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I want to see that rig! Do you have pictures? Where did you get the bands? Where did you get the manifold?

Ah, good point. I won't dive doubles without alternative lift. In my case, that's a drysuit. If I find myself diving wet for whatever reason -- since I don't have training or experience with other forms of alternative lift -- I'll switch back to singles. I disagree, and I think this...

To be fair, I'm not sure I could be described as "really agile" even in singles. Still, though I prefer doubles in general, I'll switch to a single on surf entries/exits where I feel it's important to move as quickly as possibly through the surf zone. Monastery Beach in Monterey is a good...

Of course, then that "my buddies usually dive singles" comment will go out the window, and we'll have to do gas-planning for real...

Crap, is *that* where those went?

All my dives are recreational in the sense that you described. I dive doubles almost exclusively, for primarily the same reasons given by other folks. (I'll dive singles if I'm diving from my kayak, or if I'm making a rough shore entry that I feel requires some real agility.) As for gas...

I dove an Xcel 7/8/9 mm semi-dry for several years year-round in Northern California (more like 50 degrees F / 10 degrees C, but sometimes as cold as 8 C). I think it set me back about $400 US. It was a great suit (I still use it for freediving), but I still gotta say, the comfort it afforded...

I dive in similar water temperatures (northern California), and I recently made the switch to argon inflation. I can't say I noticed a difference to my comfort level, though I've heard others report differently. I made the switch in anticipation of one day diving helium-based gas. That...

I have DUI pockets but I haven't found that the D-rings get in the way. Does cutting them out fall under the general "don't need it, don't bring it" rule? Or is there something bigger that I'm missing?

Good point. I've found o-ring kits to be basically useless -- too many o-rings in useless size; not enough in useful sizes. Far better to pick up a whole handful of o-rings in the sizes you actually need. In my experience, the o-rings that have needed replacing in a save-a-dive sort of way...

I have this funky old analog depth gauge that I picked up at a yard sale. That plus a waterproof watch and some dive tables serves as an ultra cheap backup to a computer.

I carry most of the stuff described in the foregoing posts. But what have I actually saved dives with? o-rings duct tape spare power inflator zip ties spare bottom timer battery I've had to replace o-rings on the tank valves of a surprising number of yoke-style rental tanks...

Tupperware, with a hole poked in the bottom for rinsing & draining.

1. 200+ 2. Once. 3. My regular buddy and I were boat diving in fairly rough conditions in Monterey. We were both new to our drysuits, and thanks to our initially lousy buoyancy control, we rocketed down the anchor line to about 100 fsw. We got our act together on the bottom, but it was...

As a compromise between full custom and off-the-rack, you could buy a stock suit erring on the side of somewhat too large (in all dimensions), and then hit up a tailor who works with neoprene. I've had two buddies go that route with excellent results. One additional idea: If you've got money...

Given all the discussion about "cattleboats" (though I find the term unnecessarily pejorative, myself), I think it's fair to amend my summary: 1. People definitely run guidelines in order to return to the anchor, provided the conditions demand it. When compass/natural navigation would...

Alright, it seems like three themes have come to the fore: 1. Yup, people definitely run lines in order to return to the anchor. 2. It's a better bet to make a primary tie-off near the anchor, not on it. 3. Reels do this job better than spools, owing both to the amount of line they...

Yup! In fact, we met at the Breakwater about two weeks ago -- your buddy remembered me from Kona...

If I knew how to spell "yippee ka yay," I would do it right now.

Sorry -- I suppose I could be more clear. The specific scenario I'm envisioning is diving from a charter boat in Monterey Bay, with maybe 20-30 divers on board. Or, similarly, diving the northern Channel Islands on one of the Truth Aquatics live-aboards... Or maybe on one of the boats to...