equipment question- want to get involved with caves/wrecks

[PerroneFord]

Not trying to cause an argument, but most people that discuss the pros/cons of a Transplate have not actually ever used one.

Quite true. However, some of us work for DR dealers and have had experience with most of their products. And some have burned by trying to take gear to OW, Cave, Wreck, or CCR training. The BP/W is the only config I've seen that moves to all those agencies and types of diving without reconfiguration.

But your point is well made.

 

[Tony7781]

Here you go, heres an example of some good used gear BP/Wings.specifficly refering to the Diverite Bp and single harness and Deep Outdoor wing
The Deco Stop

Tony, you are one smart guy to be asking these good questions,,me I was stupid and bought all the wrong stuff when I started.. Kick myself now!

Thanks man, I appreciate the information!! Yea I figure Id like to try and 'buy smart' now so it will also payoff later

 

[simcoediver]

Tony, heres some good reading for you, it will help you get going in the right direction., ..Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers

 

[Tony7781]

Tony, heres some good reading for you, it will help you get going in the right direction., ..Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers

Your the man!! Thats exactly what I have been looking for! Thanx

 

[Dive-aholic]

Tony, before spending any money on any gear, why not try out various types of gear first? True, you won't find many shops in Staten Island that will rent or loan gear for you to try before buying. In fact, you probably won't find many shops that even carry BP/Ws. This may require a trip. If you're truly interested in cave diving, head down to Florida for a few days of diving. There are lots of springs that offer plenty of OW area diving without going into the overhead. I even know a few places where you can get some gear to try out before making a purchase. You're smart for posting that question here. My wife and I bought all our gear before even doing our checkout dives. A year later we bought all new gear and sold our 1 year old gear on ebay. About a year after that we bought even more gear. We're now on our 4 sets of rigs and looking around for something else to better suit our needs. It looks like we're going to have to make our own rigs, though because no one has what we want. The whole point of this is your gear will evolve with your experience. The BP/W is easily evolved. I still have my original BP/W. I use the single tank wing for teaching recreational diving and the double tanks wing for teaching tech and cave courses. I use my sidemount rig for my usual diving. I use both Scuba Pro Jets and Dive Rite fins, depending on what gear configuration I'm in. I use a $35 mask and love it. I have a 50 cent snorkel for teaching recreational classes. Buy the best regs you can find. And don't buy them until you've breathing at least half a dozen regs first. Breathing them on land is fine. You will be able to tell the difference. Also, keep in mind that as a future tech diver you may want to end up servicing your own regs. That means buying regs that you can buy service kits for. Dive Rite is a manufacturer that comes to mind that allows the sale of service kits to divers. Many of the other manufacturers don't allow that and you'll have to bring your regs (many regs when you're tech diving) in for servicing. Not only can this be expensive, but you're also trusting your life to someone that may not really know what they're doing. I started servicing my own regs because I was tired of getting back regs that were improperly serviced. And don't waste your money on an octo. Get 2 primary 2nd stage regulators. They should actually both be the same reg. Remember, the back up is the one going into your mouth, not your buddies!

Okay, you have a lot of information in this thread to think about. Let us know what other questions come up (many will).

 

[Tony7781]

Dive a-holic.....Thanks for this information. it is very helpful!! I was planning on renting some BP/W to test but couldnt find any for rent. Ironically my parents just purchased a house in Clermont Florida, where I am told are lots and lots of good springs. So it sounds like I can go there and rent BP/W's to test and see which will suit me best?? I am just really excited to get started in this new world that I cant stop thinking about it..lol I know I probably sounds like a little kid who got laid for the first time, but thats how I feel! I have to admit, I am very happy I found this forum because all of you helpful, knowledgeable and friendly(at times ..lol JK) people have opened my eyes to so many different things. Like I said I had originally purchased a BCD. Looking back at that, I am lucky I am in the position where I can return it to go for a more versatile BP/W setup. As for the regs, I have looked and 3 that I am interested in. Below are the three. I have tested them in my LCD and all seem pretty good, if you have any opinion please advise. Also, do you know off hand if Oceanic, Aqualung, Mares or Apex sell the service kits to divers? Oh and lastly a friend of mine has a mares abyss, would you recommend me picking that up and using it as my octo? I apologize in advance for the long winded and probably novice question filled post!
1- Oceanic Delta 4 FDX10 Diaphragm Regulator with Environmental seal, Black with Svival
2- Apeks XTX50 Regulator
3- AquaLung Legend LX ACD Supreme Regulator

 

[Zinc]

Lots of good suggestions here...

Let's not forget DIN valves and regs (vs. yoke)

 

[sskasser]

Ah Clermont, good location, beautiful area! You're about two hours from the best spring diving and only about three hours from some great ocean diving!

 

[calwolf]

Regarding backplates, keep in mind that they aren't a "one-piece" item. You get to choose the components and put them together on your own. This is one of the things that makes them highly customizable for any kind of diving you'll be doing. Here's a list of the things that went into my backplate system (I was on a tight budget):

Hammerhead Stainless Steel Backplate with heavy Single Tank Adapter (STA): $125 shipped
HOG 32 lb. singles wing: $200 shipped
Oxycheq Hogarthian Harness Kit: $45
XS Scuba Tank Bands (2) (I special ordered them from Scubatoys): $20

Total cost: under $400 (before discounts on several of the products, which made it about $360 total, shipped)

Throw it all together, and I've got a really nice setup, for a pretty good price. I've since added a removable pocket and knife to the harness, but those aren't part of the kit itself.

 

[PerroneFord]

Or for $390 you could get the same from Golem Gear (including the knife)
Or for $460 you could get a full rig from DSS

Lot's of options out there for the bargain hunter.