I'm getting ready to move into the Tek diving arena, and would like some advice on gear. There are so many good regs and BC's out there how is anyone ever to choose. So....any advice as I get ready to take the plunge?
Gearing up for Tek
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ianr33
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Dont get a BC 
scubafanatic
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...well, before you start throwing $ around, you might buy a copy of this book: "Doing It Right: The Fundamentals of Better Diving" by Jarrod Jablonski (Global Underwater Explorers) it will have some chapters on 'tech' gear selection...you need to be fully briefed on this before you go shopping. Also, based on a few tech classes I've taken, instructors are rather picky/particular about allowable/permissable gear....you might reach out to your local 'tech' dive shops and get a feel for how they 'roll' with respect to anticipated gear types/styles/brands BEFORE you make any expensive gear purchasing mistakes.
Find a good instructor first and ask him/her for advice.
Holy smokes - if the instructor can't deal with a solid decision that you made on your gear, shame on him/her! There are a 1,000 ways to skin any cat, and the same holds true in technical diving. There are certainly community standards that have a proven basis and history, and then there are plenty of personal choices. Remember, it is YOUR gear, not gear you are buying and diving with solely to please some other human.
Write me privately or even better call me (800-825-2452) and I will be glad to spend as much time as you wish to share many options and choices, including the upsides and downsides of each.
Don't buy a book and start making your shopping list. Obtain knowledge and solid recommendations first, then read the book and see how the advice therein may affect your decision making process.
Write me privately or even better call me (800-825-2452) and I will be glad to spend as much time as you wish to share many options and choices, including the upsides and downsides of each.
Don't buy a book and start making your shopping list. Obtain knowledge and solid recommendations first, then read the book and see how the advice therein may affect your decision making process.
First and foremost talk to the instructor who is teaching the class. While my tech instructor would do everything he could to make it easy for the diver there are some things that are just not gonna cut it with the majority of them. Poodle jackets or the so called "rec/tec" bc's are a no-no. Get a decent Back Plate and Wing set up. Hog Harness preferred. Things like a transpac are fine but simple is best. I advise my OW students to go this route if they plan on doing alot of diving and especially if they are going to travel. Packs small, easy to adjust, and fully customizable. There are "rec/tec" bcs out there that advertise that you can use doubles but really you can't. They are for the tech wannabe's who most likely wear them on caribbean dives and will never want to pick up a set of doubles let alone dive them.
It's like many of the people who buy Hummer H2s and 3s. They can't afford a real one, wouldn't know what to do with it they could, so they get this fancy looking thing and if you've ever looked at one they suck for cargo room, access to cargo and gear, and are too boxy looking. In the 60's and 70's they called em station wagons and they get used the same way today.
Regs should be envirosealed with straight hose setups- no swivels. Get an octo of equal quality to your primary. Slim-lines, swivels, low profile- forget em. And do not use console gauges. Wrist mounted with a basic brass and glass spg on the HP hose.
If you don't have a computer get one that will allow you to dive in gauge mode. You will not be relying on it for your dive plan. You'll be cutting tables and sticking to the plan as outlined. I use an Oceanic veo200 in gauge mode with an OMS bottom timer as backup. I am new enough to the tech scene to tell you what mistakes I made and did not make in getting gear set up. Fancy computers are pretty much overkill unless you are going for one that does mixed gasses including trimix.
Start diving doubles as soon as you can and get a good mentor along with an instructor. Work on your weighting and trim on shallow dives as much as you can. Get can light. You don't need a 50W HID right off the bat. A 10W HID or one of the new LED's ( I have a salvo 12W rebel) will work. Start adopting a Hogarthian attitude towards your diving in general. If I don;t need it- don;t take it. If I do have a back up or two.
Get a good quality reel or reels, primary, safety, and perhaps a spool or two. JJ's book is a good one but I'd also recommend Tom Mount's Exploration and Mixed Gas Diving Encyclopedia- The Tao of Underwater Survival. I use alot of the info in this book in my OW classes and especially in my AOW class. Talk to the instructor and find out what tables you'll be using. Get a copy of them or the computer program and get familiar with it. I use v-planner.
Stay away from all the little gimmicks out there. Your tech instructor will have an approved list of extra stuff he/she will allow you to use in class. You can customize things later once you find out and adopt the proper way to do so. Shiny and new, my buddy has one, or the lds says I need it is not a good reason. Is it going to enhance the safety of the dive, will I use it, is it truly necessary, is it a proven design, and will all the team members benefit or at least not be inconvenienced by it? THis is just part of choosing a new piece of gear.
