Tec Diving Equipment Advice Needed

[impulse]

Hello,

I am planing to buy my first set of technical diving equipment including the wings, harness, backplate and full set of regulators. Do you think that I need to buy cylinders? I do not really know where to start from. I do not want to buy a tec dive computer in the first place. Maybe after some experience I would...I think I can do quite exciting dives by using runtime tables....

Which is the best site to shop tec diving stuff online, with good discounts and closeouts

Thank you.

 

[PfcAJ]

Hello,

I am planing to buy my first set of technical diving equipment including the wings, harness, backplate and full set of regulators. Do you think that I need to buy cylinders? I do not really know where to start from. I do not want to buy a tec dive computer in the first place. Maybe after some experience I would...I think I can do quite exciting dives by using runtime tables....

Which is the best site to shop tec diving stuff online, with good discounts and closeouts

Thank you.

Before you start looking at discount stuff, find exactly what you want.

I would start with a backplate and wing appropriate for the tanks and exposure suit you plan on diving with. Skip the computer for now, use the saved money for diving. A good set of regs is important to have, too.

Browse this: Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers , its chock full of great information about equipment that actually works and has no gimmicks attached to it.

Nothing about technical diving is cheap, and when you cut corners is where you'll run into problems.

 

[TSandM]

Have you got a class picked out yet? If so, your instructor will hopefully be a mine of information about appropriate equipment for the environment and the types of dives you are looking to do.

Plate and wing choice will depend on water temperature and exposure protection. Whether you buy cylinders will depend on whether they are easily available to rent where you will be doing your technical dives. It would be my guess that the vast majority of people doing such dives own their own cylinders, at least in the US.

But the first step is to decide how you want to get your training. That may determine some of your configuration choices.

 

[TSandM]

Have you got a class picked out yet? If so, your instructor will hopefully be a mine of information about appropriate equipment for the environment and the types of dives you are looking to do.

Plate and wing choice will depend on water temperature and exposure protection. Whether you buy cylinders will depend on whether they are easily available to rent where you will be doing your technical dives. It would be my guess that the vast majority of people doing such dives own their own cylinders, at least in the US.

But the first step is to decide how you want to get your training. That may determine some of your configuration choices.

 

[battles2a5]

I would look at getting this stuff first:
1- BP/W
2- Regs
3- Good fins
4- Good light

Then find the guys that are diving tech, buy them some beer, and convince them to let you test drive their gear. I would not buy tanks until you know what kind of diving you will be doing and figure out what tanks you like to dive with. Last time I dove in the Aegean I wished I had a drysuit, so I would look at the different sized steel doubles available and see how you trim in them. Once you figure out what you need, want, and what works you can start building around that. But borrow stuff or rent it so you get an idea of what you want before you blow a bunch of money.

If you have a good technical shop nearby, I would stick with them for your initial gear. You will build a good relationship (which you will need for fills, repairs, trips, etc.) and you will have a lot more flexibility to try things, return as needed, and get advice along the way. Once you get your basics, you will figure out what makes sense to buy online vs. at the LDS.

Good luck, enjoy the journey, and go ahead and call the credit card company to have your limit extended

 

[CyprusSeb]

Borrow, dive, borrow, dive, borrow dive. Don't be in a rush (unless renting it costing you an arm and a leg or you're more of a pain than anything by always having to borrow things) and dive dive dive. It'll save you money in the long run.

 

[craracer]

Tech diving is expensive enough....even when you buy everything correctly the first time around (like that could ever happen to anyone).

I would wait and talk to your prospective instructor (if you don't have one yet), before making any purchases. Hopefully they will be a great asset, and guide you down a good path. Learn from their "purchase mistakes".

Or, if you want to go ahead and get your mistake purchases out of the way early, I'll sell you all of the garbage I've bought over the years.

 

[impulse]

Before you start looking at discount stuff, find exactly what you want.

I would start with a backplate and wing appropriate for the tanks and exposure suit you plan on diving with. Skip the computer for now, use the saved money for diving. A good set of regs is important to have, too.

Browse this: Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers , its chock full of great information about equipment that actually works and has no gimmicks attached to it.

Nothing about technical diving is cheap, and when you cut corners is where you'll run into problems.

Thanks for the link. It has pretty much information that enlightens me greatly.

I will not cut any corners but seeking a little bir discount when buying quality equipment would not be something that will put me introuble under water. Thanks for the advice tough. Tec Deep Diver manual of the PADI emphasizes this do not cut any corner philosophy on an on again.

 

[impulse]

Have you got a class picked out yet? If so, your instructor will hopefully be a mine of information about appropriate equipment for the environment and the types of dives you are looking to do.

Plate and wing choice will depend on water temperature and exposure protection. Whether you buy cylinders will depend on whether they are easily available to rent where you will be doing your technical dives. It would be my guess that the vast majority of people doing such dives own their own cylinders, at least in the US.

But the first step is to decide how you want to get your training. That may determine some of your configuration choices.

I am taking the PADI Tec Deep Diver course and will move in to Trimix later. This will happen in a two months. My instructor is alway so busy with students and tells me that he cannot deal with equipment import. He tells, just find the equipment online, show it to me and discuss it togather if it's appropriate for you or not and than buy it. So I need to find something that would fit my needs online. He is a technical insturctor but he does not sell tec diving stuff. He owns some sets and hires them.

Because I will be a very unexperienced technical diver for a while, I do not think that, after getting my trimix class, I would go and dive the blue hole or something like that. I will need to gain some good experience befor I do something serious. I would like to perform cave dives in the future.

But for now, I would like to spot some equipment that will benefit me. A full set of regulators and B/W BCD set will do the jop for now. I can hire the cylinders.

I got a question, are those bungees that some wings have removeable or if I buy a wing without those bungees is it possible to attach them later?

 

[impulse]

I would look at getting this stuff first:
1- BP/W
2- Regs
3- Good fins
4- Good light

Then find the guys that are diving tech, buy them some beer, and convince them to let you test drive their gear. I would not buy tanks until you know what kind of diving you will be doing and figure out what tanks you like to dive with. Last time I dove in the Aegean I wished I had a drysuit, so I would look at the different sized steel doubles available and see how you trim in them. Once you figure out what you need, want, and what works you can start building around that. But borrow stuff or rent it so you get an idea of what you want before you blow a bunch of money.

If you have a good technical shop nearby, I would stick with them for your initial gear. You will build a good relationship (which you will need for fills, repairs, trips, etc.) and you will have a lot more flexibility to try things, return as needed, and get advice along the way. Once you get your basics, you will figure out what makes sense to buy online vs. at the LDS.

Good luck, enjoy the journey, and go ahead and call the credit card company to have your limit extended

I do not have a good technial shop nearby.

If I call the credit card company to have more lines, they would be more than happy