Future Caver with questions about a BP/W

[Rainer]

I think the Dive-rite stuff is fine.Get an aluminum backplate and harness.As for the wing I wouldnt buy a single tank wing if your going to doubles later.Just get a rec wing.It has bungees you tighten for single tank diving,and you loosen them up or take em off when diving doubles.Thats the one I got and I love it.I spent another 100 dollars and got the dual rec wing.[a backup bladder]in case of primary wing failure.I find it funny that alot of cave divers think a dry suit is mandatory.Not so with backup inflation,and a good 7 mil suit.I have a Pinnacle cruiser and have never gotten cold.Take in everyones advice and make up your own mind from there.Randy...

Or better yet, take Tobin's advice...

 

[TSandM]

There's no reason not to start with a BP/W now. I dove a single tank BP/W setup for over a year before I began diving doubles, and I still do some shore dives in my single tank rig. No point in buying a different type of BC, which you will then have to set aside when you go to dive in caves. All you have to do with a BP/W setup is get a different wing.

You will be more comfortable and happier if you buy a setup with a wing that's designed for single tanks. It will be more streamlined, and it will vent more easily. In the grand universe of everything you will have to buy to set up a cave diving configuration, a doubles wing will hardly be noticed. (Putting together a tech diving setup is EXPENSIVE; two high end regulators, manifolded tanks, can light, reel, high-end backup lights . . . it goes on.)

As far as where to begin, you are far from any caves, so my strong recommendation would be to take GUE's Fundamentals class. You can probably find one somewhere you can get to, or if you can find a couple of like-minded divers, you can bring an instructor in. Fundies will teach you the basic skills needed for cave diving, and show you how high the bar is on performance to dive in caves. Having taken Fundies and a wreck workshop, I was beautifully prepared for my cave classes, and I'm very glad I didn't spend the money to travel to Florida or Mexico, just to find out my skills weren't anywhere near the standard that's required. You don't necessarily have to continue your cave education with GUE, if you don't want to, but nothing you learn in Fundies will get in your way in further work. Very much to the contrary.

 

[Peter Guy]

Asider -- It is not at all surprising that TSandM recommends taking Fundamentals of DIR (aka Fundies) since she does ooze Kool-Aid. That written, I agree with her. IF you plan on becoming a "technical diver" you will need a very solid foundation -- the "Fundamentals" if you will.

While Fundies is not the only way to get exposed to those Fundamentals, it is a good and structured program for getting the exposure -- and perhaps the most efficient in terms of time and money. I'd also suggest getting, and studying, a couple of Breakthrough Diving's DVD's -- Essentials and Intro to Tech.

Regarding gear -- Tobin has provided very good advice (disclaimer -- I own two DSS backplates and a DSS single wing -- I sold a Dive Rite plate and replaced it with a DSS plate because I didn't like the way the DR felt -- VERY personal preference).

 

[Dive-aholic]

Can't comment on gear, its covered!

Don't get hung up on certification agencies though. It doesn't matter if SSI ever offers a cave diving class. Do a little research, save a bit of $$, head to an area that has caves(Florida/Mexico/ect), and get taught by an instructor that dives caves on the regular basis, regardless of the certification agency they teach for.

I'll add a gear comment - be prepared to spend a lot of money. As your dive experience progresses, your gear box will get bigger and bigger. When I first started diving, I was able to fit all of my gear and my wife's gear along with camping gear for the weekend into a Honda Civic. I now own an extended van that has become my dive gear storage box

BTW, this is an older photo. I've added stuff to it since and I'm currently in the process of adding a tank rack (there are 8 tanks on the other side of the divider).

When I bought my doubles wing, I thought I was done. Well, I wasn't. I now own a sidemount rig. And I know that's not the last major purchase. It just keeps going...

As for agencies, SSI will likely never have a cave course. They are primarily a recreational agency. Even PADI doesn't have a cave course. But that's okay. You don't need all your certs through one agency. In fact, unless you've found a good instructor who fits your learning needs, I'd recommend shopping around. Find an instructor who also does tech dives (wreck and cave and deep). Learn from that person. Learning from an instructor who only does recreational dives won't be very beneficial to someone who has aspirations beyond that. I'm not saying there aren't good recreational instructors out there. It's just that they won't be able to accurately answer many questions you may have regarding the direction you are going.

 

[Meng_Tze]

Man you need a clean up!

 

[Dive-aholic]

Who has time to clean up?!?!? The tank rack has been an ongoing project for a few months. I have everything I need. I just don't have the time to build it. Of course, I could always cut out one dive to do it.....naaaaaaaaa!!!

BTW, those bins on each side are filled with scuba related stuff...

 

[stairman]

Yea take tobins advice.Hes got over 3000 posts.That said,I have dove plenty with my doubles wing one or two bottles with none of the problems that others have mentioned.As you can see,information on the internet is varied.However,if you have plenty of money then get a singles wing and later a doubles wing.You could also look at the Fundies class that Im sure is informative but also pricey.

 

[OneBrightGator]

What about every other poster, except maybe bama since she didn't say, in the thread who agrees with him? Or every other thread asking this same question where everyone who responds agrees too?

If you can't afford the correct gear, i.e. two wings, then you can't afford to tech/cave dive. It's not a sport for skimpers.

 

[bamamedic]

What about every other poster, except maybe bama since he didn't say, in the thread who agrees with him? Or every other thread asking this same question where everyone who responds agrees too?

If you can't afford the correct gear, i.e. two wings, then you can't afford to tech/cave dive. It's not a sport for skimpers.

OneBrightGator, bama is a "she" not a "he" LOL

I would tend to agree...tech diving/cave diving is an expensive sport. Better to get the appropriate gear. I'm planning on going to doubles, and a drysuit when I get my next year's tax return, and OMG! That's not going to be cheap. In the grand scheme of things, $200 on a singles wing is not much at all. My Oxycheq wing seems to work wonderfully for my single tank, but I couldn't imagine trying to use a bigger wing to do the same job.

Disclaimer: I am not a cave diver...yet.

 

[icestac]

I'd just get the BP/W setup for singles. If you're like most of us cavers, you'll end up with multiple BPs anyways and everything else for that matter -- I'd go for a SS first just to reduce lead you'll be carrying, but there are a few exceptions (diving steel tanks, don't get too overweighted for your wing). I have recently started selling some of my older stuff as I run out of room and it has made buying he new stuff a lot easier. So just dive for the moment.

If you really want to go all the way, you can knock off the cash at the local girl scout cookie stand

~Jeff