I tell my AOW students that the reason they are taking the class is because they want to do dives that have the potential to get them into alot more trouble real fast. So slow and simple when changing setups. It's why I recommend the Hogarthian BPW setup to those who I think, or tell me they are going to do alot of diving. They soon find out bc's in general suck. Pockets are in the wrong place, stuff like gimmicky inflators just add to failure points and maintenance costs. Integrated weights are nice until you have to replace a pocket for one of these and realize that a 10 dollar weight belt, proper weighting, and good technique actually works better. And when doing tech dives especially with double steels chances are you won't need much weight if any.
If you have any other question drop a line or call. Info on my website- www.udmaquatics.com
It's like many of the people who buy Hummer H2s and 3s. They can't afford a real one, wouldn't know what to do with it they could, so they get this fancy looking thing and if you've ever looked at one they suck for cargo room, access to cargo and gear, and are too boxy looking. In the 60's and 70's they called em station wagons and they get used the same way today.
Regs should be envirosealed with straight hose setups- no swivels. Get an octo of equal quality to your primary. Slim-lines, swivels, low profile- forget em. And do not use console gauges. Wrist mounted with a basic brass and glass spg on the HP hose.
If you don't have a computer get one that will allow you to dive in gauge mode. You will not be relying on it for your dive plan. You'll be cutting tables and sticking to the plan as outlined. I use an Oceanic veo200 in gauge mode with an OMS bottom timer as backup. I am new enough to the tech scene to tell you what mistakes I made and did not make in getting gear set up. Fancy computers are pretty much overkill unless you are going for one that does mixed gasses including trimix.
Start diving doubles as soon as you can and get a good mentor along with an instructor. Work on your weighting and trim on shallow dives as much as you can. Get can light. You don't need a 50W HID right off the bat. A 10W HID or one of the new LED's ( I have a salvo 12W rebel) will work. Start adopting a Hogarthian attitude towards your diving in general. If I don;t need it- don;t take it. If I do have a back up or two.
Get a good quality reel or reels, primary, safety, and perhaps a spool or two. JJ's book is a good one but I'd also recommend Tom Mount's Exploration and Mixed Gas Diving Encyclopedia- The Tao of Underwater Survival. I use alot of the info in this book in my OW classes and especially in my AOW class. Talk to the instructor and find out what tables you'll be using. Get a copy of them or the computer program and get familiar with it. I use v-planner.
Stay away from all the little gimmicks out there. Your tech instructor will have an approved list of extra stuff he/she will allow you to use in class. You can customize things later once you find out and adopt the proper way to do so. Shiny and new, my buddy has one, or the lds says I need it is not a good reason. Is it going to enhance the safety of the dive, will I use it, is it truly necessary, is it a proven design, and will all the team members benefit or at least not be inconvenienced by it? THis is just part of choosing a new piece of gear.
I tell my AOW students that the reason they are taking the class is because they want to do dives that have the potential to get them into alot more trouble real fast. So slow and simple when changing setups. It's why I recommend the Hogarthian BPW setup to those who I think, or tell me they are going to do alot of diving. They soon find out bc's in general suck. Pockets are in the wrong place, stuff like gimmicky inflators just add to failure points and maintenance costs. Integrated weights are nice until you have to replace a pocket for one of these and realize that a 10 dollar weight belt, proper weighting, and good technique actually works better. And when doing tech dives especially with double steels chances are you won't need much weight if any.
If you have any other question drop a line or call. Info on my website- www.udmaquatics.com
Some good suggestions here. JJ book is an excellent start as is Dress for Success, reading these before talking to a shop owner or instructor may give you some background on the right questions to ask about gear. A little research will also give you an idea of what way of training is best for your personality and goals and then you can find an instructor to work with that will meet these goals. Buy the gear as you need it a little at a time and practice and dive alot.
Another resource to look up is NAUI NTEC. One way or another, you're probably going to end up in some variation on a Hogarthian configuration. Of the major agencies here, TDI probably allows for the most instructor variation, GUE the least. If you're in the UK and diving with the BSAC, all bets are off--it's a very different mindset.
mts0628
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Hello:
I was going to comment on this yesterday but I didn't because while I have not taken any Tech courses, I do understand that certain agencies prefer certain types of equipment. The instructor for the course would be the best source for any equipment, not recommending brands mind you but styles (BP/W versus BCD, Necklace backup versus integrated air inflator and so on).
On this note, if you show up to Fundamentals (the gateway to Tech and Cave for GUE) with split fins and a bungeed wing because you know that these things are the best for you for whatever reason, you will still be wrong. Talking with the instructor would have avoided these purchases and steered you in a direction that would have suited the particular class and agency that you seek knowledge from.
Jrankney1, If you're like me, you only want to buy gear once. Too bad we already have though, and as our appetites increase, we see that our initial gear selection probably won't accommodate what our training and future diving requires.
