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I'm thinking you were told to buy too large a size. I dive both wet and dry and have not noticed any difference in BC fit between the two.

I haven't seen it producing results other than to inspire previously amicable reef sharks to become aggressive bullies toward divers. I always wondered about the notion of "teaching" a predator to hunt something since, being predators, that's pretty much their whole thing in life anyway. I'm...

If you're going to proceed, by all means, do it slowly and with an instructor who will take the time you need, helping you to feel supported and understood along the way. Don't settle for any instructor with whom you're uncomfortable because this is far too important. Pay for whatever extra time...

I think you'll probably want a dry suit eventually as well but in the meantime, I can't imagine you overheating while working out your weighting in the pool. But, if somehow you do, you can just get out, so no biggie.

No, it just makes a dusty mess everywhere and is good only for donning the suit. The only time I prefer talc is if I'm putting the suit on at home for some reason. I just dust myself off when I'm done rather than having to take a shower to get lube out of my hair.

Of course, the beauty of all of this is that, @stuartv, this thread gives you a number of things to pay attention to as you experiment with different strategies and come up with whatever works best for you. :) The right way is the one that gets you the best results.

I've used both latex and silicone, and always wore all seals flat regardless of material. To do otherwise would mean less area for the seal, therefore more opportunity for leakage. If I had to fold a seal over (easily possible with the neck seal for some divers), I'd want to fold it out, not in.

For someone I never met to face-to-face, I still think of her quite often. She made that much of an impact. I hate that we all lost her so soon and in such a strange way, while giving her kudos for a life extraordinarily well-lived. She remains an awesome role model in many different ways, even now.

Me too, I'm happy to say. Businesses run this way are rare treasures, which is why they'll be the last ones standing as long as there's work to be done. You tell all your friends about them. You keep driving to them after you've moved further away. You call them when you have a question and they...

You quit when the benefits no longer outweigh the risks.

Nice post, and I think you're right. The question is whether we'll be left with enough critical mass when it's all over to keep the industry alive on anywhere near its current scale. I suspect not, for reasons both economic and environmental.

If there were only dive shops at dive locations, how could you build a community? People would only see each other on very occasional vacation trips, and then only by specific prearrangement. No community there. I would think that would be a more unstable model than the one we currently have...

I had exactly your problem--to the point of actual gum erosion--and here's what helped me: First, I got a comfo-bit mouthpiece. I didn't have to trim it but wouldn't have hesitated. A sharp razor knife should do the trick. That still wasn't quite enough, however, and I eventually realized that...

I'm so sorry to hear what happened to your wife. It may be difficult to sort out what really happened due to her inexperience with both the gear and the terminology unless someone else saw most or all of it as it happened. Good luck, and I hope she recovers fully.

But the marvel of a place like SB is that you don't have to figure it out all by yourself as if you're the only person who ever faced the question before.

I can't agree with this enough. I half-stepped my way through years of being too cold, trying to make use of what I'd already bought by adding a bit more to it time after time, always thinking a bit more would solve the problem. Ultimately, my efforts to save money meant that I spent money on...

I can't help with what you wear since I have the same problem you do and had to resort to a drysuit. There is no amount of neoprene that would keep me warm in water at that temp for one dive, let alone for repetitive diving over several days. Whatever you end up with for exposure protection...

Lube is way better, a lot neater, and can help you get out of the suit after the dive as well.

Absolutely agreed. Without regular practice, you'll never have the muscle memory or mental reflexes needed when something goes wrong. Heck, some skills may be forgotten altogether if you don't think about them after going through training. I've done lots of practicing on dives and never found...

The fact that they would even suggest this raises all kinds of flags. Aside from the ethical questions of what they're doing, it's simply not possible for you to adequately absorb that amount of information and experience in so little time. I understand you not wanting to waste an opportunity...