How early is too early to progress your diving?

[taimen]

t’s probably a bit early to think of this yet but I would like to know which valves and manifold are the best? Halcyon? Apeks? Scubapro?

I have both Halyon and Bts (made by Scubatec) valves and manifolds. Surprisingily Scubatec performs better. Halcyons look better.

 

[PfcAJ]

Concave bottom doubles are concave. Convex bottoms are convex. That’s the difference.

Not sure what you’re asking for the rest of your post.

I see where you asked that now. Got it.

Manifold - halcyon, thermo, Sea-Elite, Dive Rite. Skip the OMS face seal manifolds.

 

[Ryan Mcshane]

Interesting that you say keep the singles wing. I was thinking of ditching the halcyon single wing next year if I move on to doubles and getting a cheaper wing from oxycheq or Apeks etc

Avoid the Apeks wing like the Plague, the kidney dump is pretty much useless and the wing is the wing its self is the wrong shape. Its worth holding out and getting the Halcyon. Speak to JK, he'll tell you exactly whats up when it comes to wings.

 

[ajduplessis]

Moving to twins based on your dive history IMO is not to early.

 

[w3dge]

I moved to twins at about the same stage as you also, maybe slightly earlier. I'm trying to think, but I'm not sure I've dived a single since.

 

[soggybadger]

I started with side mount doubles after less than sixty dives and find this setup works well for me. I can dive any tank configuration with my rig and don't need to change it about. Just a suggestion for your consideration.

 

[dbulmer]

Going to twins now for you makes sense but as pfcaj has said keep the singles wing - 1) It's good kit 2) There mught be times when you prefer a single tank - sometimes a shore dive near rocky entry points is easier done in a single for example.

Manifolds are pretty similar but I'd go for the Halcyon - I personally found it easier manipulating the valves. Euro12s? Go for what your budget allows Euros are slightly easier to trim than Fabers but there's not that much difference.

There's not a tremendous amount else to be said - go diving!

 

[dbulmer]

Actually I've just had a thought - doesn't happen too often - so bear with me.
Your singles wing! If you currently have a steel BP you might want to see if you can pickup an aluminium plate for going on holiday Because (a) Reducing the weight on your back (b) Reducing airline bag costs.

Twins

With your first few dives, learn to locate your valves - right.middle, left. Do this while finning and then do this when stationary ie stop finning, locate valves. This will help you locate your valves and help you tune your buoyancy.

 

[KenGordon]

I find diving a twinset nicer and better balanced than a single. Having said that there are times when it is a hassle. For example Malta, a destination you ought to dive, is usually shore diving with rocky entries involving some walking fully kitted up. For typical UK or Irish boat diving a twinset is good if you can squeeze two dives out of it or if you are only doing one dive. Taking a 15 and a whip for a top up is a hassle otherwise.

I agree with those above saying to keep the single wing. For holiday diving it will be what you need. You can get twinsets on Red Sea boats but if you go to Indonesia or the Caribbean it all gets harder.

100 dives is ok, however maybe it is time to think about what sites you would like to dive rather than what kit you want to dive. This will lead to what training and equipment is required to make the dives and allow you to plan that.

Edit - you say less than 100, do you mean like 50 to 100 or like 20 something?

 

[Doby45]

Never get rid of functional dive gear, you always just add. I have a singles BPW, a doubles BPW and a couple of sidemount setups. All of them get used, just depends on what is needed. Spearfishing and regular recreational/vacation diving gets the singles BPW. Deeper, more technical stuff gets the doubles and the sidemount is also technical and cave diving..

People will often get rid of gear thinking (Oh I will never use this again) and then a year later you have a friend that loves going spearfishing and you decide you want to try it also and spend time diving with your friend.