Equipment comments

[PaulG]

Hi everyone, new to the board and have just posted my welcome and brief history under the greetings thread.

My wife (Karen) and myself have just completed the confined water and are doing the O/W dives in Cyprus in Sep. We completed the C/W with only one incident, namely Karen decided to have a small freak during the no-mask swim. At this point, the instructor decided to be helpful by pinching her nose. When this added to her panic, he decided best course of action would be to hold her down by her BCD ???. Needless to say, she was last seen heading for the surface fighting off the instructor.

However, after 5 minutes of discussion with the instructor at the surface (wish I could have heard that one) she came back down and completed the exercise. She is still not a fan of this exercise but she stuck to it.

Despite my enthusiasm, I have backed off from buying equipment until after we have qualified (got as far as items in the trolley on both Simply Scuba and DiveInn before common sense prevailed)

I have been through most of the posts re regs etc and unless someone/something changes my mind in the next few weeks, I have come down in favour of a MK25/S600/R380 for one reg set and an ATX/50(or 100) plus ATX40 octo for the other set. That way, we can both try both regs and then argue about who ends up with each set (I know who will win that one). I have also heard good things about the Oceanic Delta 3/DX4 which I would appreciate comments on (although fairly set on other 2 options at present)

Although our initial diving requirements are somewhat limited, thought it better to go for best we can afford rather than have to swap out in a year or two.

I am a little more confused about BCD's and would appreciate feedback.

As a rookie, would you suggest a conventional BCD or a Back inflator. Is the integrated weight system something worth considering or is it more of a hinderance than help with new divers.

Currently we expect to most of our diving in warmer waters (Med/tropical) and are not expecting to get too technical but who knows what will happen when the bug really bites !!.

Does anyone have any recommendations of what to look for when choosing a BCD or particular manufacturers/models to look at/avoid (budget, whilst not infinate, is not primary concern as the purchase will hopefully last a few years, preferably much longer ??)

What about for my wife, is it better to go for a "ladies" BCD or do most BCD's fit either sex reasonably well.

 

[jbd]

For your wife's BC I would recommend checking out the womens only section of this board. There are several threads there about womens BC's.

I bought a moderately priced BC and have had it eight years, so you are correct in buying the best you can afford. The BC is a jacket style and works well for most diving. I do have a back inflation BC that I will probably try this weekend. I have heard that some folks feel as the the back inflations push you face down when on the surface but many folks say its simply a matter of getting use to the characteristics of the BC.

You may want to consider a backplate and wings setup. Similar in some ways to the back inflation BC. It has a very "clean" profile in the front and the metal plate will usually allow you to remove some weight from the weight belt. Each of the BC systems has its pro's and con's.

If its feasible, I would suggest renting or at least trying the different types of BC before committing to a purchase.

 

[Welshman]

PaulG

Both reg sets you describe are thought to be very good. You will see plenty of supporters of both set ups on this Board. The Oceanic set is also highly rated. I have the Oceanic Alpha 7 CDX which is excellent value for money and environmentally sealed.

As regards BCs I have a Seaquest Pro QD+ weight integrated jacket style BC. However, I use mine in conjunction with a belt to get the best balance - I use a Scubapro belt with 4 pouches into which you can put 8 2kg blocks. This is a lot more comfortable that a conventional belt onto which you slide the weights. I wouldn't want all the weight in my BC so I have about half in the BC and half on the belt.

As for whether your wife needs a ladies BC or just a smaller size of a man's BC try them on for size. My wife is slim built and a smaller ProQD+ would suit her fine. It seems that women with fuller figures tend to benefit from the women's BCs like the Seaquest Diva etc.

Hope this helps.

 

[nickjb]

All three reg sets are good. You shouldn't have any problems there. In the UK I think the Apeks offer best value for money and you certainly can't fault their performance.

As for BCD I would advise waiting. They are pretty bulky to travel with and very easy to rent. Once you know what kind of diving you want to do then spend the money.

A wing and backplate might be a good option as it will grow with you and is easier to travel with (and usually works out cheaper)

 

[Ranz]

Welcome!
Me and my other half bought Zegal BC's. She loves the Zena, and I got the Ranger. You can look at this site where we purchased ours from:
Scuba Toys

GL'uck on your purchase!
Ranz

 

[jepuskar]

Tonight my girlfriend and I went to our LDS, where we are getting trained, and bought our equipment. (side note: it was our decision to purchase from them...in fact we brought it up at the end of our first class).
We wanted our own equipment that way we can concentrate on other stuff instead of worrying about different features of each BC, reg, etc. Besides, once she heard that people pee in their wet suits...she was like..im getting my own. At this point, we are not really sure how much diving we are going to do, but to us it didnt matter...being comfortable, familair, and confident in your equipment really will help us.

On that note, you might want to reconsider purchasing your equipment and setting up a pool session with your LDS if possible and try it out and get comrtable with it. The only way I would buy a BC online would be if I went to my LDS and checked it out and tried it on and then and only then would I purchase it from an online source...but then you have to watch out for warranties etc. With my LDS, they will do yearly maintenace on the BC for free if purchased from them.

Hope this helps and I hope I didnt stray too far. This is just soo new to me and real exciting.

Jason

 

[mndolphin]

I would definately try on in pool before buying. Being someone who is hard to fit, (and sometimes a little anal) I want to know how it feels in the water before i buy

 

[Ian Wigg]

Hi

If you intend to take your kit abroad might I suggest considering (and this no doubt will cause a lot of flack - almost exclusively from those who've never used one) a Mares HUB (I've never tried the Dacor version so I can't comment but I imagine there is little actual difference apart from personal preferences). The quality of the regs and first stage is excellent as you would expect from Mares and the whole thing is very compact. The 'Dragonfly' semi wing design is very comfortable and works very well. The price is now similiar to the total cost of buying all the bits separately (forget the avantgarde though as you are paying a hell of a lot extra for the hassle of the pnematic camband - gimmick or what?)

Ian

 

[Starfish]

Check out Xerxes opinions under:

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11898&highlight=HUB

 

[Ian Wigg]

Also check out review on www.divernet.com. Also Heath74's comments in the same thread as Xerxes.

The HUB, like any other piece of kit including DIR approved stuff, has it's pros and cons.

I love it (with reservations) - you may hate it but it is an option to consider.

Ian