Equipment Questions from New Divers

[mcace007]

I posted this in the BC questions area and it was suggested that I ask the locals what they use and like/suggest.

Ultimatly I was sold on the Mares that I mention below as a good Cold water and travel CB but I guess any input on this would be great.

Thanks

"My wife and I are new to the diving family and are tired of using junk rental equiptment when we travel and dive locally, so we're in the process of gearing up.

I though that I was sold on the Mares Dragon BC for me and the Mares Kaila for my wife, the on-line reviews all spoke highly of it, they fit great, so I was on to find the best price and buy them. Then I logged on here to see if there was any additional information. I see all the posts about the problems with the weight pockets failing and either breaking or falling out causing an uncontrolled accent?

Have the problems been addressed by Mares? Are these safe BS's for new divers to get, dive with and grow our skills in?

I really don't want to have a great dive turned in to a tragedy by my equiptment choice.

Any input would be great! Thanks All

Michael

 

[Hinalo]

Welcome Michael. Diving here in Monterey/Carmel and the North Coast is fantastic. It's good you are being cautious; a BC is a big investment and a short visit to either eBay or any scuba classified will show you that a lot of people buy a BC out of the gate, dive it for a little while, and then realize that what thy really want is something else. I would encourage you to talk to other divers and shops, rent as many different styles as you can (jacket front adjustable like the Mares, back inflate like Scubapro Nighthawk, and I'm sure you could find a backplate and wing set up to either rent or try out). Find what seems comfortable to you in the water and gravitate that direction.

My first BC, which I bought when I got certified was a Seaquest ProQD front adjustable jacket rig. It was comfortable and had big pockets where I could stuff things like slates, and small cameras. I still use this BC for OW classes, but it was bulky, and eventually I realized that a backplate/wing rig gave me better trim, allowed me to drop a lot of lead, was much much more streamlined in the water, and it travelled better (2.75 lb SS Freedom Plate, made locally by ZKY on this board). It took me a while to make this transition, though.

I think that the best thing you could do is continue to do what you are doing. talk to others and get their opinions, see their trim in the water, rent as many different rigs as you can and see what feels right as you gain experience. Just shore diving in Monterey at the breakwater/Met fields will give you a lot of opportunities to see a lot of different rigs and talk to a lot of divers. Everyone here is very friendly and helplful. Good luck to both of you.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

You will find that a lot of folks on here dive with a back plate and wing.

 

[fobturbo]

Michael,

Welcome to the family. I don't have any experience with the particular BC that you are referring to, but I would like to know which other BC's have you tried? And since you mention you and your wife will be traveling for your dives as well, have you tried packing the BC along with the other stuffs and seeing how much room you have? And though you mentioned that the BC fits great, did you try this in the water, or just standing around? I strongly encourage you to try out many other different BC's and especially types (i.e. jacket, back inflate, possibly bp/wing if you're up for it). Next time you and your wife are out diving locally, ask the long time divers what they use and why. Another good source, would be a local dive club.

I started off with a Oceanic Probe (jacket), and now have moved on to a bp/wing setup. It definitely feels great to have minimal stuffs in my chest/ab area, but I'm still getting used to not having the quick release buckles that my Probe had.

 

[fisheater]

It's almost a cliche for ScubaBoarders to recommend/push backplate and wings on newbies.

I went with a backinflate BCD, but after less than two years abandoned it for a backplate and wing. Backplates make more sense for us cold water divers and they work great on warm water vacations.

Two observations:

- The vast majority of gear in the magazines and in the dive shops, even around here, are intended for tropical divers. They're not for us.

- It's a lot cheaper to buy your second set of gear first.

 

[rdjiv]

I'd recommend a ScubaPro Knighthawk, a superb back-inflate with integrated weights. Very versatile and is quite comfortable.

 

[Hinalo]

It's true that you will get a lot of opinions here that favor a BP/W in our local water. Whether it's what's right for you is something you have to come to on your own. That's why you've had a few suggestions to just try out a lot of different things and talk to people, see how alternatives perform in the water, and just go from there.

However, I recently ran across a thread started by a guy who was using a Mares Dragon and was asking about the next step for him. It's a long thread and has a lot of opinions that you might find useful. Disclaimer: he is ditching the jacket BC for a wing.

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...ht-systems/324907-ditching-poodle-jacket.html

 

[pacificgal]

I have the Mares Ariel BCD, and my weight pockets have fallen out several times. Not a big enough deal to be considered an emergency, I split my weight between my weight pockets and my BCD pockets, 6 lbs. in each pocket and 6 pounds on my weight belt, so, dropping 1/3 of my ditchable weight isn't going to cause me to shoot to the surface, might make me swim a bit buoyant on one side, but isn't going to shoot me to the surface. The pockets, however, you have to buy in a set to replace and they're about $40 for the left and right.
I chose the Mares Ariel BCD because I am big-chested and the cut of it doesn't come straight across my chest. It's also a back inflate for stability and doesn't puff up in the front.
I am most likely going to give mine up for a BP/W, though the first issue I see with going the BP/W direction is that I'll have no pockets (I dive wet).

 

[Hepcat62]

I'd recommend a ScubaPro Knighthawk, a superb back-inflate with integrated weights. Very versatile and is quite comfortable.

The Knighthawk is definitely a very nice BC, as far as they go. I was very happy with mine, and continue to dive with it in classes where the instructor would rather I dive in something "traditional". I will continue to recommend it to people who are dead set on buying a more "traditional" BC. At this point though, my go-to recommendation for someone serious about getting into local diving is a Halcyon Infinity system.

This is what I'm diving now. Cost-wise it's only incrementally more than the Knighthawk (from an authorized dealer). Comfort-wise (to me) it's superior in pretty much every way to the Knighthawk due to the new Cinch system (and for some people, the deluxe padding). Most importantly, you're getting a system with a lot more growth potential that can expand/change with you throughout your diving career.

If you order it as the complete system (rather than in parts) it comes configured in a fashion that's roughly equivalent to a Knighthawk without an Air2, with the ACB10 weight pockets for "integrated" ditchable weight.

 

[fobturbo]

Yes Kristina, join the darkside and get a bp/wing setup. While you're at it, get a drysuit w/pockets so it'll be the (dry) darkside ;p

I have the Mares Ariel BCD, and my weight pockets have fallen out several times. Not a big enough deal to be considered an emergency, I split my weight between my weight pockets and my BCD pockets, 6 lbs. in each pocket and 6 pounds on my weight belt, so, dropping 1/3 of my ditchable weight isn't going to cause me to shoot to the surface, might make me swim a bit buoyant on one side, but isn't going to shoot me to the surface. The pockets, however, you have to buy in a set to replace and they're about $40 for the left and right.
I chose the Mares Ariel BCD because I am big-chested and the cut of it doesn't come straight across my chest. It's also a back inflate for stability and doesn't puff up in the front.
I am most likely going to give mine up for a BP/W, though the first issue I see with going the BP/W direction is that I'll have no pockets (I dive wet).