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Definitely not everybody. People wear what works for them. Kim (the brunette) wears a poodle jacket with a traditional primary/secondary reg setup. Sue (the blond) wears a Ladyhawk with an Air 2. I (the baldy) wear either a BP/W or sidemount, always with a longhose and necklaced secondary. Some...

Mounting your cylinders at your side, rather than your back. Eliminates the need for a heavy rigid back plate. There's pros and cons to both back mount and side mount. You can side mount a single tank.

BP = Back Plate. It provides the rigid structure to back mount a tank. If you get one that's plastic, the system is quite light. Not as light as sidemount, but light.

Want the absolute lightest? Get a sidemount harness.

Compression shorts. Any decent brand. They provide plenty of coverage, don't bulk up under the suit, and keep people from falling off the boat laughing while I'm changing from wet suit to board shorts.

There's a big difference between thinking something is a good idea and requiring it. I've always got a couple lights with me. I think they're a great idea. Doesn't mean I'm going to tell someone else they have to carry even one.

Why would you be required to buy primary and secondary lights for AOW? If you choose to do a night dive as part of your AOW (it's not mandatory...) most instructors provide lights. If you do have to buy some, don't spend much. Get something like THIS for $15 each. You do NOT want a bright...

First time I've ever heard the term used in this context, too.

My backmount singles regs are Scubapro, because that's what I started with and there's no reason to toss them. All my other regs are HOG. Excellent performance, excellent price, user serviceable... My favorite 'user service' story took place about a year ago, off Cozumel. It was a simple...

I think calling it a 'suicide strap' is idiotic, since there's nothing remotely dangerous about the practice of wearing your backup regulator on a necklace. Sue has used an Air 2 from her first dive. According to some here, that means she's going to die, even if she doesn't wear split fins. Some...

Honestly, I don't think either is all that great. If I need to judge someones skills (which would be pretty uncommon) I do it by watching them in the water.

Get a rubber chicken. Tie it to your 1st stage by the feet. When you're horizontal in the water, it'll be standing up on your back. No, I'm not kidding. Mark at The Dive Bus in Curacao does this and he's really easy to find in a group.

He does. Sue, Kim and I have done 100-150 dives with Alvaro. He did OW and AOW for Sue and I, and when Kim joined us, he did her OW cert. We've sent two of our kids to Cancun on their honeymoons so he could do Discover SCUBA programs with them. Yeah, we like and trust him. You can dive Cozumel...

I'm partial to #1 myself. I have occasionally fed a critter, but the more I dive, the less inclined I am to do so. While diving in Belize, the guides would routinely spear Lionfish and feed them to the sharks. As a result (or at least, I believe this to be the cause) the sharks followed us...

I don't generally feed them, but I do leave them on the bottom to be eaten.

There isn't anything in the water that thinks you look tasty (unless you're diving with your S.O., I presume...). The stuff about jewelry causing attacks is urban myth. Read this. Now go back and dive with the barracuda some more. They're cool.

People do tech and do NOT bring their own gear??? :eek:

I don't look good in a bikini (though Kim and Sue both do...), but this does deserve the caveat that your alcohol tolerance IS affected by altitude. If you've traveled uphill from home, drink less. If you've traveled downhill... drink less anyway. Sloppy drunks are annoying. Bars, even beach...

Talk to Mark & Suzi at The Dive Bus. They'll fix you up.

I've never asked about helium, but since Dave monitors the Cozumel forum, he should know. When I've dove backmount doubles, it's always been AL80's. Sidemount, of course, works with any size tank, and Aldora has AL 40, and 80, and HP 100 and 120 (that I know of, there may well be others).