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  1. Ricky B

    Entry-level BP/W

    I am inclined to go with a BP/W instead of a vest BCD, but I have no experience with a BP/W and no knowledge about what a reasonable set up is. Assume single tank use in the ocean (Monterey Bay) and a full 7/5 wetsuit with a 5 mm hooded vest. How much lift is needed from the wings? Is steel...
  2. Ricky B

    Wetsuit configuration for Northern California diving

    Thanks to all who have replied. The comments about using a dry suit are noted, but I don't want to task load myself with learning to use a drysuit at the same time as I am getting accustomed to diving in Monterey Bay. I have no issue with doing shore dives, and while I have done some deep diving...
  3. Ricky B

    Getting started "on the cheap"

    PM sent.
  4. Ricky B

    Wetsuit configuration for Northern California diving

    It's my understanding that the water temperature in Monterey Bay ranges from 50º to 60º F. What would be the pros and cons of different wetsuit configurations for that kind of cold water diving? First off, I recognize that many divers won't dive around here wet. But I am not ready for a dry...
  5. Ricky B

    Getting started "on the cheap"

    True, but with all due respect, it misses the point of the OP, which is not "diving on the cheap." The item is now gone; I assume it was used. Buying "NEW gear" (the OP's words) implies buying in the ordinary course from a vendor, not a one-shot auction item. More important, "Getting started 'on...
  6. Ricky B

    Getting started "on the cheap"

    Thanks for all the replies. What's a steamer? ---------- Post added March 4th, 2014 at 10:04 PM ---------- Thanks. What's a short-john? Is that like a shortie, but with straps instead of covering the shoulders?
  7. Ricky B

    Getting started "on the cheap"

    I rented equipment and went diving (one time) in Monterey Bay (at Breakwater) a year and a half ago, and I enjoyed it a lot more than my check-out dives, which were also in Monterey Bay (it turns out that insulated gloves do make a difference!). I am interested in doing more local diving. For...
  8. Ricky B

    What to do with an inexperienced instabuddy?

    Being a buddy does not constitute entering into a suicide pact! I would make it clear to an insta-buddy that if he or she leaves me to do something dangerous, I am not going to follow. Hence I am not following the buddy to 120 feet or skipping a safety stop. As for legalities, I would not...
  9. Ricky B

    Getting started "on the cheap"

    I want to compliment and thank fjpatrum for starting this thread. It is right on point for me. As a dive tourist who has dived mostly in warm water climes, where the dive operators provide all the equipment, my only equipment to date has been mask (Tusa Liberator), snorkel, and dive computer...
  10. Ricky B

    My review of the Suunto Zoop

    The other main contenders in this price bracket are the Mares Puck and the Cressi Leonardo. I was going to mention what I found out about them from reading the manuals, but the Scubaboard software would not allow a post much longer than my initial post so I thought I would provide the...
  11. Ricky B

    My review of the Suunto Zoop

    This is an example of why I say the manual could be better written and why some experience with the computer and getting some data on it may be necessary to understand fully how to use the device. The explanation why your dive computer did not reset to 21% after two hours is not immediately...
  12. Ricky B

    My review of the Suunto Zoop

    I don't have personal experience with using Nitrox, but I did read a complaint online about the computer defaulting to 21% if a dive was not started within two hours. The manual says: In case a dive series is started, the set value is retained until a new dive series is started or a new value...
  13. Ricky B

    My review of the Suunto Zoop

    Thanks. The gauge mode is also useful in free diving (breath-hold diving).
  14. Ricky B

    Mares Puck Pro vs Suunto Zoop

    FYI I just posted an extensive review of the Zoop in this forum. http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/computers-gauges-watches-analyzers/476179-my-review-suunto-zoop.html
  15. Ricky B

    My review of the Suunto Zoop

    Here are the features I found important in choosing the Zoop: 1. Big, easy-to-read display. 2. Ease of use. 3. Nitrox ability (O2 setting of 21%-50%). 4. Audible alarms (user-adjustable as to whether they sound). 5. Altitude setting. 6. Personal adjustment (to make the computer more...
  16. Ricky B

    Using a dive computer with a seawater-only algorithm in fresh water

    From the Mares Puck manual: SET DATA – FRESH / SALT To ensure maximum accuracy, you need to set PUCK for either fresh water (“Fresh”) or seawater (“Salt”) as appropriate. Check this setting often, especially if you use the instrument in a variety of environments (lake, sea, swimming pool). I...
  17. Ricky B

    deep stops or not

    I understand that calling some incidents of DCS an "undeserved hit" is simply a shorthand term to reflect that a diver complied with the tables or a dive computer but got DCS anyway, but I don't like the concept. It implies that DCS after noncompliance with the tables or a dive computer is...
  18. Ricky B

    Using a dive computer with a seawater-only algorithm in fresh water

    Suunto Zoop does not have a fresh-water setting. I expect that the difference between fresh water and seawater is insignificant for practical purposes, but (1) I wanted to make sure of that instead of assuming it and (2) I am trying to understand the principles involved.
  19. Ricky B

    Using a dive computer with a seawater-only algorithm in fresh water

    If a dive computer does not have a fresh-water setting, does using such a dive computer in fresh water result in a dive that is slightly more aggressive than it would be in seawater? Seawater = 1 ATM @ 33 feet. Fresh water = 1 ATM @ 34 feet. If you are in fresh water 68 feet, the computer...
  20. Ricky B

    Which regs are the cheapest for annual service?

    Of course, the price will vary by shop and location, but I assume some manufacturers charge more for their parts than others, and some regs may be more complicated to service than others. So do some regs/brands have a reputation for being more thrifty in the maintenance department?
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