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I’m certainly not going to tell you not to call DAN. And I’m going to agree with everybody else that a membership is valuable. I will say this: I often have slightly tingly arms after a dive. I use a back plate and wing, with unpadded continuous webbing, hauling around doubles. I’m pretty...

Oh, I missed that. Well then: now we get to hear about my other reason for not liking these tanks… :) Do they have a Genesis 6300 manifold? Those are the “slant back” valves. That manifold has two negatives. First, they are face-sealed. That arrangement is a little bit more fragile and...

HP tanks of that age are most likely PST. You can tell definitively by looking at the markings on the tank: you should see a PST test symbol, and they will say either SP9791 or (more likely) E9791. (Those two are used interchangeably: they stand for “special permit“ and “exemption“.) Also at...

That’s the part everyone forgets/doesn’t understand. Dry weight is irrelevant — except schlepping the tanks around to the water. Full buoyancy is irrelevant — except making sure your BCD has enough lift to hold your head up in the beginning. *Empty* buoyancy is the only thing that matters for...

Having never seen a Heiser tank in person, I can’t help you to guarantee anything about them. However, I can say this: low pressure tanks have only ever used the standard 3/4” threads. It is only the high-pressure tanks that had to use the narrow neck threads. (For this purpose, I’m also...

It’s a sad day today…. I sold the Healthways tanks. I put up a couple of FB Marketplace ads for both a pair of Aqua Lung LP72’s (vinyl coating and epoxy liners) and this set of Healthways doubles. The pair of singles sold quickly, but I left the ad up in case someone else wanted a pair of 72...

Just to add my meaningless thoughts to this. As a technical diver, reviews like this have scared me off. tl;dr: Force Fins are magical at flutter, with the feeling of zero resistance, but any side-to-side motion actually does result in minimal resistance (and water movement)...

Hello! I would love to test the D530. I tested the D550 recently, so if you want to spread the wealth, I’m OK with that. But I would love to see what the effect the colors has underwater.

Now that @Rilelen has given you a specific recommendation for a company that is willing to cater to new divers, I want to talk you out of doing these dives even less! But… If you are looking for alternatives, I absolutely love Pompano Beach Florida. There are dives from reefs and wreck debris...

I strongly echo @Rob9876 ‘s comments. Diving in the panhandle is *very* different from a high-touch Caribbean operator. You will almost certainly be expected to be 100% self-sufficient in everything: skills, equipment and process. That doesn’t mean you can’t make specific arrangements with an...

What works, works. That’s true for OP or @rsingler as much as anyone else. The important part of your gear is that it facilitates your ability to dive safely and effectively. Until you’re doing serious tech dives, *any* gear of decent quality in good repair will do it safely. And...

Oh, boy… You are not going to like my answer for this. :) Im my experience, I have found that it’s usually the user’s preconceived expectations both as a scuba diver and as a land-based creature that often lead away from what actually is the optimal solution. For example, you mentioned...

Here’s a couple of photos to give you an idea about the mountain bike tubing. Here you see the left shoulder from the front. You can see I’ve put the mountain bike tubing over the strap. You can also see that the mountain bike tubing has been worn through, as well as the strap. This is also...

I agree with this. The shoulder straps are there to prevent it from sliding left and right. The waist strap and crotch strap are there to hold it from moving up and down. If the shoulder straps were tight enough to be snug on you while in the water, they’d be too small for you to get in or...

This is something that drives me nuts. People ask something like, “how much lead can I drop when I use an HP 120 instead of an HP 100?” The answer? “*Add* two pounds. “But the tank weighs 12 pounds more! Surely I can *drop *some lead…” Nope. (Ref for PST E100 vs E120) So, to answer the...

To close the loop on this: I sent an email to Piranha about this valve. I did not specifically say I was going to post their message, so I will only briefly summarize their reply. My biggest reason for writing the email was to let them know about this issue. I assumed that they would have...

I own a previous version of the classic, which is what I think I linked above. I really, really like it. When you have to carry a lot of weight, it helps to have something that’s hanging from both your shoulders and your hips, especially if you have to do any walking on the surface with it. The...

One other thing to consider: It’s obvious you’re worried about the additional lead you add pushing her over to an “unbalanced” configuration. What I don’t understand is: why isn’t that lead you plan on adding ditchable? I mean, if you were adding lead bolted to your back plate, or selecting...

Just a note: there are two styles of LP85 often discussed. Some are 7.25” diameter and the same length as an HP100. They also hold the same amount of gas at the same pressure. I’m not certain that those aren’t actually LP80’s, not LP85: there’s lots of confusion with scuba tanks… Other tanks...

To expand on @Still Kicking ’s photo: the spool goes between the SPG and the end of the HP hose. It allows the SPG to rotate on the end of the HP hose. It is a required part for it to seal. There are a few different styles, and not all work for each combination of hose and SPG. Replacing the...