Buying my first set of equipment - Aqualung Legend LX or Scubapro MK11 regulator sets

[galodoido]

Are you moving to the Phoenix area? And planning to dive locally most weekends. Because almost all of our lakes are fed by silty Colorado River water and we have a lot of boat traffic so at all except for one visibility is often measured in single feet. For that reason I'd go with a MK17 or one of the Aqualung diaphragm models since they're sealed by design. Lake Pleasant is the one exception where visibility is sometimes in the 10's of feet but deeper it's still colder and dark/cloudy. LIghts are used for any sort of visibility during the daylight.

Nothing really gets super cold here though and many divers travel to SoCal to boat/shore dive. We're an hour flight from the LA Basin with dozens of dive operations going out to the Channel Islands. Also San Diego/La Jolla for the kelp/sea lions. Even in winter, I've dove an unsealed reg there with ho issues.

Also we dive in Mexico. Rocky Point is at the end of the Sea of Cortez so due to tidal exchange it can be a little sandy/murky. Cleaner water is down near Guaymas at San Carlos - one of the shops here and one in Tucson both keep large dive boats there. It's usually pretty clear except for the algae blooms in spring. And maybe gets into the mid-50's in winter - at the tail end of summer it's 80 degrees though - I've been diving there in October in a t-shirt. On that dive vis was close to 80'.

My point is probably most standard diaphragm regs can handle all the conditions here adequately. I own Atomics but b4 I bought them I also considered an Mk25/S600. Now one of the Legends would also be on that list - my two go to shops were not Aqualung dealers at the time I bought both sets of my regs so that's probably the reason I didn't then.

There's about 4 Scubapro dealers in town - one is a Platinum Reseller. And maybe 5-6 Aqualung dealers - including the shop where IMO the best reg. tech in town works. If you're moving to one of the smaller Az. cities like Yuma or Lake Havasu you might want to check on what the single shop there sells/services. Tucson has less shops but the couple I've seen have a pretty good brand selection.

Thanks for this very comprehensive advice man. I'm actually moving to Flagstaff. I know there is a shop there called Summit Divers. Not sure if you know them.

 

[diversteve]

You can go 4 - 5 years without service without any issue and still be covered by warrant.

Technically it's a lifetime limited warranty on all hard parts contingent on service every 2 years/300 dives. Also if you miss a few years, having it serviced re-instates the original warranty to the original owner.

minor distinction...

 

[diversteve]

Thanks for this very comprehensive advice man. I'm actually moving to Flagstaff. I know there is a shop there called Summit Divers. Not sure if you know them.

I actually knew the owner of Summit slightly - she used to teach part time at the shop I certified thru in NW Phoenix but I haven't spoken to her in 20 years.

From there you'll be diving in Lake Mohave on the CA/AZ border. It's actually one of the clearer lakes most of the time although it is also fed by the Colorado. There's a small dive park there - old schoolbus and some other sunken junk. IDK how much water there is now, we've had a historic drought for the last decade - even Lake Mead is down by 1/2 or more - whole marinas abandoned since they're dry. A friend wrote this when he lived here - he now lives in Fl. so the info is at least 5 years old. Arizona | Rob Neto

On the list at the bottom - Mormon and Mary are the Flagstaff lakes. Mormon now dries up completely or is 10' deep with weeds - we have a cabin near Lake Mary - it's possible to bottom out an outboard motor there in some spots although it's still a good fishing lake.

So there's really no local diving in Flagstaff except the NAU pool - if they allow it there...

You can also drive 2 hrs. south and dive Lake Pleasant - arguably the best lake dive in Az.
Scuba Diving | Maricopa County Parks & Recreation

Summit also likely does trips to San Carlos MX which is easily reachable from there. It's IMO the best diving we can do since it's warm 1/2 the year - it's the Sea of Cortez which is one of the leading seas for biodiversity in the world - we've gone there for hammerhead schooling in October, the sea lion colony 45mins. from the marina and there's a lot of interesting tropical fish, octopus etc. Just not a lot of coral since it's more of a rock substrate.

 

[BoltSnap]

Technically it's a lifetime limited warranty on all hard parts contingent on service every 2 years/300 dives. Also if you miss a few years, having it serviced re-instates the original warranty to the original owner.

minor distinction...

AFAIK, Atomic doesn't stipulate service to keep the lifetime warranty (original owner). Lifetime warranty for Atomic doesn't mean free parts for O/H service.

 

[galodoido]

I actually knew the owner of Summit slightly - she used to teach part time at the shop I certified thru in NW Phoenix but I haven't spoken to her in 20 years.

From there you'll be diving in Lake Mohave on the CA/AZ border. It's actually one of the clearer lakes most of the time although it is also fed by the Colorado. There's a small dive park there - old schoolbus and some other sunken junk. IDK how much water there is now, we've had a historic drought for the last decade - even Lake Mead is down by 1/2 or more - whole marinas abandoned since they're dry. A friend wrote this when he lived here - he now lives in Fl. so the info is at least 5 years old. Arizona | Rob Neto

On the list at the bottom - Mormon and Mary are the Flagstaff lakes. Mormon now dries up completely or is 10' deep with weeds - we have a cabin near Lake Mary - it's possible to bottom out an outboard motor there in some spots although it's still a good fishing lake.

So there's really no local diving in Flagstaff except the NAU pool - if they allow it there...

