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In places where service is included in the bill (most services in most of Europe), tipping is minimal or reserved for service above and beyond expectations. One would expect travelers to educate themselves on the local customs and expectations when they travel... but it's not always easy and a...

For people having their own tank farm in the garage, it's 'what's your favorite tank with your usual exposure protection'. I love my HP100/130 for dry suit California diving. I tried the HP100 once with a shorty in a (fresh water) pool - worst tank ever, I could barely stay afloat.

Those folks make custom hoods. Haven't got one yet but they're on my (fairly long) dive shopping list.

Well, you can't prevent it with all those divers who only own a dog.

Yes. But what are you looking for in a fin? Straight line long distance efficiency has to be balanced with speed, control and practicality. And fins need to match your favorite kicking style, leg strength and how much stress your articulations can take. Short stiff blades. Softer blades. Split...

My dive shop requires some kind of marking. They're not picky- the airspeed 'voodoo gas' or 'darwin' stickers work for them. Looking at the way they fill, it makes sense. Most of their tanks will never ever see anything but air, having those clearly (un)marked speeds up the fills (no analysis...

I'm 5'9" myself and curious. Did she manage a static equilibrium? Or does she needs to constantly adjust? i.e. if she gets in trim and freeze, will she slowly rotate and end up with her head in the sand? Or stay in trim until she's bored. To me, that's the difference between the HP100 and...

I can find plenty of negatives about my suit - but I don't think the competition does much better. Sure, the Rock Boots are a bit bulky - but you can find alternatives - and have you seen the winter mountaineering equipment what used to come with the Fusion? (I heard they improved since -...

Yes. They're way cheaper. You can choose your color. They aren't as wide as the rock boots, so you can choose from a wider selection of fins (you might even be able to reuse your wetsuit fins).

My TLS350 is my first dry suit, so I don't have much basis for comparison - but I love it. The good: it dives well, it's warm with the right undergarments, it's light and compact for travel, it rinses and dries well, is easy to care for, I haven't had a leak in the suit so far, it's easy to...

It isn't a stupid question - at which point isn't there enough pressure left in the tank for your regulator to work correctly? I don't remember the answer, but it has been asked before and it probably depends a lot on the regulator. That said, it is of limited practical use as: it is below...

Get good paddle fins (Hollis F1?) instead of split fins. Get a good basic wrist computer, not a console. Don't bother with air integration, trimix or other fancy features - if you end up deciding you need them, there will be better options on the market and your old computer will make an...

I have a pair of MP72 which have similar characteristics to the HP80 (without even having the gas). I confirm. You can compensate the head heaviness with a tail weight, heavy fins, ankle weights, keeping the legs extended, a thick hood and dry gloves.... but is it worth it? Another problem is...

"Basic scuba discussion". Damn, I need to pay attention. If we're assuming a single tank of normal size (not one of those ginormous HP130), and reasonable depths, then even a wetsuit should be ok in case of catastrophic BC failure.

Despite and AL plate and a drysuit, I'm in the same situation when I dive doubles. I don't loose sleep over it. With a wetsuit however, you'd be removing one source of redundancy and have to account for loss of buoyancy at depth due to suit compression. Personally, I'd chicken out of it...

You won't, because their bones are still bleaching on the shores down there :eyebrow: j/k - but think about night diving as well - it's one thing to be able to tread carefully during the day, and another at night.

It's not difficult to get into, but does require some practice. Compare to a properly adjusted BC, it's about the same - but a lot of BC users loosen/unclip everything, get in their gear and then tighten all the straps - can't do that with a HOG harness. The best advice I'd have is to try one -...

Indeed. Just learned that the hard way about 15 minutes ago. And while you're at it, when you get socket wrenches, take the deepest you can find - a couple of mine were too short... And maybe brass o-ring picks won't scratch the regulator, but they're soft as a wet noodle... Good thing...

Bonaire shore diving is pretty easy as shore diving goes. I don't think it needs to be made easier - if one wants railing and stairs, they can use their hotel house reef. Easy however, doesn't mean that no preparation/skill is required. If you try to dive Bonaire barefoot, with no exposure...

One of the local boat captains uses a small blowtorch. Scary, but it works great. I tried it on my backup mask, and it was still fog free 20 dives later despite being put underwater, in cold conditions, and without having seen any chemical defogger, spit or shampoo. There was no damage to the mask.