Reg setup and gear progression

[Marie13]

If you cant handle having two second stages you should not be solo diving. all your hoses should be the correct length to be stream lined to the body so they are not flopping around waiting to be snagged.

I recommend having a 40" hose on the primary second stage and a 20" or 22" hose on the alternate second stage on a bungee necklace to keep it from hanging, and a standard inflator.

He’s so new, solo is a Very Bad Idea.

 

[Cthippo]

You just finished OW and you’re already talking about diving solo? What’s the attraction of solo and what are your regular dive sites?

The attraction is either dive solo or don't go at all.

I have spent the last month beating the bushes and have found no one interested in wreck hunting in the local cold, dark water. Let me clarify, most of these are fairly shallow non-penetration wrecks. The one closest to me is in 15-30 feet of water and is just a hull, but being that close it is perfect for snorkeling and testing new gear on. I've got a list of maybe 30 sites, some knowns, some unknowns, most in less than 60 feet that I want to hit.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a partner to go with on these, but if that isn't possible, then I am not going to give up on the sport.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

The attraction is either dive solo or don't go at all.

I have spent the last month beating the bushes and have found no one interested in wreck hunting in the local cold, dark water. Let me clarify, most of these are fairly shallow non-penetration wrecks. The one closest to me is in 15-30 feet of water and is just a hull, but being that close it is perfect for snorkeling and testing new gear on. I've got a list of maybe 30 sites, some knowns, some unknowns, most in less than 60 feet that I want to hit.

Son't get me wrong, I would love to have a partner to go with on these, but if that isn't possible, then I am not going to give up on the sport.

Have you joined any dive clubs? Marker Buoy? Salish Sea? Have you contacted LDSs for shop dives?
This is the PNW, plenty of active divers.

 

[stretchthepenn]

I thought he was talking about K style inflators.

Ah...I was thinking K-valve. OK. (No pun intended.)

 

[Josh the diver]

He’s so new, solo is a Very Bad Idea.

yeah I posed that before he said when he was certified. a primary donate set up can still do him good though.

 

[Marie13]

The attraction is either dive solo or don't go at all.

I have spent the last month beating the bushes and have found no one interested in wreck hunting in the local cold, dark water. Let me clarify, most of these are fairly shallow non-penetration wrecks. The one closest to me is in 15-30 feet of water and is just a hull, but being that close it is perfect for snorkeling and testing new gear on. I've got a list of maybe 30 sites, some knowns, some unknowns, most in less than 60 feet that I want to hit.

Son't get me wrong, I would love to have a partner to go with on these, but if that isn't possible, then I am not going to give up on the sport.

Get your butt on Facebook. That’s where a lot of my diving is arranged. If you don’t like FB, hold your nose and give them as little info as possible. Then find the local diving groups. There are plenty of them from what I hear. I’ve known a number of people who whine about lack of dive buddies, but they refuse to use FB.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Get your butt on Facebook. That’s where a lot of my diving is arranged. If you don’t like FB, hold your nose and give them as little info as possible. Then find the local diving groups. There are plenty of them from what I hear. I’ve known a number of people who whine about lack of dive buddies, but they refuse to use FB.

A lot of the local dive clubs existed before FB and have a meetup.com presence as well. I don't think Marker Buoy, the biggest and most active, even has a FB page.

 

[Marie13]

A lot of the local dive clubs existed before FB and have a meetup.com presence as well. I don't think Marker Buoy, the biggest and most active, even has a FB page.

My dive club is on Meetup but the arranging of dive buddies for local dives almost always happens on the FB page.

 

[Cthippo]

@Cthippo

Seeing that you are up on I-5, would you be willing to make the trek south to 8 Diving (Eight Diving – A Seattle Diving Company and Dive Shop) in Des Moines?

It would be worth the drive to ensure you get squared away properly. I find in our area that dive shops are often staffed by unknowledgeable, poorly paid people. The folks at 8 are your nearest solid shop. The next closest is Off the Hook Diving (that gives the best support from beginner divers to rebreather divers in the region) in Lacey, but that's even farther away.

Thanks for the recommendation, I don't mind going to Seattle, especially for big ticket items.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

My dive club is on Meetup but the arranging of dive buddies for local dives almost always happens on the FB page.

That's nice, but that's not true of the largest dive club in the OP's area. It doesn't matter what other clubs do elsewhere. Some local dive clubs, like Moss Bay, are mostly on FB. But I always steer people towards Marker Buoy due to their size in terms of numbers and area that they cover (from Olympia to Bellingham to Hood Canal - i.e., the ENTIRE Puget Sound).