Rookie Diver from Switzerland

[R.Chisholm]

Hello!

I'm David, 34 years old from Zürich and new to the diving community. Currently, I'm finishing up my PADI open water certification with one session remaining. I will probably follow up with the nitrox certfication next.

I plan to go diving frequently here in the lakes of switzerland and in tropical seawaters (holidays in egypt are booked for october).

Therefore, a little help is appreciated in choosing the right diving equipment. I already have fins, a good mask and snorkel and (wet) shoes.

For my course, I have following equipment on loan:

- Mares Abyss 22 (main + octopus), I really like it
- Cressi 7mm wetsuit (too tight in the upper body part, I'd like something different, also I'm a bit overweight)
- Mares Dragonfly jacket, I have slight balancing issues as a beginner and I have trouble handling the weights in water
- Suunto Zoop Novo, going to get something different that is easily readable in murky waters as primary

I looked a bit around and I am thinking about getting the following stuff to start with:

- mares abyss 22 set (already used to it, like it and it has good reviews)
- Scubapro Hydros Pro wingjacket, I hope to have better balance while diving
- maybe an Atomic Aquatics Cobalt 2, I like the concept, but I read many bad reviews
- maybe a Shearwater Perdix AI
- Suunto Zoop CB-2 (console with finimeter and zoop) as backup - or is there something similar that's better/cheaper?
- another wetsuit for lake diving, what brands are more suited to non-athletic people?
- 12 or 15l gas tank - are there any noteable differences between the brands?

Thanks for your help!

Hi,

Given some limited experience in the specific environment - I can offer the following advice.

- With regards to Swiss lakes wetsuits are only really suitable for shallow water dives during the summer - and visibility typically isn't that great. Sooner or later you will need a dry suit.
- Personally I'm not a fan of hybrid jackets that don't really have the BP/W flexibility but at the same time aren't really traditional sports diver jackets either - I'd go for one or the other.
- Diving in Swiss lakes to get to the depth with acceptable visibility often means going deep. In my view a 12l single is marginal especially with a buddy with unknown RMV. I find 15l hard to trim.
You could consider a small twinset - 2 x 7 or 2 x 8.5 instead - combined with a BP/W
- A shearwater perdix or petrel is pricy but fine - not sure you need AI.
- Get a good quality dive light - below 20 m you will really need it at all times in a Swiss lake.

If you can afford it consider two sets of gear for holidays and Swiss lakes - the baggage overcharge for taking your cold water gear on holiday will quickly pay for the holiday travel kit.

 

[FinnMom]

When diving lakes a good light is really, really nice. The light not only lets you see, it makes it vastly easier for other divers to see you. The light can be used as an extremely convenient and effective communication tool. They make hand-held lights that are cheaper than cable lights and just as powerful, but in lake temps you might soon notice that anytime it is dark enough to benefit from having a light, it is also too cold to hold a hand-held lamp - your hand will ache, freeze and cramp. You need a goodman-type handle, or some good-quality (for example, OxyCheq) light socks work well too.

If possible, you might want to rent or borrow gear until you have your own ideas of what you want. Most of us lost money by buying too early (and buying new, which is also unnecessary) and very soon needing to change and/or upgrade.

 

[FinnMom]

total agreement

I also agree that you want a drysuit.
A drysuit will let you enjoy a local diving season from 1 Jan to 31 Dec. Even in the height of summer there are plenty of spring-fed lakes with temperatures to make a wetsuit diver blue as a smurf in 30 min or less,

 

[SvR]

Hello folks,

thanks for your plentiful input.

Now I have a bit more understanding of what I need/want to begin with.

For thursday, I have a test dive scheduled with a Halcyon BH&W, a Suunto Eon Steel, Sola Diving light and Aqualung Legend regulator.

I will get a 7mm wetsuit to start with that I can use during the summer half season and I will get my drysuit certification either this or next season. Right now, I'm anxious to start and accumulate experience.

after lots of discussions and reading reviews I'm looking into:
- Suunto Eon steel instead of Perdix (no AA batteries, same/similar algorithm as the zoop backup computer)
- still Scubapro Hydros Pro or Halcyon Infinity BH&W set
- considering D7 setup instead of a Mono 12 or 15l tank for weight distribution / redundancy reasons