after about 50 wet dives.
Next is bc or wing. I have both. If you choose a bc you have to decide between back inflated and wrap around. Back inflated is better for buoyancy control and prevents a "squeeze" on the chest. Wrap around or jacket style has a wrap around air cell more like a life preserver- can constrict when compltetely inflated
I am a mask coniseuur, I prefer a 4 window- low profile; low internal volume- purges in 2-3 breaths. Also, the side windows do open up the peripheal field. I dive a dark skirt to avoid glare.
fins are also important- can bethe differnce between working hard or hardly working. For my wet rig, I use SP Sea Wing Gorillas, for my dry rig- I use AquaLung Rockets 2- I like the extended foot pocket.
Also- and perhaps most important- the reg. Do invest in a decent reg- if your going to dive local- buy a cold water rig. Both 1st and 2nd stage. Worth the investment.
A computer is also a great investment.
I would also advise to think about buying SOME equipment used first. There are great deals for equipment out there- just need to know what youre buyinh.
A lot of info- Good Luck building your rig.
Similar threads
