I live by and dive in Puget Sound all the time. I'd really recommend 5mm gloves, or you might not enjoy your diving because your fingers are freezing.
Also...why go on a dive trip and not bring a camera? There are lots of critters here - nudibranches, crab, shrimp, sponges, starfish, jelly fish, etc etc.
+1 for DAN. Dive injuries can be spendy.
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Not bringing a camera on this trip since it's my first dives since certifying in Cabo and my first dives in cold water/low vis.
I'd like to just focus on getting my basics down, taking pictures will come once I have improved my basic skills.
Hopefully whoever I wind up buddying with will take some pics.
Right now, I can't wait to get back in the water and this will be my first opportunity.
I have been learning all that I can from this site, it's time to start putting it to practice.
The reason I prefer to have an alternate air source is for equipment failure....while very rare, a complete primary failure forcing me to Cesa w/o a good breath to start terrifies me.
I do check my pressure frequently.....probably to a fault.....but I'd like to have an option if I'm completely OOA due to equip failure and my buddy is out of contact.
While your buddy should never be out of contact, from the stories that I hear from locals the low vis can cause issues unless your holding hands.....may be okay depending on who your dive buddy is
A pony with reg is my goal long term, but this will appease my need for redundancy for now...you'll notice that everything has a backup in my current kit.
I also do some competitive shooting and they have a saying....Two is One when One is None
At work, we need to change toxic gas cylinders and we use a house air system with....a small escape cylinder in case of an equipment failure....I have worn one of these for every gas change but no one has ever actually needed one.
Does that make it bad to carry one?
It seems even more important in a hostile environment like underwater to me.