Finally Certified!

[Dafydd]

Wow. It has been a long hard time trying to get this thing done. But my son and I made it. We did our open dives last night and tonight in the Crater, Midway Utah.
http://www.utahdiving.com/crater.htm
We had a great time and are excited to be divers. If you are wondering why it was a long and hard time check out my greeting in the greetings area. My wife did not finish. The dive instructor has given her an open invitation to attend any class he does in the future (at no cost) to finish. She had a hard time clearing her mask and equalizing her ears.
The Crater is a fun little dive site. Warm water (90+ degrees), semi indoors, mini dive shop, step off the dock and your in. It's not too big across, but its 50+ feet deep. It has some items hung around for swimming through and to, etc. It also has a platform at ten feet. We used it for instructions and it worked great. I found it a little nurve racking to take my mask off in the open water. Other than that we did fine on every task and skill.
I intend to take my son to the Bonniville Sea Base right after Christmas.
That reminds me. To follow up on what equipment I would like to get. As per my thread in the BC area, I did not purchase anything at this time. it seems to make sence to rent a few times first. I used a back inflation at the Crater. As many have noted, I did not care for the way it leans you forward (face down) when on the serfice. When swimming through the obsticle course I did not like having the gauge and octo hanging lose. This has made me have second or is it thrid or more thoughts about the Dacor HUB. I think I'll be a recreational and occational diver at most. The HUB seems designed for my kind of diving. But I need to try a few others before laydown any hard cash.
Any how, its great to be a diver and good to get back to this board where there are so many kind divers.
God Bless, and Happy Holy Days.
Dafydd

Eternity is here, have fun with yours.

 

[Dee]

Congratulations!

I'm sure you'll get all kinds of advice about your gear purchases. Don't discount the back inflate BC's. If you don't over-inflate them at the surface and lean back just a bit, you'll solve that problem of being pushed forward. In my Zeagle, it's like leaning back in a recliner....very comfortable on the surface.

Do your homework before you plunk down the bucks for a HUB. I think you'll do much better with a 'regular' 1st/2nd stage and seperate BC. As I said, tho...you'll get lots of opinions on this one!

Again, congrats on your certification! Let the fun begin

 

[Tavi]

Congatulations! and welcome back!

As to equipment, Take your time. Try as much as you can before buying.
All the loose guages needed was a clip to the BC.
I love my back inflated BC. If I don't put a lot of air in it at the surface, it doesn't put me face down. I usually come up at the ladder anyway (take a navigation course) so face planting isn't an issue. For surface swims roll over on your back, It's really comfortable.
I tried a HUB. I really liked the Airtrim feature. I wanted a different regulator though. and it was pointed out to me that if one part needs service, the whole thing has to go in.

Good luck on your search for equipment !

 

[Butch103]

and congrats on your cert...............and Tavi

re:"I tried a HUB. I really liked the Airtrim feature. I wanted a different regulator though. and it was pointed out to me that if one part needs service, the whole thing has to go in. "

I hadn't thought about the service end of the HUB. I have been very intrigued by the setup , but that is a valid point and most likely would turn into a PITA.

 

[RRDAVE]

Congrats on getting OW!!!

As for the hub system, I think there may be some future for the idea. For me though the whole "Mares" and "Dakar" buyout made me stay clear of it for now. I ended up with a normal reg. and bc set up. ("SeaQuest", "Sherwood" and "Suntos") As for the gauge dangling down, just get a good retractor. We also found that the setup of the "Sherwood Maximus" reg (it runs under your arm with a swivel at the 2nd stage, instead of over your shoulder) makes for a very clean profile.
rrDave

 

[miked]

Congratulations on the OW!
Now the fun really starts!
Regarding equipment, you seem to be on track - ask here, to get input and advice from the "voices of experience", try before you buy, and, finally-and most importantly- put together a gear setup that you will be comfortable with.
good luck,
MikeD

 

[JustAddWater]

Congratulations on getting certified. Now the fun begins!! I don't know anyone who has used the HUB, but it sounds like an interesting concept. I am pleased with my back inflated BC. As said earlier, don't over inflate and lean back; that will solve the forward tilt.
Merry Christmas

 

[hphobbie@aol.com]

Before discounting the whole back BC idea, move your weights around to the back more and see if that helps ... as far as the danglies, there is nothing a clip or two and a tech necklace can't solve ... $10 max!

 

[daylight]

on receiving your cert. Everyone on this board is very helpful answering questions. You will receive some great advice.

The suggestions you've received above are right on target. I might add that you view your new certification more as a learner's permit than a license.

DSAO,

Larry

 

[TexasMike]

I'll add my congrats to getting your certification.

As far as the BC's go, check out this bit of info that I created the other night:

Tare many types of BC's that are available. And I have finally figured out a good way of advising folks of which type to look for based on their diving:

• Hard Core Diver (if the water is deeper than a swimming pool, your in it, and you dive 50-75 dive per year or more) -- If you are diving this much, you definitely want a BC that will stand up to a lot of usage. You are also the diver that will most likely evolve to some tech diving (deep, cold water, wrecks, caves, etc). For this type of diving you should go ahead and purchase a Back Plate and Wings setup. Brands are Halcyon, Dive-Rite, OMS, FredT, and several others. These BC's are very rugged and will do everything you ask of them, from recreational diving, to hard core technical. Backplates provide excellent stability of the gear, many divers say that they feel as if the tank is bolted right to their back. And if you ever dive with double tanks, a backplate is necessary. Wings (aka the air bladder) can be swapped out depending on the amount of lift you require. Expect to pay anywhere from $400 to $900 depending on configuration.
  
  Serious Diver (30-50 dives per year): This diver is most likely to do mostly recreational diving, but might dabble in some light technical stuff. For them performance is still a key factor, but they like the "self contained-ness" that is available and don't need the ability to reconfigure the BC like BP/Wings divers. For this, Back-inflation BC's such as the Zeagle's, ScubaPro, Sherwoods, Genesis, and many others. These BC's have a harness system that is similar to BP/Wings BC's and a bladder that wraps about the tank as it is inflated. However, unlike the BP/Wings, the bladder often cannot be changed out if extra lift is required (but there are some models which can be switched, such as the Zeagle Ranger). These BC's are very well made and will wear very well and include lots of good features that a serious diver will require. There are lots of good models out there, so spend some time researching which is right for you and your type of diving. Prices range from $300 to $600
  
  Vacation Diver (30 dives or less): This diver doesn't require as much performance as the other divers, but want a quality bit of equipment. For them, the Vest Inflation BC's are often a good choice. This work by inflating a bladder that is built into the harness system (some folks like the positive feedback the resulting squeeze gives them). These again are well made (I have a buddy who has a 20 year old Scubapro that works just fine) and have a whole range of features that will suit just about anyones tastes. Almost every major dive equipment manufacturer has several models to choose from. Vests are relatively simple to operate and maintain, which make them a good choice for the "occasional" diver. Prices range from $200-500.

Now a bit of advice I missed out on when I started. If you can afford it now, buy to the highest level of BC that you see yourself using. In other words, if you see yourself doign Tekkie stuff, go ahead and get the BP/Wings now. If you get a good system, you will never have to replace it, and it will work for you where ever you dive, be it recreatinal in Cozumel, or on a deep wreck in the St. Lawrence river with doubles and deco stages strapped to you.


Dive often and dive safely!

--TexasMike