Now buying smart after reading books, internet, and speaking with those who know, hopefully your gear selection will allow you to progress with minimal additional cost or change to your gear as your knowledge increases. Maybe an added piece here or there but no major changes. Unfortunately, an added piece may be a few hundred bucks but at least you aren't spending to reinvent the wheel for your whole kit.
With kind regards,
Thomas
I was going to comment on this yesterday but I didn't because while I have not taken any Tech courses, I do understand that certain agencies prefer certain types of equipment. The instructor for the course would be the best source for any equipment, not recommending brands mind you but styles (BP/W versus BCD, Necklace backup versus integrated air inflator and so on).
On this note, if you show up to Fundamentals (the gateway to Tech and Cave for GUE) with split fins and a bungeed wing because you know that these things are the best for you for whatever reason, you will still be wrong. Talking with the instructor would have avoided these purchases and steered you in a direction that would have suited the particular class and agency that you seek knowledge from.
Jrankney1, If you're like me, you only want to buy gear once. Too bad we already have though, and as our appetites increase, we see that our initial gear selection probably won't accommodate what our training and future diving requires.
Now buying smart after reading books, internet, and speaking with those who know, hopefully your gear selection will allow you to progress with minimal additional cost or change to your gear as your knowledge increases. Maybe an added piece here or there but no major changes. Unfortunately, an added piece may be a few hundred bucks but at least you aren't spending to reinvent the wheel for your whole kit.
With kind regards,
Thomas
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I agree with Jimlap's first sentence, which is what my rather abbreviated post was meant to say. There are arguments in favour of Hogarthian simplicity and there are arguments against it. Similary, if the only book you read is Jablonski's then you'll get a narrow - tho' perfectly valid on its own terms - view on the diving world. The world is NOT inevitably evolving towards the DIR/GUE approach, whatever its advocates may think and say.
I guess my recommendation is certainly to listen to advice from your chosen instructor but also listen to others and watch what other people do. Get into an active dive club which has members who dive the way you'd like to. Insofar as is practicable don't buy any gear without trying it extensively first. And be prepared for getting it wrong (for you) first time so you may have to sell on and replace. A good argument for buying used in the first place, but again with extreme caution as there are a lot of cowboys out there.
Look for balanced views. Whenever anyone says "this is what you need' or "this is how you should dive" immediately look around for alternatives. Beware comments like "things like a Transpac are fine" because there are actually many people out there making successful dives on "things like Transpacs" and enjoying them. I dive with lots of different types of gear and see merits in all of them. Including Hogarthian backplate rigs and Transpacs.
One final point. DIR/GUE philosophy is that there is one way do do something that has been considered and researched by your betters and you must follow. Or something like that. Although I have met these people and done some of their courses I prefer the philosophy I was taught (by one of the most experienced diving instructors in the world) that there are usually lots of ways of doing things, and not only should you work out your own solutions but you should also occasionally change and try something new to you, as you might find it better. In other words, do your own thinking and don't accept others' as inviolable mantra. You clearly need to get a lot of experience first, and when you need to team dive you may need to modify things for the good of the team. The bulk of divers behave like this, doing their own thing without being told what they must do, though clearly you won't hear about most of them. You will only hear the vocal minority who insist that their way is the ONLY way.
I guess my recommendation is certainly to listen to advice from your chosen instructor but also listen to others and watch what other people do. Get into an active dive club which has members who dive the way you'd like to. Insofar as is practicable don't buy any gear without trying it extensively first. And be prepared for getting it wrong (for you) first time so you may have to sell on and replace. A good argument for buying used in the first place, but again with extreme caution as there are a lot of cowboys out there.
Look for balanced views. Whenever anyone says "this is what you need' or "this is how you should dive" immediately look around for alternatives. Beware comments like "things like a Transpac are fine" because there are actually many people out there making successful dives on "things like Transpacs" and enjoying them. I dive with lots of different types of gear and see merits in all of them. Including Hogarthian backplate rigs and Transpacs.
One final point. DIR/GUE philosophy is that there is one way do do something that has been considered and researched by your betters and you must follow. Or something like that. Although I have met these people and done some of their courses I prefer the philosophy I was taught (by one of the most experienced diving instructors in the world) that there are usually lots of ways of doing things, and not only should you work out your own solutions but you should also occasionally change and try something new to you, as you might find it better. In other words, do your own thinking and don't accept others' as inviolable mantra. You clearly need to get a lot of experience first, and when you need to team dive you may need to modify things for the good of the team. The bulk of divers behave like this, doing their own thing without being told what they must do, though clearly you won't hear about most of them. You will only hear the vocal minority who insist that their way is the ONLY way.
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