Coming back into the fold, but .....

[kfish64]

Good morning all! New member to SB here, checking in from Wasaga Beach (a couple hours from Tobermory), and I'm hoping to pick the brains of the esteemed members here. I'll try to keep this short, but who am I kidding. First, a very brief history:

- I began my sub surface life in 1979, just before my 15th bday, as a certified NAUI skin diver;
- by 1991, I finished my formal training with my PADI DM certification;
- I worked casually as a DM until 1995;
- over the years, I logged WELL over 1000 dives (I stopped logging at 1000 out of sheer laziness), everywhere from Tobermory, to Florida, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, and Vancouver Island (where most of my dives were);
- I eventually stopped diving altogether in 1999, mostly because my career in the army was sending me all over the place and my motivation to seek out new dive buddies every few years had evaporated.

Now, after a 30+ year army life, I've retired and my wife and I have begun our life of travelling. I taught her how to snorkel a few years ago in Mexico, and after just returning from a Caribbean cruise a couple weeks ago, she's CONSIDERING getting her OW cert -- the snorkelling in Bonaire & Curaçao clinched it for her and reignited my long-dormant passion.

IF repeat IF she gets her OW, we're going to limit our diving to warm water holiday dives (I've done enuf cold water dives, and my body's a little broken in places from the army). Problem is -- after scouring the web and checking out a couple LDS, it's painfully clear to me that ALOT has changed with the gear, especially BCs vis-a-vis BP/W setups (I started with a Dacor horse collar and graduated to a bare bones Sherwood jacket). BP/W setups had only just started coming out when I decided to stop. And though several manufacturers I'm familiar with are still going strong (Sherwood, Oceanic, USD, Scubapro, etc), there are many that are new TO ME.

I don't want to go bonkers buying gear cuz I'll just be doing warm water tourist diving, but I expect I'll want us to get our own regs, gauges and BCs (already have MFS). And it's the BCs that have me the most "confused" -- jacket or BP/W?

I'll admit 3 travel BCs intrigue me:
Oceanic Jetpack
Oceanic Biolite
Scubapro Hydros Pro

I visited a LDS and they spoke highly of a Halcyon Traveler, but when I tried it on, I found it terribly uncomfortable. The build quality seemed top notch, but what's the point if it doesn't feel good?

Advice? Suggestions? I'll take them all.

And yes, before I actually submerge somewhere tropical, I'll most definitely be taking some refresher training -- DM or not, it's been 17+ years.

 

[Altamira]

Take a look at the Zeagle Covert. Very light, well built, packable, comfortable, and has integrated weight pockets.

 

[RainPilot]

Welcome back. I have a Biolite I use very occasionally. Good bit of kit but I use almost exclusively BP/W.

Cheaper, modular so if bits break you aren't buying a whole new rig. Also cuts down a lot on your dry weight on the boat. I really don't miss a weight belt

 

[drrich2]

One possibility that I don't choose for myself (but I'm big, chunky & oddly proportioned, so sizing is an issue), is to rent where you go. I prefer the familiarity that comes with using my own gear, but gear rentals often aren't drastically more expensive that checked baggage roundtrip fees for that 2nd bag (of scuba gear), and the convenience of 'dive it and leave it' appeals to some (I still recommend owning your own mask and dive computer).

If you're going to dive once per year, that might make sense. If you're going to take 2 or 3 1-week dedicated dive vacations per year, not so much (but you can!).

Richard.

 

[WinfieldNC]

I second the motion for a Zeagle BC. I love my Zeagle Stiletto. Just my two cents.

 

[diversteve]

I personally think the Jetpack is only useful on weekend trips. It doesn't really have enough non-dive capacity. And unless you use short travel fins (Oceanic sells one) - you've got to check at least one bag anyway. And what happens when the flight is full and you need to gate-check your carryon? I have several times - on Bonaire it came back off the flight in the regular luggage - not recovered by me on the tarmac as I was told. Kind of scuffed up on one corner. And my carry-on is hard sided.

Check the weight on the Hydros Pro before deciding on it for a "travel" bc. And the price. I liked it prior to that.

Zeagles are a good brand - I've owned one for about a decade - 2 different ones. My buddy has one also.Covert is a good option, it rolls up small enough to go into a carry-on. They advertise its the lightest travel BCD - 3.9lbs. but it still has a full jacket.

Stiletto is advertised as a travel BC but once I stuffed mine into the largest legal carry-on and there wasn't much room left over. They also sell the Express Tech which is a modular soft-backplate model. Two different weight systems are options plus you can add-on pockets - theirs or less expensive ones from Dive Gear Express or others. ET's aren't especially light though, over 6lbs. Just pack small.

It might give you some of the features of a BP/W without the discomfort - which I agree with you on. I personally just don't like the feel of a steel plate across my shoulder blades - even if it has a cover/pad kit. It's personal preference. Also a lot of bp/w owners tout that it can be broken down for travel. But a steel plate is upwards of 6lbs. plus harness etc. And if you go with a lighter plate (aluminum or Kydex) you may need a weight belt or weight harness - even in warm water.

Some other travel options are the Aqualung Zuma (Back Inflate), Cressi Travelight(Jacket) or Scubapro Lighthawk (Back-Inflate). I'm sure you've heard of a couple of them...
Right now there's a pretty good deal on the 2013 model LIghthawk - everyone is closing them out for $250. IMO it has too much lift for warm water diving but a lot of people own them.

