Gear and certs to purchase with these goals in mind?

[g1138]

I would guess its because If the suit were to ever flood (loosing all buoyancy) than the wing would need to take all the weight that the diver is carrying. With a wetsuit the buoyancy will always be there so you can use a smaller wing but with a drysuit, loosing a seal and not having enough buoyancy in your wing to compensate for the buoyancy lost from the suit could be catastrophic. Dropping the weight belt would be an option but would be unnecessary if they had a capable wing.
Thats just my guess though...

Never having dived a dry suit before I have to say that I think if one were to flood completely, you would still be able to ditch a weight belt or otherwise swim to the surface.
Once at the surface any BC would be able to keep you afloat assuming it can float you normally with a working dry suit.
And if it can't there's always ditching your weight and popping in your snorkel.
A flooded dry suit would just create drag and make you brutally cold.
Personal opinion and all. ;D

Were you implying using a 40lb lift capable BC as an elevator?

 

[TSandM]

You know, this is an expensive and time-consuming sport. If I were going to advise you, I'd tell you to buy good recreational dive gear now, with a weather eye to what would definitely NOT be useful in the future, and also to what will work best for the kind of diving you are doing NOW.

I would start with a simple, single-tank backplate system, because that will grow with you if you decide to go into technical diving or for some rebreathers. A drysuit will make Monterey MUCH more fun, since the best viz seems to be when the water is quite cold. And then I'd spend some time hanging out with the MoCal crew here on ScubaBoard, and exploring what's available to you (which is a LOT), getting some mentoring on technique, and eventually picking up a camera and learning to use it. You can travel with a steel backplate and 30 lb wing (I did for a year or so, before I bought a travel setup).

Don't rush into more complicated diving. There is a ton of great stuff to be seen in recreational depths and on traditional open circuit equipment. If your diving grows in the direction of technical diving or rebreathers, the backplate system will be eminently saleable.

 

[M_Bipartitus]

I think you've gotten some good advice so far. I'll add a few points

I think the BPW system is an excellent choice a plate can be found used for a reasonable cost if you give your self time and watch the classified section. You can also look into some options for more travel-friendly plates, such as the travel option from oxycheq. Once nice feature of a BPW system is that it is modular so that it can change as your diving changes.

Used gear: There are many many threads on used gear, I encourage you to search and read about all the concerns. Keep in mind that underwater your gear is keeping you alive. Some used gear from craigslist may sound like a good deal until it stops working at 100 feet. If you do want to buy used be sure to have a qualified technician inspect it before you dive. If you take your time and don't rush into it you can find good prices for quality gear, just don't risk your safety.

You mention steel HP100 tanks, certainly an option for cold water. If I were you I might open yourself to some other size & pressure options if you want to go used. and watch classifieds here on Scubaboard or your local craigslist. If you give yourself enough time you can find good deals. I recommend some type of deal with the seller that the tank(s) pass all inspections (hydro, vis) before finalizing sale if they are not already within test periods. I've seen a few old steel tanks that looked great on the outside and then failed testing.

Diving a rebreather should not be taken lightly, but I'm not qualified to lecture you about that... None-the-less, since the you specifically mention semi-closed rebreather, I'll note the KISS GEM may be the next big thing in "recreational" rebreathers. It is scheduled for release soon and should be in the $3k range. My understanding is that this unit is designed to be used with typical recreational gear. Many of the rebreather comments thus far are more relevant to closed circuit rebreathers.

 

[RonzoTheGreat]

Never having dived a dry suit before I have to say that I think if one were to flood completely, you would still be able to ditch a weight belt or otherwise swim to the surface.
Once at the surface any BC would be able to keep you afloat assuming it can float you normally with a working dry suit.
And if it can't there's always ditching your weight and popping in your snorkel.
A flooded dry suit would just create drag and make you brutally cold.
Personal opinion and all. ;D

Were you implying using a 40lb lift capable BC as an elevator?

careful here ... the point (for most of us) of diving a drysuit is to stay warm in colder surroundings... you do NOT want to flood. there are a number of reasons. one of them is how quickly your body will lose heat. mobility is extremely hindered. think about the undergarments soaking... think of all the water filling up the space you dont inside the suit ... oh man ... without the right amount of redundant buoyancy ... whew ... good ... not trying to scare anyone but you do need to decide on lift appropriate for your gear and then dont forget (since this is a "basic" discussion) that your buoyancy will change through the dive pending tanks being used....

you're really getting some great advice here ...

