Search results

I have money burning a hole in my pocket waiting for a wrist-mount Cobalt too. Gotta be an Atomic or a Suunto (DM:shop uniform), and I'm still waiting for the Cobalt... :-) I'll beta-test one... Please? :-)

For the first few years of diving, I picked a site, found the nearest operator, and went diving. I had no association or loyalty with any shop, and it was fine. Almost by chance I found my current shop, and clicked with the staff. I'd never really had that before. I chose to do my DM mostly...

I have seen can lights attached to tank straps... maybe an option, if you tuck it against the BC? Dave.

I switched my Atomic regs from the end port too...couldn't get them to route nicely. I switched to a braided hose just for the length, but the Atomic swivel is pretty good too (I have it on my occy :-) ) A tip I heard somewhere is to hold the wrench by the neck ("choke" it) rather than using the...

This may get a little heavy on physiology, sorry... :-) The other thing to consider is the effect of hyperventilation with regard to respiratory alkalosis, which shifts the oxygen-haemoglobin disassociation curve to the left, and causes an increased affinity for oxygen, and can decrease oxygen...

I dive with a Zeagle stainless BP/W, 15l steel singles, and integrated weights (I know, not DIR). I have a 40lb Ranger wing, and it's awesome. I would have preferred a 30lb donut, but I wasn't sure about a 30lb wing floating my kit at the surface if I needed it to. However, keep in mind that...

@Redtide: if you plan to dive with the standard factory-length hose, the swivel is not a bad idea. Reduces jaw fatigue and sideways-pulling of your reg noticeably. The Atomic swivel is, arguably, one of the best swivel designs too. I prefer a 5' primary hose with a 90^ swivel, so I moved my...

Hi Spotify, before you drop a whole bunch of cash on an i3 BCD, it's worth mentioning that it hasn't been terribly popular overall. Also, you will find online prices for many things are much cheaper than 10% of the RRP, so if you plan to ask your LDS to pricematch that discount is irrelevant...

Hi Alfie, if you're doubling-up 7mm wetsuits to stay warm, it is very likely you will end up in a drysuit down the track. Give serious thought to a backplate and wing...better value than a vest, and there's an almost unanimous love of them on here for a reason. If for some reason you're...

Like has already been mentioned, make sure if mixing brands that the Backplate and wing are compatible. Some will fit almost anything, some are almost single brand specific. I have Zeagle stuff, it's not DIR, but I love it. No STA required, which I think is an advantage, since it keeps the tank...

I'm 6'2" and 100kg, so I use a reasonable amount of air...although much less now than when I was new. I did all my recreational diving on AL80s. When I started working as a DM I bought a couple of 15lt 232bar steel tanks, so that I always had plenty of air to share when DMing. It's not every...

Some shops run a specific program for this, usually most popular at the beginning of summer. Here it's usually called a "rusty diver program". I think it is half a day of refreshing skills in the pool, plus an OW dive with an Instructor. I think the idea of doing AOW is a good one. It's almost...

I have thigh pockets on my wetsuits, but I also have Zeagle tech pockets on the waist webbing of my (also Zeagle) BP/W....and I use them more than my thigh pockets. $$ though... Tech Utility Pocket - Pockets and Knives - BC Accessories - Zeagle Dive Systems Dave.

Maniago, you misunderstand. I bought the Air2 (well, a DiveRite one, but they were rebadged ScubaPro anyway) brand new, from a shop, never wet...just on sale. It wasn't someone throwing away junk (although I have bought old, used regs before, and I understand the risks....I dived an old...

I agree with what has previously been said about SSI/PADI...not the issue. I did Rescue with an SDI shop a few years ago, and didn't really feel I got much from it (minimal theory, limited pool, weak OW). I don't know much about SDI, but by extrapolating TDI's reputation it's unlikely to be the...

I dive with a bungeed octo, and donate primary. A few years ago, when I was new to diving, I had a DiveRite integrated octoinflator. Thought it was great, nice and streamlined, but a bit fiddly to orally inflate. On a shallow dive, I noticed I was having buoyancy problems, and kept dumping air...

My shop sprays routinely silver paint over the test stamp after hydro. A few dives after it's first hydro, it started to show tiny amounts of rust in the stamping, so I cleaned it up a little, masked around it, and sprayed a couple of coats of cold gal, followed by a couple of bright silvagal...

Me too! I'm trying to be strong, and fighting the temptation to be talked into a console-mount Cobalt, or a Suunto (no contest really...) Happy to beta test one in Australia...make sure the equator doesn't cause any problems (or something... :-) )

From a holistic "make a better diver" point of view, the deep specialty will teach you far more than PADI AOW/SSI AA... for example, pony bottle use and surface marker deployment, plus a bit of physics and physiology. The AOW/AA is more like an overview. Whether it will actually make you an...

PADI AOW is equivalent to SSI Advanced Adventurer. Each organisation's OW is universally recognised, and more-or-less recognise each other's courses. If you want the 30m depth limit and night-diving, they're the same... and either should be fine as you go on to do specialties.