Question Hydros Pro for tech diving

[TretaG]

Hey, I’m thinking about doing my Tech40 spec in the next couple of days. I just bought myself my first own equipment about 3 months ago and just used it for recreational diving so far.

Is the scuba pro hydros pro a BCD you can start getting into tech diving with, or is it just for recreational diving?

Just read that some ppl wouldn’t go with more than one thank on a dive with the scuba pro regarding has Blatter size.

 

[astr0b0y]

Yeah 16kg lift is fine for a steel 12.2l and a slung AL80 in a wetsuit - ive had no trouble with that with my hydros pro. But at 40m it’s about at its limit with that set up. I removed the weight pockets and use the basic travel harness setup as I found using a sling with the big pockets a bit cumbersome.

 

[BoltSnap]

Is the scuba pro hydros pro a BCD you can start getting into tech diving with

A definite NO.

is it just for recreational diving?

Most definitely it is.

I use the hydros pro for all types of recreational diving but never for technical diving.

Use the right tool for the right job.

 

[lexvil]

Can you, yes. Should you probably not.

 

[Tom_Ivan]

Essentially you need to be able to rig two cylinders (plus a deco cylinder if your combining with an advanced nitrox course which most people would do) and have access to the valves for shutdown drills.
If you can show that you can do this proficiently and ascend from 40m with all that then go for it.

There's much better options available though. And if you go through any of the DIR agencies they won't allow it.

 

[oya]

Any instructor that accepts this as a useable configuration for technical diving should never have been certified as a technical instructor.

 

[DiveTucson]

Any instructor that accepts this as a useable configuration for technical diving should never have been certified as a technical instructor.

This is the truth!

 

[stiebs]

If you're thinking of doing it in the next couple of days, I imagine you already have a shop / instructor in mind that has a course about to start. You would be best serviced talking directly to them rather than asking random internet experts.

When you say "Tech40", I assume you're referring to the PADI Tec 40 course? By the PADI standards, you can (that's "can", not "should"!) do Tec40 using a single back mount cylinder and a slung pony. But your instructor / shop may hold their own minimum equipment preferences.

The bare minimum, as @astr0b0y suggested, would be to remove the integrated weight pocket harness and replace with the travel harness.

Regardless of requirements, if you're going to be delving further into technical qualifications, My recommendation to you would be to look a doubles configuration (either side or back mount), establish a baseline level of familiarity and comfortable with it on easy dives, and then enrol in a Tec40 course.

I have a Hydros Pro and its great, but I use it almost exclusively for OW/AOW course work. As you move into tec diving, a BP/W is a much more flexible and suitable choice.

 

[Germie]

Maybe you are allowed to do something like advanced nitrox or tec40 with a single tank and a stage, but then it is for sure no tech and I don't teach it that way. I explain people why this will not work. Single tank and a stage is in my eyes 'Bonaire tech', it works when you want to dive longer and don't have the option to get a twinset. But it is not a good idea if you want to become a techdiver.

The hydros is a recreational bcd. If you had the idea of moving into tech, the shop did advice you terribly wrong if they adviced you this bcd. A shop did the same wrong thing with me and 10 months later I could sell everything again and buy new gear.
But if you want to move into tech diving I would advice you or to rent and dive doubles (but then it takes some time to get used to doubles, so if the course is still only 2-3 days, I would have questions again with the instructor), or buy a bp+wing for doubles yourself and start using that and then do a course. Or go sidemount and get used to sidemount before doing an adv. nitrox course.
In all cases 'starting in a couple of days' sounds not the best idea. Then I would reschedule the course and do it in 'a couple of weeks' to get used to new equipment. And if you are not diving very often in 'a couple of months'.
If you decide to do the course with rental equipment, then you need some dives to get used to the doubles too. But then, what are you going to do after the course? Because if you don't dive doubles anymore, you are not a the right level to move on if you want to do that a couple of months later. Then you need again some dives to get used to new equipment.

Remember, there is no cheap technical diving and only holiday technical diving is not a good idea. If you want to become a real technical diver you have to dive the equipment also on shallow dives in stupid houselakes. You have to practise skills outside of a course. This means you don't need to do all time deep diving, but you need to practise the skills quite often and own your own equipment.

 

[CaptainChris]

The max tank size for Hydros Pro is 18Litre which I have used on mine occasionally (only when a 15L not available) but only for recreational diving and occasionally take a 7L pony tank as well. Normally for Tech diving 12L doubles and wing & backplate is the norm, or sidemount, along with at least 1 x 7L deco tank. Remember with Tech you are qualifying to go deeper and longer so more gas needed than standard rec, or diving within the rec range but for longer and going into deco and using various nitrox mixes for back gas and deco. So in my opinion it is unsuitable for Tech and probably not accepted, plus if you would be allowed use it with an 18L for your course you are restricting yourself to depth/time and not learning how to begin Tech with double tanks. Plus Tech planning requires a back up plan to safely surface if "deco is lost" therefore need to keep enough back gas as a reserve which shortens dive time as well. If you are going to fork out hard earned cash I would go the correct way from the beginning. Good luck and happy diving.