beginning with doubles

[bigred177]

i recently was certified and found someone selling two bp/w setups. one of them is set up for doubles and the other is for a single. i was wondering if it was a good idea to start out with a doubles setup or if i should gain some more experience and then switch over to doubles. managing the weight isnt a problem i am just wondering from a diving standpoint.
thanks

 

[IceBergSlim]

i recently was certified and found someone selling two bp/w setups. one of them is set up for doubles and the other is for a single. i was wondering if it was a good idea to start out with a doubles setup or if i should gain some more experience and then switch over to doubles. managing the weight isnt a problem i am just wondering from a diving standpoint.
thanks

Doubles will cause you more problems than you want to deal with right now.

But, after diving for a while, they will be the answer to most of the problems than you encounter.

Keep it simple.

 

[rongoodman]

If you start out with the singles BP/W, you'll just need to buy a wing for the doubles when you're ready for them--nothing else should change.

 

[rawls]

Starting with doubles involves more than simply going diving with them. You not only have 2 cylinders but a manifold, a shut off and 2 first stages. So you are dealing with more than you are ready for. At this point being just certified I don't see where you would need to dive doubles in the first place.

 

[Rainer]

And it's expensive!

 

[TSandM]

Go with a single tank setup to begin with. For one thing, you're new, so your dives should be relatively shallow anyway. For another, doubles are a PITA to schlep around on land, and as gear in general is heavy for you, doubles will rapidly sap your enthusiasm for diving in general.

Doubles, once you are used to them, are lovely to dive, but they're also somewhat unforgiving, in that once they get going somewhere, they're GOING. It's easy to turn turtle and a little challenging to turn back over. And the redundancy of doubles doesn't help you until you can manage your valves, which is a lot of task loading to handle when buoyancy is a challenge in and of itself.

As someone pointed out, if you eventually want to go to doubles, all you need is a doubles wing. Start with a single tank and build experience and skills in that configuration. Maybe you'll never want to do any dives for which you would need doubles!

 

[ppo2_diver]

Doubles, once you are used to them, are lovely to dive, but they're also somewhat unforgiving, in that once they get going somewhere, they're GOING. It's easy to turn turtle and a little challenging to turn back over.

Aren't we supposed to be in control of the equipment we bring into the water?

 

[Colliam7]

i recently was certified and found someone selling two bp/w setups. one of them is set up for doubles and the other is for a single. i was wondering if it was a good idea to start out with a doubles setup or if i should gain some more experience and then switch over to doubles.

I wonder if there are two questions in your post. One involves diving with doubles early in your diving experience, and the other involves possibly buying the two rigs. The latter question is the easiest. If you have a chance to get a good deal on used gear, even if you are not ready for part of it, you should give it serious consideration. If you later decide that ever going to doubles is not for you, sell one of the rigs. (Cautionary caveat: this advice is coming from a confessed gear junkie with 4 BP, 6 wings, 11 regs, etc. I probably need a 12 step recovery program.) Not sure how one is 'set up' for singles and the other for doubles, unless one has an AL BP and the other SS, or one has a smaller wing than the other. As for starting with doubles early on, I am now more on the fence. The usual advice (and I have frequently offered it in the past) is what you have already seen - start with singles, get your bouyancy, trim, overall skills, etc. refined, then go to doubles. And, that is very sound advice. On the other hand, if you have the BP/W rig anyway, and the money to set up some doubles (e.g. double AL80s, with the requisite additional reg, and manifold, and bands) properly, AND you have training available through a local instructor or LDS, there is really nothing wrong with adding doubles diving to your experience early. All of the expressed cautions are valid - doubles are heavier, there are additional skills required for dealing with two valves and a manifold, you have to adjust your trim and bouyancy management, your gas supply will exceed most NDLs and you have to manage your time carefully, etc. It IS a different world. But, it is simply part of the overall learning experience. A new diver can start in a drysuit instead of a wetsuit. A new diver can start in a BP/W instead of a jacket BC. Frankly, a new diver can start in doubles instead of singles, although that is quite uncommon and associated with intense learning. My <30-dive son will probably transition to doubles this summer simply because he is already at the point where he can do so with safety and skill (and I already have the additional regs and tanks so it doesn't cost him a lot). It is an individual determination.

 

[AlaskaDiver]

How enthusiastic of you to want to go to doubles right away! As others have posted, it probably is best to get used to the singles configuration, manage your buoyancy and gain experience with the single cylinder before moving on to doubles. This is even more critical in a drysuit. Doubles involves another regulator set up, basic valve drill/usage understanding and as everyone has mentioned, a greater challenge of buoyancy management. IMHO, get used to the single cylinder and then progress to doubles. I have found that single cylinder is a great set p to have for all purpose diving. The doubles set up I have is for more specific diving where my buddy has the same doubles set up (cave diving, fresh water diving, and of course ocean diving). Everyone's learning curve is a little bit different for doubles. For me the challenge was the overall weight. I weigh around 110 lbs and a set of 100's with all of the associated gear is a challenge in itself getting into and out of the water. Some common problems with doubles which usually are more easily overcome in a single cylinder are buoyancy, undergarment preparedness, weighting issues, 'turtling over' occasionally, and lifting/carrying of the cylinders into & out of the water.

Glad to see that you have an interest early on in using doubles. You asked a great question.

 

[TSandM]

undergarment preparedness

I've got to ask -- What is "undergarment preparedness"?

Yes, we should be in control of our equipment! And if somebody had put me in doubles as a new diver, the equipment would DEFINITELY have been in control of me