Gear Advice for Novice Divers From Novice Diver

[ams511]

@Bierstadt I have looked at your blog. Very nice but there is a few things. 1) You can get an depth gauge and mount it on your wrist or use a bungee mount if the gauge is of the correct size. You can also pop the gauges out of the console if you like and mount them how you want. 2) I think you may have watched the DIR 3 video on you tube. The octo being unbalanced is old advice. Most regulators can be detuned as not to free flow. The adjustable balanced is the best solution. 3) Regulators do not need service every year or two, but only when starting to act up. 4) Dive computers are not necessary. You can always use tables or dive planning software. I would recommend if you purchase a computer that it has a gauge mode.

 

[Bierstadt]

@Bierstadt I have looked at your blog. Very nice but there is a few things. 1) You can get an depth gauge and mount it on your wrist or use a bungee mount if the gauge is of the correct size. You can also pop the gauges out of the console if you like and mount them how you want. 2) I think you may have watched the DIR 3 video on you tube. The octo being unbalanced is old advice. Most regulators can be detuned as not to free flow. The adjustable balanced is the best solution. 3) Regulators do not need service every year or two, but only when starting to act up. 4) Dive computers are not necessary. You can always use tables or dive planning software. I would recommend if you purchase a computer that it has a gauge mode.

Thanks.

1) Well, yes, but a depth gauge is going to cost about $75 or more for a wrist-mounted gauge. You could save about $5 by buying a gauge intended for console mounting and purchasing a wrist mount for it... but for $75 more you can have a full dive computer like a Mares Puck. That is a good $75 upgrade for a new diver without a depth measuring tool. I think it would be very nice to have both, but new divers have limited money and a lot of pricey gear to acquire.

2) I agree a balanced second for both octo and primary is best. It is what I bought. But it is not necessary and an unbalanced second is cheaper.

3) I hope so. I'd love to be able to stretch out my service intervals. However, I am not going to tell other new divers that for their purchase planning. I think it is important to understand that regs are the most costly year-to-year piece of dive gear a new diver will get. I also know divers that consider skipping the standard service interval to be inviting death. Finally, I feel that this is an issue that still has controversy and I don't think it is my place to say "only get service when your reg acts up." Thanks for pointing it out though, because I agree that learning to do your own annual inspection instead of blindly getting regular service is the better option.

4) Necessary, no. Really good thing to have, yes. I was not personally planning on buying a DC until I realized that my choice of cutting the console out of my reg system left me without any sort of depth sensor. Even then, my first choice was a standalone depth gauge and tables until I realized that a bit more money would get me a DC. It's not just the bottom time issue; being able to see your dive profile later can be a valuable training tool to see how your buoyancy control is progressing. Mine is... not as good as I imagine it to be. lol

Gauge mode is good, but I can't imagine I would dive tables when I had a DC. You are vastly more experienced; is that something you would do? For training or something? Tech diving sure, but for rec?

 

[2airishuman]

@2airishuman Service a reg, for a new diver? I look forward to servicing my own regs one day, but it is not a new diver skill.

Servicing regulators has very little to do with diving skill. I don't necessarily recommend that anyone service their own regulators because a failure could lead to an accident. In the same light, I don't necessarily recommend that anyone service the front brakes on their own Chevy because a failure could lead to an accident. On the other hand there are lots of people who do their own brake work, and lots of people who do their own regulator work.

I dove a regulator I'd serviced myself on my 9th dive post certification. I dove it (or one just like it; I have several since my kids dive) today too. Typically I paid $30 a stage for used 1st and 2nds and replaced the hoses, mouthpieces, and SPGs. It worked out to around $200 per complete regulator set total with the service kits, purchase price, hoses, and SPGs. I later added DIN and environmental seal kits to some of them which drove the price up somewhat. Mine are all old Conshelfs but there are plenty of good regulators out there.

If you work with a good service tech you can still get old regs and save money but the savings aren't as great.

Nor is hydro on a tank - I don't even know what the requirements are for cert work on a tank to be legal, but I know you have to meet some sort of Federal requirements in the US. However, I would absolutely be interested in better ideas on used gear. I did not have much luck with what I found on the used market when I was looking.

I think there's only one diver on SB who does his own hydros. Everyone else sends them out.