You can also drive 2 hrs. south and dive Lake Pleasant - arguably the best lake dive in Az.
Scuba Diving | Maricopa County Parks & Recreation

Summit also likely does trips to San Carlos MX which is easily reachable from there. It's IMO the best diving we can do since it's warm 1/2 the year - it's the Sea of Cortez which is one of the leading seas for biodiversity in the world - we've gone there for hammerhead schooling in October, the sea lion colony 45mins. from the marina and there's a lot of interesting tropical fish, octopus etc. Just not a lot of coral since it's more of a rock substrate.

Very nice. Since you're very familiar with the dives in the area, what would be the minimum requirements for an exposure suit and what would you recommend? Thanks!

 

[diversteve]

Very nice. Since you're very familiar with the dives in the area, what would be the minimum requirements for an exposure suit and what would you recommend? Thanks!

Surprisingly it's cold water here in hot sunny Arizona water since most lakes are fed by rivers that originate in the mountains. Flagstaff itself is 6900' and on a good year they get a lot of snow. I actually doubt you'll ever dive there though besides the two lousy lakes I mentioned there's really only a couple more within a couple hours drive that aren't complete mudholes with weeds smothering them.

I don't dive cold anymore - haven't for years but my friends who dive our local to Phoenix - Lake Pleasant are all in 7mils - maybe 5 in the summer. In winter those that own drysuits use them there. One of my thinner friends uses hers all year there.

One problem we have is actually keeping from getting super heated in the summer between dives - the water is nice and cool but the temperature on the lake shore can be 110-115' so you basically strip everything off almost as soon as you leave the water - those pop-up shade tents are popular with the shops that teach at the lake here near Phoenix if you're just sitting out an hour between dives.

I don't know the elevation of Lake Mohave but it will be cold also - the Colorado River runs thru it. I haven't ever dove it to know the temps/conditions.

The other place Summit lists - San Carlos - is in the northern Sea of Cortez. Due to tidal movements the water temps swing widely. In late summer into fall, it can be in the 80's - I've dove there as late as Oct. 20th in a t-shirt/board shorts but it was really too cold when I hit the thermocline at 80' so I stayed above it. In the winter it can drop to the 50's so people who dive the same spots then are in layered 7mils or drysuits.

Los Angeles/San Diego diving is all cold water also - the visibility is best in the fall often when the algae dies out so that's when I've gone - and dove a full 7mil farmer john with hood. Once in the summer in La Jolla (San Diego) I dove in just a 7mil - no hood. but on repetitive dives I'd want more layers. I've also dove Los Coronados on the US/Mexico border in a 7MM/hood in October. Many members that post here in the SoCal forum mention drysuits regularly - one shop in L.A. even tries to sell you one during certification.

Hawaii is occasionally a non-stop flight from Phoenix. Always warm there.

 

[galodoido]

Surprisingly it's cold water here in hot sunny Arizona water since most lakes are fed by rivers that originate in the mountains. Flagstaff itself is 6900' so any local diving should be done using elevation-compensated tables/gear. I actually doubt you'll ever dive there though besides the two lousy lakes I mentioned there's really only a couple more within a couple hours drive that aren't complete mudholes with weeds smothering them.

I don't dive cold anymore - haven't for years but my friends who dive our local to Phoenix - Lake Pleasant are all in 7mils - maybe 5 in the summer. In winter those that own drysuits use them there. One of my thinner friends uses hers all year there.

I don't know the elevation of Lake Mohave but it will be cold also - the Colorado River runs thru it. I haven't ever dove it to know the temps/conditions. But I have been to Lake Havasu a little farther south and I'd want a 7mil at depth there for most of the year.

The other place Summit lists - San Carlos - is in the northern Sea of Cortez. Due to tidal movements the water temps swing widely. In late summer into fall, it can be in the 80's - I've dove there as late as Oct. 20th in a t-shirt/board shorts but it was really too cold when I hit the thermocline so I stayed above it. In the winter it can drop to the 50's so people who dive the same spots then are in layered 7mils or drysuits.

Los Angeles/San Diego diving is all cold water also - the visibility is best in the fall often when the algae dies out so that's when I've gone - and dove a full 7mil farmer john with hood. Once in the summer in La Jolla (San Diego) I dove in just a 7mil - no hood. but on repetitive dives I'd want more layers. I've even dove Los Coronados on the US/Mexico border in a 7MM/hood in October.

Are you attending NAU? Just curious why the move from Brazil...

Nice, I guess I'd need a 7 mil then. I've basically only done warm water diving and I love not having to wear a wetsuit. Guess I'll need to get used to it.

Answering your question: yes, I'm moving to Flagstaff to start Grad School at NAU.

 

[savsuds]

I am not sure about Flagstaff, but some dive shops offer their dive masters a cheaper price on gear. Couldn't hurt to ask.

 

[KevinNM]

I am not sure about Flagstaff, but some dive shops offer their dive masters a cheaper price on gear. Couldn't hurt to ask.

If you are a working dive master at a shop (that is, you are working with students) you get access to the key man discounts from the manufacturers. Which are absurdly good. The problem is that generally these come with strings that say, like at my local LDS, that all the instructors need to use all aqualung gear or all scubapro gear at another one in town. This is written into the store dealer agreement, so the owner will enforce it if they don't want to lose that manufacturer (The sales rep is allowed to make exceptions, and the aqualung guy seemed reasonable about letting people use existing gear - but he doesn't have to make an exception for you). So if you are thinking about becoming a working dive master at the shop I would hold off buying gear until you talk to them.

 

[AlphaDiver]

Buy a gear that can last you years after years problem free. If budget is low just get the Apeks xtx50 set. They breathe as good as their flagship xtx200 and comparable to aqualungs legend lx.