The BIG question

[Lampy]

First, thanks all for your comments so far. My parents have consented to everything (though neither dives - Mum can't swim and dad is claustrophobic)

I guess it's easy to overlook the simple things, I am a small male and am expecting to grow about another 3-4 inches. I have looked at sizing guides and many BCDs etc. state 5'4" to 5'7" is one size, so that was why I thought I was ready for my own kit.

Quote:

1) What kind of diving are you planning to do now and in the future? For instance are you going to stay in recreational depths or do you want to go into Technical diving. What specialties and certification levels do you want to take?
2) What features are you looking for in your equipment? For instance do you want a dive computer to go to say 50% nitrox or 99% nitrox. Why do you feel you need 2 different suits (wet & dry) Are you looking for weight integrated BCD or a separate weight system?
3) What type of equipment have you used already, and what are your likes/dislikes about it?
4) What brands of equipment are easy to get serviced where you live and where you plan to go? The best gear in the world is no good if it breaks down and you can't get it fixed.


Now for Standingbear's questions:

1)The UK has a lot of wrecks, and this is where I'm headed, I have so far trained to basic standard Ocean Diver with PADI, though I'm about to join BSAC. Looking to get qualified down to 30m and be able to use Nitrox32 and Nitrox36. I doubt I will ever stop increasing my qualifications, but this is my foundation.

2)The problem with the British waters = Summer gives warmth but bad vis, and winter the opposite. As winter is approaching and the temperatures the water plummets to cannot be dived in a wetsuit, I assumed I needed a dry. Should I be considering eBay for a dry suit? as i know they are expensive new. A computer that does 50% Nitrox would be fine, and I have been strongly recommended the Gekko.

3) I have only experienced a single set of rental gear, and I'm afraid that I didn't check out brands or anything like that. The main discomforts I felt were from the 1st stage banging the back of my head as the plate was too high, and the reg mouthpiece; I believe it was a comfibite (if that's their name) which has the teeth hole at the top etc. Though I thought a simple $10 accessory would fix this. I liked my weight belt though I would prefer one with pouches to make life easier as I gain weight and switch between salt and fresh water.

4) I will not be sure of the easiest brands to have repaired until I have joined my local club and gone to a few meetings.

Thanks very much for the torch idea, it hadn't even occurred to me. Would I need any other accessories (I assumed the Dive Leader sorted these) such as buoy, reel, signal etc. - Also, will I need a knife?

I do remember the BCD I wore had no pockets, as my Leader spotted a dropped weight belt, picked it up and shared the weights with everyone but me, as I could not attach them.

I have no experience of weight-integrated BCDs, but research shows that a belt is much easier.

Cold water diving in the UK will be my main pursuit, I will be diving perhaps 4 times in 2 months over the next years, should I buy a tank if this is all I will be doing? twins? wing?

If an inexpensive mask will suffice, I will stick with what I have and just test the one with a valve and the one without. Fins: Avanti Quattros, will these suffice for wreck diving, they are certainly one of the more popular models.

What I think I need:

Dry suit
BCD
Regs, gauges, computer
Weight Belt
Fins & Mask & Snorkel
Torch
Knife

What I think I will rent:

Tanks / cylinders
Wet suit (will only use on warm water dives)

What have I missed (got that nagging feeling there's something big missing).

Any specifics would also be great - e.g. 'The Apeks TX40 & TX50 are great regs!'

Thanks for past and future comments,

Michael

P.S.

 

[willgr1]

i picked up a drysuit from ebay last week....got very lucky, it fits great, don't think i'm going to have to replace the seals. That's the problem with getting things that require proper fit off ebay (or the internet in general), you don't know if it will fit properly. I would recommend going to a LDS and checking out what they carry and checking out the sizes. That will give you a good idea of what you'll be looking for.

I would recommend a backplate and wing setup. My reasons are you seem to want to extend your training even this early into your new hobby. If you get a bp/wing setup for single tanks you could easily buy a new wing in the future to make it work for double also. And, since you seem to be familiar with diving a weight belt you would have to make adjustments from weight integrated.