One other change since 1999 is we buy a lot of gear online now. I buy almost everything I don't try on from Scubatoys.com or Leisurepro.com. Even some mfr's who were never going to do online sales now allow it - Divers Direct for example sells Aqualung online now - that's only happened recently. You probably won't notice any price difference on Aqualung, Scubapro etc. so if interested buy locally, but I've seen big discounts on Oceanic and a few others. With a very few exceptions, most of the online retailers are dealers for everything they sell so warranties etc. are in place. One notable exception is Aqualung thru Leisurepro - even Aqualung has a disclaimer about them on their website. Explains the significantly better AL price LP offers - warranty is via their in-house option only.

Cheap dive computers are a big change since you stopped also. You can get one for as little as $250, with user changeable batteries in either a console or wrist model. It allows you to greatly extend your bottom time since you're not diving tables so it continually adjusts. Most also have a 15' 3min. safety stop timer also - it's the stupidest thing but I like that on my new one - it even beeps at me if I drop below 19' or when 3mins. is up. Many models also have download capabilities but often the cable is close to $100 more. Or you can get Air Integration (tank transmitter to wrist computer) OLED readouts etc.

That whole market has changed recently, Suunto's (more conservative) are now distributed by Huish in the US instead of Aqualung. And Aqualung bought Pelagic Pressure so this years Aqualung models are last years Oceanics rebranded. For tech diving everybody here loves the Shearwaters - big, bright OLed readouts - does more than I'll ever need so I dive a cheap Suunto.

Also several mfr's have longer regulator service intervals now. Atomic Aquatics (started by 2 ex-Scubapro engineers) has always had a 2 year/300 dive interval across their line. They all breathe the same, the price difference is in the exotic metals used. Scubapro recently went to a 2 year/100 dive interval. Even Aqualung has relaxed theirs to 1st year inspect, 2nd year overhaul. And there's new companies that probably weren't even around in 1999 - HOG/Edge is popular here. The person who ran it for years just started Deep6 gear - a new company with a completely different marketing/service strategy. You mostly buy them online, when shipped they include a parts kit and repair manual so you have the option of self-service, service thru your local trusted tech or sending it back to them.

fwiw, I dive Atomics. I can afford anything I want, they make the most sense to me. And breathe like a dream. Do you still have your old regs, unless they're Dacor they might still be serviceable.

 

[Dish]

@kfish64 - what @diversteve said. Don't fear the BP/W, brother. I dove with a horse collar and tank backpack for several years. The only difference from this and a BP/W is that the horse collar is now behind you encircling the tank. Other than the missing CO2 cartridge for emergency inflate (a good thing) it's basically the same. Additionally, I really like the distibution of weight over my lungs that today's backplates provide. The horse collars... er... wings... even come with power inflators now, which is what all the cool kids had back then... although I rarely use mine.

 

[kfish64]

Thanks everyone for all the excellent info!

@diversteve -- you're so right re: the SP Hydros pro and price. Don't know what I was thinking when I included it. And I didn't realize the O jetpack wouldn't accommodate my full-foot O Caribe fins -- another great point. As for the computers, I used an O Datamax Sport my last years. Loved it, except for the factory-only battery change. I've checked out (online) the Sherwood Vision and based on several reviews (and my own history with Sherwood gear), I'll likely get that one -- clean and user friendly.

I'll definitely check out the Zeagle Covert -- wouldn't have even thought of it. I also discovered the Litehawk after I'd posted. That refines my list of "possibles" to: Z Covert; SP Litehawk; and possibly O Biolite (I always drooled over Oceanic gear in my younger years but it was out of reach for me financially. Now that I can buy what I want, I have to at least fondle their gear).

@drrich2 -- agree re: renting, but I'm a little anal-retentive that way. I'll of course rent the tanks and weights needed, but for me the BC is a key component that needs to fit like it's mine and not "mine for now."

Buying online -- oh, how I wish. Given that I'm in the great white north, any online dive retailers are invariably US. And assuming they'll even ship here, the duties and shipping costs usually send the cost over what I'd pay here at the LDC. But I'll do my research -- everyone who knows me knows I research my purchases to death.

Now all I need is to get she-who-must-be-obeyed certified

 

[diversteve]

I can't speak to the costs/duties but both Leisurepro and Scubatoys ship anywhere. Not sure you'll save enough to make it an option.

How close are you to Dan's - they seem to have good prices/selection. Scuba Diving Courses | Scuba Dive Gear in Ontario, Canada.

 

[kfish64]

I can't speak to the costs/duties but both Leisurepro and Scubatoys ship anywhere. Not sure you'll save enough to make it an option.

How close are you to Dan's - they seem to have good prices/selection. Scuba Diving Courses | Scuba Dive Gear in Ontario, Canada - I've never been there but will if I'm ever in the area.

Lol. I was just there on Saturday. Made the 3 hour drive (thanks Toronto traffic) to visit a friend and decided to check out the shop. That's where I tried the Halcyon BC. Very nice shop -- lots of selection and his website has even more. His prices SEEM good but frankly, I'm not really in a position to say so for sure -- have to research more on the whole idea of online from the US. I know he has a Scubapro MK25 S600 Black Tech reg on sale for what appears to be a very good price