DM said "Don't worry about it".

[2airishuman]

So, other than getting a C0 detector, what visual things can can cue you into a perhaps questionable filling station. BTW CO detector is already on my to buy list.

Ultimately you have to trust the fill station operator. Air that smells bad usually is, but unsafe air can pass the sniff test. Yes, you can test for CO, but there is a significant cost in time and money for doing so given that CO measurement devices require regular calibration and sensor replacement. And there are other possible contaminants.

In choosing a local source for fills that I'm going to use repeatedly, I ask a lot of questions, look at the air analysis, and ponder which of the available choices is safest. That isn't feasible for vacation dives. Again, you have to choose a dive op with a good reputation, and that's all you can do.

 

[pepperbelly]

Take your own gear or rent from a lds and take that with you.
You need to b able to ditch weight- not to ascend but on the surface if something happens to the bladder and it won't inflate or stay inflated. You may have a wait for the boat and/or waves to deal with. You may never have to ditch weights but you need the ability.
I used a cruise dive op's regulator a couple of years ago and never will again. Mine breathed wet and caused me to chum on a dive. Now I take all of my gear except weights and cylinder. I know and trust my gear and know it's maintenance history.

 

[Lorenzoid]

What is it about Belize that dive ops have such crappy rental gear? Years ago, before I owned any gear, the rental BC and wetsuit I received in Belize were the most threadbare I have ever seen. The wetsuit had holes. The BC didn't have weight integration, but I guess it held air. I like to think I'm wiser and more risk-averse these days.

 

[Altamira]

So, who was the dive op in Belize that gave you a bcd that would not allow you to ditch the weight? I promise I won't tell.

 

[MichaelMc]

Telling newer divers to not worry about a safety issue is very bad. If the other side worked and had say 6 lb. I *might* have dove with it, but I have 130 or so dives. Insisting on a weight belt instead would be the compromise, at a sacrifice to trim. If they could not do that, very bad. I brought 42 lb of my own gear to Belize to avoid that issue, though what I saw there was good. I dove at White Sands.

Edit: Having no ditchable weight is an approach for experienced divers with a finely tuned setup. A new diver and a partially broken rental BC is not that setup.

 

[dmaziuk]

I got one for a check-out dive once. Mildly annoying at most. Meh.

 

[dmaziuk]

I was just wondering if you do 85 feet without the release working.

85 feet does not matter, you can drown in 2 inches. What matters is whether you can swim up and how long you can stay afloat with no air in the BCD without ditching weight. I expect most people saying "I carry no ditchable weight" in this thread are <= 10 pounds-heavy at the start of the dive or they have a redundant flotation device.

It's really about your swimming skills and how much weight you had in those pockets. Chances are at 14 dives and in unfamiliar rental BCD you had more weight than strictly necessary. We've no idea about your swimming ability.

 

[MichaelMc]

Guys..I have all of 14 dives..maybe I shouldn't have posted. Scuba shack at Chankanaab in Cozumel said no we don't need to see your card. Loved San Francisco and San something else. Guy at work says place I'm looking at in Cuba doesn't ask for card. Place out of San Pedro was questionable. Can I have 100 dives before I look back and judge.

I was just wondering if you do 85 feet without the release working.

Not to question you, but the issue is that new divers are the most at risk. Most instruction, including this operators if they do any, teaches that ditching is one of your safety measures. To then tell a new diver that it's ok if that safety measure is broken on gear they are providing you... that is a big red flag. For a diver with no excess weight that they know could rebuild the rig underwater blindfolded, not a big deal. But for you, they would have trained you to ditch weight, and are now telling you to not worry.

 

[Bubblesong]

Nebbish Noob that I am, I go to the shop to check out my equipment, putting regs on tanks, testing each piece, then carry my rentals to the boat myself so they don't get swapped out after I have inspected them. I store my rentals in my room. My family members do this too.
This is more work, but this way the shop replaces the shredded mouthpiece, and swaps out the dodgy depth gauge, (probably to give to someone else who arrives last minute.)
So far the equipment hasn't failed me, but I am eventually going to get a lightweight travel set up.

 

[AdivingBel]

As a new diver I would suggest planning your dives/dive trips carefully by contacting your dive ops well in advance of your arrival. Diving, especially as a novice, is not something to be taken lightly. There are plenty of reputable dive ops and dive locales in the Caribbean that can accommodate your dive needs and experience level. Once you have a few hundred dives under your belt you'll be in a much better position to walk in off the street and deal with whatever situation develops. Until then keep diving, have fun, but remember due diligence (in advance) is your friend. Good luck.