Most of your equipment you'll want to try out and see how you like it...you'll get a ton of people saying they like this reg, or that reg. Personally, I use Mares, but I also like Dive Rite, XS Scuba, and Hollis regulators.

Gauges are pretty standard, depth, and spg. Computer will again depend on what you want to do in the future. If you plan to get EAN certified in the near future I would recommend getting a computer that can do Nitrox. Again, you'll get any different people saying this computer is great, and that one is great. There are so many options for computers out there these days, including hose and hose-less air intergrated computers.

 

[Standingbear56]

i picked up a drysuit from ebay last week....got very lucky, it fits great, don't think i'm going to have to replace the seals. That's the problem with getting things that require proper fit off ebay (or the internet in general), you don't know if it will fit properly. I would recommend going to a LDS and checking out what they carry and checking out the sizes. That will give you a good idea of what you'll be looking for.

I agree totally

I would recommend a backplate and wing setup. My reasons are you seem to want to extend your training even this early into your new hobby. If you get a bp/wing setup for single tanks you could easily buy a new wing in the future to make it work for double also. And, since you seem to be familiar with diving a weight belt you would have to make adjustments from weight integrated.

Ditto

Most of your equipment you'll want to try out and see how you like it...you'll get a ton of people saying they like this reg, or that reg.

Find out what's best for YOU!

Gauges are pretty standard, depth, and spg. Computer will again depend on what you want to do in the future. If you plan to get EAN certified in the near future I would recommend getting a computer that can do Nitrox. Again, you'll get any different people saying this computer is great, and that one is great. There are so many options for computers out there these days, including hose and hose-less air intergrated computers.

See what more experienced divers are using and don't be afraid to ask their experiences with them. Same for all other pieces of equipment.

Now for Standingbear's questions:

1)The UK has a lot of wrecks, and this is where I'm headed, I have so far trained to basic standard Ocean Diver with PADI, though I'm about to join BSAC. Looking to get qualified down to 30m and be able to use Nitrox32 and Nitrox36. I doubt I will ever stop increasing my qualifications, but this is my foundation.

Nitrox 32-36 is a good start. However you may want to look into a computer that does 99%. The way you are talking, it seems you will be going Tech before you know it. Many wrecks out your way are in Technical ranges, and as such you will be using deco procedures, hence 99% computer.

2)The problem with the British waters = Summer gives warmth but bad vis, and winter the opposite. As winter is approaching and the temperatures the water plummets to cannot be dived in a wetsuit, I assumed I needed a dry. Should I be considering eBay for a dry suit? as i know they are expensive new. A computer that does 50% Nitrox would be fine, and I have been strongly recommended the Gekko.

The 2 suits are the ideal. However if you can afford only 1, a dry suit would be my 1st choice. On most models the thermo insulation is dependent on the undergarments, so you can adjust accordingly. Dive anytime, any place. If you cannot do that, than a semi dry with separate hood would be my second choice. Warm water = no hood and opening the zipper. Cold water = hood on and zipper closed.

3) I have only experienced a single set of rental gear, and I'm afraid that I didn't check out brands or anything like that. The main discomforts I felt were from the 1st stage banging the back of my head as the plate was too high,

Tank was too high, a simple adjustment

and the reg mouthpiece; I believe it was a comfibite (if that's their name) which has the teeth hole at the top etc. Though I thought a simple $10 accessory would fix this.

You're right

I liked my weight belt though I would prefer one with pouches to make life easier as I gain weight and switch between salt and fresh water.

LDS can help you there. However if you go technical, most of your weight will be in your backplate and tanks.

4) I will not be sure of the easiest brands to have repaired until I have joined my local club and gone to a few meetings.

See what they are diving with and recommend.

Thanks very much for the torch idea, it hadn't even occurred to me.

A dive torch is recommended for every dive. When you get more advanced, you will probably want a canister model. Then your everyday torch can become one of your backups.

Would I need any other accessories (I assumed the Dive Leader sorted these) such as buoy, reel, signal etc

Yes

. - Also, will I need a knife?

At least one knife and one shears (scissors)

I do remember the BCD I wore had no pockets, as my Leader spotted a dropped weight belt, picked it up and shared the weights with everyone but me, as I could not attach them.

