Advice for a newbie

[NothingClever]

View attachment 893627

Call me Debbie Downer but that rig looks way overbuilt.

 

[ams511]

So this is basically a back plate and wing- but no wing included? It's beautiful and looks incredibly rugged but I am having sticker shock here.

It looks like the quality is amazing though- I have to admit.

First, welcome to Scubaboard. It is always nice to have a new diver enter the sport.

As a new diver, my advice to you is to decide what type of diving you want to do. If you are a vacation diver then equipment weight and compactness matters more. Especially, if you have to fly smaller planes with stricter weight limits. If you are a quarry diver and drive to site then weight and compactness is not a concern.

I suggest you read "Doing it Right" by GUE. I think there may be some pdf versions floating around on the web. The book is rather old now and some of the recommendations have changed but the advice is still sound.

If you want a harness that is similar to the OMS then Dive Rite has the Transplate and I am sure that other manufacturers sell something similar for much less money.

 

[happy-diver]

Sticker shock is just a normal part of diving

unless you choose to shop smart and shop slow

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

First, welcome to Scubaboard. It is always nice to have a new diver enter the sport.

As a new diver, my advice to you is to decide what type of diving you want to do. If you are a vacation diver then equipment weight and compactness matters more. Especially, if you have to fly smaller planes with stricter weight limits. If you are a quarry diver and drive to site then weight and compactness is not a concern.

I suggest you read "Doing it Right" by GUE. I think there may be some pdf versions floating around on the web. The book is rather old now and some of the recommendations have changed but the advice is still sound.

If you want a harness that is similar to the OMS then Dive Rite has the Transplate and I am sure that other manufacturers sell something similar for much less money.

OK something may have just clicked in my head as you mentioned GUE and I was reading around in other tabs. Is Flowstate Divers actually GUE-inspired content? And I noticed that if I want to train with Flowstate, they have what look like GUE labels for their courses.

Yes and yes to the type of diving. I can't vacation enough to really improve quickly- three times a year in warm water won't really get me to where I want to be I don't think. So that means quarries locally and hopefully some interesting Lake Huron dives. And wow the Dive Rite transplate might be just the ticket for way less money:

Wow, the GUE Basic Fundamentals course is $1800??? I guess it's pretty serious, huh?

 

[Still Kicking]

OK something may have just clicked in my head as you mentioned GUE and I was reading around in other tabs. Is Flowstate Divers actually GUE-inspired content? And I noticed that if I want to train with Flowstate, they have what look like GUE labels for their courses.

Yes and yes to the type of diving. I can't vacation enough to really improve quickly- three times a year in warm water won't really get me to where I want to be I don't think. So that means quarries locally and hopefully some interesting Lake Huron dives. And wow the Dive Rite transplate might be just the ticket for way less money:

View attachment 893727

Wow, the GUE Basic Fundamentals course is $1800??? I guess it's pretty serious, huh?

Unless you are worried about travel weight don't get a cutout plate as you will have to carry more lead.

 

[ams511]

OK something may have just clicked in my head as you mentioned GUE and I was reading around in other tabs. Is Flowstate Divers actually GUE-inspired content? And I noticed that if I want to train with Flowstate, they have what look like GUE labels for their courses.

Yes and yes to the type of diving. I can't vacation enough to really improve quickly- three times a year in warm water won't really get me to where I want to be I don't think. So that means quarries locally and hopefully some interesting Lake Huron dives. And wow the Dive Rite transplate might be just the ticket for way less money:

Wow, the GUE Basic Fundamentals course is $1800??? I guess it's pretty serious, huh?

On the Flowstate website they show a UTD affiliation, which is a GUE splinter group. My understanding is a former GUE instructor started his own agency, so I assume the training is similar. Inner Space Explorers is another DIR type agency, they have some YouTube videos.

Flowstate is located in the Canary Islands (Tenerife), so it would be expensive to train with them.

The Transplate is a harness. It can be used with most backplates you don't need a Dive Rite one. A padded harness is nice if you need to walk far to go into the water but it really does nothing once your in the water because you are weightless. Also I don't believe it is allowed for GUE training, they want a continuous one piece harness.

I am not sure what the GUE charges, I think the price is up to the instructor. In the fundies book they explain why it costs so much. Many dive shops offer cheap training in order to get you in the door to sell product. Also many instructors hold certifications from multiple agencies, so you could take a TDI course with an instructor that is also a GUE instructor. He or she can give you some tips if you decide to go the GUE route.

If you dive quarries, the main issue (At least for me) is going to be exposure protection and the weight needed to sink it. Once you get past the thermocline, the water is cold, even in summer. In PA I used to dive in a 2 piece 7 mil suit and needed like 25 lbs or so to sink it. A semi-dry or drysuit would have been a better option.

 

[happy-diver]

My advice would be to put the $1800 towards moving closer to The Magnificent Great Lakes, to wherever Tracy is

For an entirely different lifes experience

You can always move back

Seriously, I am rolling around on the floor with big tears, when I see people without easily accessible diving

And yet you are so close to some of the most amazing diving in the world and with Mentor Tracy just there

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

My advice would be to put the $1800 towards moving closer to The Magnificent Great Lakes, to wherever Tracy is

For an entirely different lifes experience

You can always move back

View attachment 893844

Seriously, I am rolling around on the floor with big tears, when I see people without easily accessible diving

And yet you are so close to some of the most amazing diving in the world and with Mentor Tracy just there

I'm only two hours forty minutes from Lake Huron- Fort Gratiot Lighthouse. Who is "Tracy"?

Has anyone done this?

Extreme Scuba Makeover | UTD Scuba Diving

utdscubadiving.com

I'm thinking this would be awesome to do after my certification in Mexico next month once I am back up here- and before my AOW. There is an instructor in Detroit- James Mott who runs Sea the World in Detroit. I'm in Detroit all the time for work.

 

[The Chairman]

I appreciate the information. I live in Northeast Florida near Jacksonville.

I'm in Suwannee county, not far at all.