 

[j.doe]

I would go with the 40 lbs wing for a number of reasons.

First, your weight required to dive should be calculated WITHOUT camera gear. That way if you drop your camera you are not on a rocket asscent to the surface, therefore you would need to float this weight using the bladder in the BC.

Second, most dry suit divers will use at least some weight that is NOT rapidly ditchable. This would include things like ankle weights or trim weight. Given that this weight is collectively for air in the dry suit, if you were to rip a seal or have to dump air from your suit in an emergency by breaking the seal you would need enough to lift this weight. Personally I use roughly 15 lbs ditchable weight integrated into my bc and the rest in trim weights that are not ditchable.

Next if you plan on traveling, you might consider what type of traveling. Here in Canada if you plan on doing ice diving (personally a great time of year to take pictures) you might be carrying backup tank and reg, ropes etc... which again should not count in your weight calculation as you may have to ditch, use it or give it to a dive buddy. Also diving doubles will also result in increased bouyancy at the end of the dive that needs weight to counteract it.

Each thing might only be a couple lbs here and there but, keep in mind that you need to be heavy enough at the end of the dive to allow you to do a safety stop.

All in all I find that a 40 lbs wing would be the min floatation that I would dive with. I do not agree with using the BC wing elevator style, but rather just wanted to point out that they should have the necessary bouyancy to counteract any gear that they might be carrying.

Just my personal opinion though. It always got me back to the surface

Again for a new diver you might want to just try renting a bunch of BC setups to find one that you like first. Most dive shops have a good collection, and what matters most is how well it works for you. For instance I will look for things like places to store a SMB, where the trim weights are, and most importantly how does it fit. I would rather travel with something that is a little heavier but that is comfortable as we should be diving as much as humanly possible

 

[Codyjp]

...
All in all I find that a 40 lbs wing would be the min floatation that I would dive with. I do not agree with using the BC wing elevator style, but rather just wanted to point out that they should have the necessary bouyancy to counteract any gear that they might be carrying....

Just be careful when making blanket statements to new divers. 40 lbs of lift may be right for you, but not for them. Your original post stated that you MUST have 40lbs of lift and a new diver just might take that as gospel when it may not be true for all.

 

[k ellis]

Just to touch on your request about portability of the zeagle ranger. They are an extremely rugged BCD Hybrid and I love mine to pieces. The down side is you definately know its not travel friendly. I Used a back inflate before I got mine and I could pack it and an entire gear fit out with the old one. The Ranger though packs kind of bulky and takes up quiet a bit more room in a gear bag. I dont have much trouble traveling though as I pack only exactly what I will need for the trip at hand.

Unfortunately the zeagle Ranger is more pricy so most place choose not to use it for rental gear but if you ever get a chance to dive it youll probably fall in love with it

 

[j.doe]

Just be careful when making blanket statements to new divers. 40 lbs of lift may be right for you, but not for them. Your original post stated that you MUST have 40lbs of lift and a new diver just might take that as gospel when it may not be true for all.

I had the chance to run this past a PADI course director the other day. It was his opinion, that when diving cold water with a dry suit and possible camera gear a 40lbs wing would almost a requirement, as it would be risky to try this with anything less.

If you are going to try very cold water or ice diving, you might want to look at buying your gear for this, as cold water gear can be used in warm water but not vice versa.

Also again if trying out cold water make sure you are careful with choosing a reg. There are alot of regs out there that work well in warm water but will freeze up in cold water due to the drop in temp related to the expanding gasses, ambient temp and humidity in air spaces.

 

[Codyjp]

I had the chance to run this past a PADI course director the other day. It was his opinion, that when diving cold water with a dry suit and possible camera gear a 40lbs wing would almost a requirement, as it would be risky to try this with anything less.

If you are going to try very cold water or ice diving, you might want to look at buying your gear for this, as cold water gear can be used in warm water but not vice versa.

Also again if trying out cold water make sure you are careful with choosing a reg. There are alot of regs out there that work well in warm water but will freeze up in cold water due to the drop in temp related to the expanding gasses, ambient temp and humidity in air spaces.

Correct, it may be a recommended idea, but by no means is it an absolute requirement. If it was, my whole team would be found in non compliance with this 'rule.'