With a BP/W, you can add pockets if needed. However you may want to look into thigh pockets instead.

I have no experience of weight-integrated BCDs, but research shows that a belt is much easier.

You may want the weight distributed through out your system to help with trim, not just centered on a belt.

Cold water diving in the UK will be my main pursuit, I will be diving perhaps 4 times in 2 months over the next years, should I buy a tank if this is all I will be doing? twins? wing?

It's always better to own your own equipment. You get used to it, can find things with your eyes closed, and it's set up to work for YOU every time. Plus you will be able to dive more often.

If an inexpensive mask will suffice, I will stick with what I have and just test the one with a valve and the one without. Fins: Avanti Quattros, will these suffice for wreck diving, they are certainly one of the more popular models.

Fit & Comfort is most important. As long as the mask meets your needs, go for it. Quattros are great fins.

What I think I need:

Dry suit
BCD
Regs, gauges, computer
Weight Belt
Fins & Mask & Snorkel
Torch
Knife

What I think I will rent:

Tanks / cylinders
Wet suit (will only use on warm water dives)

If you really want a wet suit, buy it. Tanks can be the last thing you buy.

Any specifics would also be great - e.g. 'The Apeks TX40 & TX50 are great regs!

You will here many discussions on which regulators are best on Scuba Board. However APEKS are usually on the top of most lists. A great regulator.

Sounds like you are on your way.
Safe Diving and stay in touch,
George
PADI MSDT

 

[Scuba Ken]

I have Apeks xtx50's and so far they are great though mine make some weird farting noise when I breath out of them on the surface. If you go the way of the dry suit a good one could blow your entire budget and requires additional training to dive with. Since I dive in a wetsuit I can't tell you if its much harder in a dry suit when your still learning dive basics.

Personally I plan on mastering the wetsuit before I add the fiddiling with dry suit valves to the equation.

 

[Diveral]

Exactly how much traveling to the Red Sea do you expect to do? For diving the wrecks around GB the backplate and wing is a great suggestion. However if you are going to travel frequently to the Red Sea you may want to consider one of the adjustable soft packs & wing. It's lighter and easier to travel with. You've probably got some growing ahead of you so you'll probably outgrow 3 wetsuits or drysuits over the next 9 years so I wouldn't spend high pounds there. A good reg and computer will last you many years.

 

[Lampy]

I will become a student soon and therefore I will automatically have no money, so red sea may not be a frequent occurence (every 18 months maybe).

Lucky for you, in the USA I doubt theres much water that would make your feet fall off if you used a wetsuit, for us over in the UK of course..... well I like my limbs.

I guess my LDS would teach me about using wings etc.? - I have only ever used jacket style BCD

One last question;

Is my budget ($2400) adequate for a full set of dive equipment?

 

[Standingbear56]

I don't know about prices by you, but here $2400 can get you a sweet set up.
Safe Diving,
George
PADI MSDT

 

[tuner fish]

I am not in any position to give advice to anyone. I did have a thought though, he/she is talking about getting a wetsuit and I wondered if since at 16 one can only presume there may be a fair amount of future growing. Would it be wise to look into some of the super stretchy options, like the Henderson Hyperstretch or something similar? I saw them today in the $300.00 dollar range and if it could be sized right may last a few years even through some growth?

In general, the wetsuits marketed to surfers are tailored to a young person. Try BodyGlove or UK equivilent.

 

[Scuba Ken]

I don't know what kind of temperatures your facing in the UK but I would assume it is close to what most Northeast and Northwest Divers face. To give you you an example we were diving in a quarry this weekend in wetsuits (7 mil john and jacket plus 3mil hood gloves and boots). The bottom temperature was 51 degrees. I felt cozy other than the short lived brain freeze when my head hit the thermocline. Another option for you might be a semi-dry suit.

 

[Lampy]

I will be using a semi-dry, thanks - water temp. drops to around 46-47 near me, but then I have yet to dive in that sort of temp. so I dont know how I will cope. I did learn that the bigger you are, the easier you cope with the cold... which is slightly worrying for skinny lil me!