But there's more to it. You have to be able to identify whether a cylinder is worth purchasing, make repair/replace decisions on valves, maintain the exterior coating, remove accumulated stickers, and so on. Some of that you might send out, which is fine, but if you take a 20 year old cylinder to a LDS, in most cases they'll either charge you the moon or tell you to scrap the cylinder.

 

[2airishuman]

<<< dive computers and depth gauges >>>

Dive computers are a practical necessity for some types of diving because the combination of a dive watch and a depth gauge costs more than a dive computer. Getting a puck or Leonardo may be a false economy because few divers are satisfied with these DCs over the long term. I do not know what the current best deal is.

2) I agree a balanced second for both octo and primary is best. It is what I bought. But it is not necessary and an unbalanced second is cheaper.

With a good balanced 1st, a balanced second isn't necessary

3) I hope so. I'd love to be able to stretch out my service intervals. However, I am not going to tell other new diI think it is important to understand that regs are the most costly year-to-year piece of dive gear a new diver will get.

In the big picture, for most divers, the cost of reaching the dive site (including dive travel and charter fees) is overwhelmingly the most expensive part of diving. Gas fills can be significant depending on the kind and amount of diving you do.

Gear wise, the biggest cost is usually exposure protection. Wetsuits, wetboots, and gloves wear out surprisingly quickly, diver's body sizes change, and for most approaches to diving you'll want two or thee thicknesses to allow for changes in the seasons, location, and depth.

I have worn out two pairs of gloves and one pair of wetboots. So far, my 3 wetsuits seem to be holding up OK.

Regulator service is expensive if you pay an LDS but not compared to these other costs.

Gauge mode is good, but I can't imagine I would dive tables when I had a DC. You are vastly more experienced; is that something you would do? For training or something? Tech diving sure, but for rec?

There are very few divers using tables outside of certain approaches to tech diving where the dive profile can be reliably predicted before the dive.

I have used my DC on every dive except today's. I had left it at home and knew it wasn't going to provide much useful information so I proceeded without it.

 

[KeithG]

3) I hope so. I'd love to be able to stretch out my service intervals. However, I am not going to tell other new divers that for their purchase planning. I think it is important to understand that regs are the most costly year-to-year piece of dive gear a new diver will get. I also know divers that consider skipping the standard service interval to be inviting death. Finally, I feel that this is an issue that still has controversy and I don't think it is my place to say "only get service when your reg acts up." Thanks for pointing it out though, because I agree that learning to do your own annual inspection instead of blindly getting regular service is the better option.

"Inviting death"? You sir are fully qualified for a sales position at my LDS. I am kidding a bit, but not much? Maybe...

Instead of perpetuating the LDS hyperbole, maybe a better approach would be to communicate the following ideas:
- regs are very simple devices
- regs are highly reliable devices
- regs can be "inspected" by anyone who has a teeny smattering of mechanical ability (can you load a dish washer?)
- inspection and servicing are very different things
- inspection should be done regularly (more often than servicing, more often than annually)
- if you do not feel confident to inspect your regs, please defer to your LDS or a service facility
- if you are mechanically inclined, then it is possible to service your own regs, they are simple devices after all...
- a significant number of reg failures occur just after they have been serviced

 

[Caveeagle]

.... I also know divers that consider skipping the standard service interval to be inviting death. Finally, I feel that this is an issue that still has controversy and I don't think it is my place to say "only get service when your reg acts up." Thanks for pointing it out though, because I agree that learning to do your own annual inspection instead of blindly getting regular service is the better option.

"Inviting death" ?? I think that's just a tad extreme. I would make the counter-point that (with a well functioning regulator), ..annual tear down, re-assembly and calibration "invites" many new variables to this process and is arguably more unsafe than diving your (within working spec) regs out beyond the 1/2yr service interval.

The key here is proper post-dive cleaning, storage and regular, more than annual performance inspections. For this, a diver really needs some basic understanding of how to inspect and trouble-shoot a set of regs. (not that hard to get)

Just my opinion but my only major objection to the proposed content is an apparent tendency to speak in absolutes. Sure, "most" new divers probably should not plan to service their own regs. But that's a pretty broad blanket statement. I saw a "new diver" poster here that claimed to be an aircraft mechanic/technician. Surely, with that skill set, taking a swing at rebuilding a typical 2nd stage is not a ridiculous plan as long as proper procedures are followed.

