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ok, point taken. CORRECTION for the syntax police: Why are divers dying after they have reached the surface with their weights still on? Do we know? Maggie

Is that Koplin? I bought a 12# from him years ago and it's still my favorite backplate. :) I honestly think that teaching people that ditching weights at depth is even an option is a bad idea. Mindset is an important thing in diving. Learning to solve problems at depth and not having the...

My apologies. Most don't have a clue how to do a buoyancy check. I had to learn. And the beauty of a buoyancy check is it doesn't matter how much your individual gear weighs. Also, I didn't realize you were counting your tank in your total. I usually think about how much weight I need to...

Dan, you're right. I wasn't suggesting, however, that DCS is the main concern with an uncontrolled ascent on a recreational dive. Lung over expansion injury, however, is a real risk. I've seen three and heard of more (locally) and they are ugly. Buddy separation is also not something you...

Yes. But not just tech divers. I was taught no ditchable weights right out of OW. I think the concept of ditchable weight is a nod to our primal fears of drowning, not a rational solution to any situation underwater. But having ditchable weight on you to soothe that primal fear a) creates...

Its a trick question because the answer is you should never, ever ditch weight at depth. Ever. I'm sorry to come into the discussion so late, with a completely different perspective. :)

Interestingly, the picture of the octopus spread out on Dylan's garage floor showed a tentacle that had been cut off, and both he and his buddy "lost" their knives in the struggle with the octopus underwater (later recovered by a local dive shop). It's illegal to take an octo using a...

I started in a jacket BC (Diva, I think) but at around 30 dives, I tried a simple harness/backplate/wing setup and found it to be MUCH more comfortable. I found that any jacket I tried on felt very bulky and made it hard to reach things, especially when inflated. With a harness, and...

The Sandoff is very pretty! I might have to have me one of those. I would suggest a) go with the 18W, and b) look around at all your options first, just like you're doing. I have nothing against the Halcyon, it's a beautiful light, but there are other, less expensive ways to get into an 18W...

I'm partial to the Citizen. The Stinger is awesome, but too big for my small wrists. The Citizen fits just right and I can wear it as a watch. I got the Titanium version, which is supposedly lighter weight, too. Good deal for the price. :)

Koplin ss backplate, halcyon wing, Scubapro regs/longhose/bungeed necklace, backup lights on both chest d-rings, wenotes/prepacked spool smb/spare spool/backup mask in pockets, filed off serrated knife in sheath on belt, XL jetfins, steel 130's, sometimes 40cf stage, oceanic mask, bottom timer...

Exactly. The ditchable weight issue is a pet peeve of mine. Mandy3206, why carry all the paraphanalia for ditching tiny amounts of weight in the extremely unlikely event that you want to surface just a little faster? If 2lbs is all you think you would need to ditch, why ditch anything at...

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Sometimes Wienke needs to be translated, since he doesn't write in plain english. So, George and Wienke reach opposite conclusions for reverse profile deco diving. In the context of decompression dives, though, I tend to side with George, simply because his reasoning makes more horse sense...

Uncontrolled ascent sounds like a good reason to not wear ditchable weight at all, rather than have a debate about whether to run your weight belt under or over your crotch strap, or wear weight pockets. I think that ditchable weight is like a pony bottle. If you should never have to use...

Well, as a variation on the "take a class" theme, you should go to the George Irvine lecture at 5th D in September. I was at the last one and George discussed this issue in detail. The gist of what he said (and please be tolerant, it was a while ago and I didn't take notes) was that diving...

This invites a response like "you're entitled to your own opinion". And you are. And in fact, I agree that an 'average recreational diver', whatever that means, may never want to take Cave or Tech 1, so their only GUE course will be DIR-F, though they might want to take Rec-Triox, which I...

Oxycheq also offers Scott Koplin backplates, and Scott can be contacted directly for his backplates and other gear as well. I dive a Koplin double thick backplate and weighted STA, Dive Rite spg, Terkel spools, various HID canisters (none of them Halcyon). The only thing on my rig that is...

Cam, I think the important thing about the question you asked is that the DIR answer is a matter of orientation. DIR taught me to ask questions about my gear, and the most important question was "is it necessary?" Quick releases are not necessary. Beyond that doesn't really matter, though...

get rid of the seacure, and get a comfo-bite. for all the reasons previously stated. in an ooa you can't hand your buddy a mouthpiece that won't fit and may make them swallow salt water, in an already-dicey situation.