Yeah guys, I get all that... get away from the experience part when it comes to actually diving. I started diving professionally in the military when I was 17. I am 50 now and a retired Maine Bio/ Chem Oceanographer for .gov. Enough said. I understand all the concepts of neutral buoyancy. Get off the cave dive training. You can go get trained to set explosives or diving in the Arctic. Been there Done That. I am 100% Disabled Vet now, but it had nothing to do with diving. Obviously I did not dodge every bullet<sic>. What is the point of filling out a profile...
I am not taking anything as sarcasm, but somehow my question is not being understood... I just need help understanding the new equipment. I went in to a ScubaPro Shop and looked at all the new stuff that was out now and I have a lot of questions. I saw a BC with weights in their pockets that are clipped in. I looked at one that had everything integrated. The sales guy was useless and I wasn't buying Scuba Pro off the shelf anyway...
Now back to my questions, which are all EQUIPMENT specific cause I am an old man, and I have been diving with my same old crap. I have never dove with a wing, or an integrated BC, an Air2, etc. I never had money for that stuff, and my employers didn't either, let alone it being available at the time... If it were up to me, my kid would be in a BC jacket with a weight belt and a standard octopus using the Navy dive tables. I am buying my equipment gently used from DiscountDivers.com so I am choosing from what he has available. I am trying to edumacate myself in the process... and buy some better stuff cause I do have the money now.
So I want to make sure that if I put him in a wing with an integrated weight system. I can still put a belt on him to keep him from floating away if he needs to take his BC off underwater. That's it...
So yeah, with that all out of the way,
One thing you asked without anyone hear having answered yet is: Is there a way to do it without a weight belt?
Exactly what I was trying to get at...
I got that Zeagles are a good wing.
So from what I gather, the weight that is on the BC that is dumped by the rip cord is part of the weight of the BC. They list two numbers...total weight, dumpable weight.
I will either move one or the other to his belt with enough to keep him down if he had to take his bc/tank off, but enough is still going to be left so he can use his dump cord OR his weight belt or both. I shouldn't do it with a harness.
So to summarize: even with the rip cord system in the Zeagle, I should have a weight belt if I want to... just in case...
I assume, but will check that the non-dumpable weight would include as SS back plate if I choose to put one on for two tank dives, but I don't need something like that for my boy right away, but I might want it on the larger Zeagle Tech. Later on, I could add it because the Zeagle is modular and that is one of the reasons people like them?
Does the Zeagle have other non-dumpable weight? like in the pockets, or is that just the total weight of the BC?
I also gather, that paying an extra $40 for the Air2 that comes on the smaller BC is worth it.
I can take it off, and I can use the Air2 later on down the road if I want. They retail for about $180??
I further gather that the Zeagles that are available to me at a gently used price are good wing BCDs that give me the options I want with regards to weight, SS back boards, two tank mounting, and will grow with him, etc. They are modular and I can add and remove things around as I need.
And while I am at it, I will upgrade my crappy old Cressi BC jacket that I have been using for the last 15 years... so I can have a nice wing to dive with that will be easy on my back that is broke in four places...and make my diving more enjoyable...
That would be $350 and $550 respectively for the Zeagles, which I also gather is a good price.
If anyone has had a problem with DiscountDivers.com let me know...
I picked up a US Diver Octo setup for $140 and a Oceanic Pro Plus Computer for $300 which is very similar to the Oceanic I dive with.
If there is anything that I didn't understand correctly about this equipment please pipe in. Thank you all very much.