 

[Bubblesong]

if a person invests in their education, I think they are safer and can handle an emergency repair far from help. But it is not about saving money in my opinion.
This might be a path someone can take who plans to be self sufficient;
Deep 6 Service Clinic in FL, Aug 5!

 

[Bob DBF]

The key here is proper post-dive cleaning, storage and regular, more than annual performance inspections. For this, a diver really needs some basic understanding of how to inspect and trouble-shoot a set of regs. (not that hard to get)

Amen.

How to check a reg is a stickey at the top of this reg forum. In DIY or basic there have been, or can be started, threads to discuss how to inspect any piece of gear. Unless one drops a tank on a peice of gear, problems are rarely catastrophic. If you look for wear and proper operation, issues can be corrected well before they become a problem.

The factory service interval for reg, or any gear, inspection/service assumes the diver uses the gear a lot and takes little or no care of their equipment or how it functions. When you take care of your gear and do the same external checks a shop tech would do, you can intelligently make the call when to have the gear serviced, if you don't DIY.


Bob

 

[fjpatrum]

@2airishuman Service a reg, for a new diver? I look forward to servicing my own regs one day, but it is not a new diver skill. Nor is hydro on a tank - I don't even know what the requirements are for cert work on a tank to be legal, but I know you have to meet some sort of Federal requirements in the US. However, I would absolutely be interested in better ideas on used gear. I did not have much luck with what I found on the used market when I was looking.

I am with you on floats. There is a balance between portability and visibility, and I think we ere too far to the side of portability even when we shouldn't. I trust most powerboat drivers as far as I can throw them. My ideal F&F would be equipped with a cannon to ward them off while I dive.

There is absolutely no reason you can't service your own gear as a new diver. Read 2 books on reg service (see this thread: Wolfinger's "Regulator Savvy" versus Harlow's "Regulator Maintenance and Repair" ) and you'll have all the knowledge you need to service nearly every reg made.

Hell, I had 30 dives under my belt and repaired my brother's reg (which I had serviced--my first ever and it was free-flowing so needed a little adjustment) on a dive boat while I was puking. Regulator service and repair is almost trivial for anyone with some experience building things. If you're not experienced at building things, take a class in regulator service (not the PADI class that tells you what a reg is but doesn't tell you how to repair it) and you'll soon find that you don't think it's that difficult either. Plus you don't have the worry that your service tech was a little hung-over or pissed off when your gear was on the bench. Bonus, (or in my case the reason to do it in the first place) you can save a dive on the boat when something isn't going quite right.

I'll agree with what others have said about "inviting death". Too much hyperbole for me. Don't push dive shop sales falsehoods on new divers please.

As others have said, you also don't need to service your gear nearly as often as manufacturers or dive shops might want. I've service my scubapro rig, bought used, exactly once in the 8 or 9 years I've had it. It breathes perfectly. The only reason I serviced it was to change it to DIN for some new (used) tanks. Similarly, I agree with vis being largely unnecessary, but I've never had a problem with any shop filling my tanks with valid hydro and a vis sticker, no matter where I've taken my tanks. If you want to do your own vis, invest $50 in a set of stickers and save your $5 a year or whatever it is. For me, that just wasn't worth the effort.

As far as new versus used, I appreciate your thought process on why you bought new. I put a post together eons ago (or what feels like it anyway) about buying used versus new. Here's a link: Buying used, a discriminating shopper's primer

EDIT: Last one, I promise. Since cost seems to be a factor for you (and most of us) here's another discussion about buying new gear at "budget" prices. Getting started "on the cheap"

Good discussion on your blog. I don't agree with everything but it's well thought out. Thanks for sharing.

 

[MichaelMc]

If you're mechanically inclined, study manuals, and are careful, inspecting and servicing your own regs can be fine. And knowing your gear is a great thing. I'm fairly technical, but for now leave my reg inspect and service to a top dive shop.

You can get trained to do visual inspections. Slapping a sticker on your tanks without that training would likely be a miss representation to the dive shop. And it is the shop's fill technicians who are at risk during the fill process, not you. Rust does start inside tanks from bad fills or other errors.