a BC for a newbie planning to go further?
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leadweight
Contributor
is the perfect answer.
To what?
Steel,
I would have no idea what type of equipment is available in Russia, but I would think its a little early for you to be considering tek diving.
That being said, if you only want to buy once, then a (drumroll please) backplate & wing is the only real option.
MD
I see this all the time when BP/wings are suggested and it is not exactly true. While it is true that they have multiple uses and are great pieces of gear, neither a steel or aluminum BP is best suited to every diving situation. Same holds true for the wings. No doubt a BP/wing combo can be gotten that suits most of a divers needs most of the time but if the diver uses that BC over a wide range of dive conditions, then a change in BP and/or wing will be needed. A steel BP setup with large lift wing is fine in some applications- say 2 tank dry suit diving- but is gross overkill for warm water single tank diving where an AL BP and a travel wing is called for. If one dives in only a limited range of diving situations, yes a single BP/wing will work great BUT if one dives in a wide range of diving enviroments, then multiple wings and BPs will be necessary which blows the "buy once" theory to pieces.
diveaustin
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You cant go wrong with a Zeagle Ranger
He didn't say all diving situations. He said going tekky. Tek to me is heavy doubles, mix and extended range diving. He also mentioned wreck. IMO there ain't much latitude there.
And I can dive a steel bp&w anywhere in the world.
If you want to quibble, how many BCs do you think will be needed to cover your scenerios?
MD
leadweight
Contributor
And that one is the Transpac II. Tech to me? Who knows what tech is to him until he tells us. It could be air to 165' and a single 120. Just love the way a BP puts a heavy single 2" from your back. Flip you right over if you are not careful, especially if it is the shiny stainless one you love. Need two of those babies then. When are you guys going to realize this BP for singles thing is just a figment of the DIR imagination that preaches use the same kind rig all the time to maintain familiarity, even if it hurts, huh? How about comfort and convenience. Must be "comfort and convenience to me" because those words mean something completely different to backplate-all-the-time types than they do the remaining 99% of the diving world.
Lord only knows what he can buy in Russia. I suppose there is a Halcyon dealer on the corner and a few local DIR types to help him get the thing adjusted somehow. And a Russian cutie to help him soothe his sore armpits.
Dont take it personally Mech, life is too short. Just my side of the story. Keep on diving.
Scubaroo
Contributor
...because whatever anti-backplate bug crawled up your arse and died is starting to stink.
I dive a steel backplate with STA and steel tank almost every time - and I've never been "flipped over", and I sure don't have to be careful about avoiding it. I'm still a newbie diver with less than 100 dives, but most of them are with a backplate - they're not rocket science, and they're not the hassle you imagine them to be. More and more divers are taking them up - my Pro Unlimited wielding full-on anti-DIR buddy even mentioned the other day he's thinking of getting one. DIR has NOTHING to do with backplates. You're entitled to your opinion about how great the Transpac II is, just as other divers are entitled to their opinions about how great backplates are. But your anti-DIR and anti-backplate rhetoric is wearing thin.
I dive a steel backplate with STA and steel tank almost every time - and I've never been "flipped over", and I sure don't have to be careful about avoiding it. I'm still a newbie diver with less than 100 dives, but most of them are with a backplate - they're not rocket science, and they're not the hassle you imagine them to be. More and more divers are taking them up - my Pro Unlimited wielding full-on anti-DIR buddy even mentioned the other day he's thinking of getting one. DIR has NOTHING to do with backplates. You're entitled to your opinion about how great the Transpac II is, just as other divers are entitled to their opinions about how great backplates are. But your anti-DIR and anti-backplate rhetoric is wearing thin.
I did read his and yours..Yes he did say he was probably going to go tech and as you so well pointed out, as a new dive it's a bit early to start thinking of tech diving. He needs experience first. That means to me, no doubles, no mixed gasses, no extended range or deco but someday he may want to do all of these things. The question remains, will one BP/wing do..maybe, maybe not. I have no idea of what his diving conditions are or how varied they are. I think you will agree that cold water, deep tech diving will require a different setup than a shallow, warm training dive IF you want to keep your equipment optimized. I am sure you could press a SS BP and a large wing into service for easy warm water diving but it would not be optimal, a big wing flapping in the current is not very streamlined.
You may be able to dive a SS BP anywhere. I on the other hand, use only 5-6 lbs in Caribbean waters, a SS BP would have me diving with no ditchable weight and is heaver in my luggage.
My purpose in responding to the post was to simply point out that a single BP and wing (or any other type BC for that matter) will not necessarly meet every diving condition if the diver wants to use the optimal equipment for the dive at hand. There seems to be a belief that by buying a single BP/wing combo a diver will never need to purchase another BP/wing/BC again. I have no doubt that it is possible to compromise somewhere in the middle and get a combo that works OK across the diving spectrum but I know that one BC does not meet all my needs. When I dive cold/deep/wreck I dive one BC, when I travel, I dive another. Both will do either job but each does it's intended job better than the other. For me at least, one BC will not do an acceptable job across the range of conditions I dive in.
You may be able to dive a SS BP anywhere. I on the other hand, use only 5-6 lbs in Caribbean waters, a SS BP would have me diving with no ditchable weight and is heaver in my luggage.
My purpose in responding to the post was to simply point out that a single BP and wing (or any other type BC for that matter) will not necessarly meet every diving condition if the diver wants to use the optimal equipment for the dive at hand. There seems to be a belief that by buying a single BP/wing combo a diver will never need to purchase another BP/wing/BC again. I have no doubt that it is possible to compromise somewhere in the middle and get a combo that works OK across the diving spectrum but I know that one BC does not meet all my needs. When I dive cold/deep/wreck I dive one BC, when I travel, I dive another. Both will do either job but each does it's intended job better than the other. For me at least, one BC will not do an acceptable job across the range of conditions I dive in.
boomx5
Contributor
He can always go to http://www.halcyon.net and look under retailers to find a dealer in his area. It didn't mention anything about the cuties, but it did say there were a coupe of Halcyon dealers Russia. I think it was mighty big of ya to think about the new guy like that; good job.
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