Getting into tech

[syntaxerrorsix]

Getting ahead like that gives me a sense of security though. Certainly not in my diving skills, I know gear doesn't make the diver. I just don't want to make many more equipment mistakes.

Having information ahead of time can certainly be a good thing.

Maybe I should have rephrased my statement. The more you dive the more you will find what works best for you. Have you considered renting / borrowing any of the above mentioned equipment to gain some insight? Can you dive now without the dry suit and class?

Just as having the information on what to buy is important, having experience with the equipment before you drop all your loot on it is as well.

Forums are a great place for opinions

 

[c6six]

I live in upstate NY, so the Water temp is a little too cold for my 3mm right now. I am a bit cold blooded so I can dive in the low 60's for a good 40 minutes w/ the 3mm, and still be "comfortable"(alive). So after the dry suit class I can see about hooking up w/ someone to dive w/ up here. The woman isn't much a fan of the cold water and low vis.

Also the instructor I would be doing my tech training w/ will be at the St. Lawrence doing a tech class while I am doing my dry suit. With any luck I can get to know him a bit better and hopefully he won't mind taking me under his wing, as I don't yet know many divers in my area yet.

As for the renting thing, I haven't thought allot about it, but I'm sure I would be smart to take your advice. I'll see what my shop will let me rent.

 

[c6six]

Well I got my back plate and wings Thursday last week. I ended up w/ the eclipse 30# and the 55# explorer. The dealer I got them from didn't have any evolves at the time and I got a "deal" on the explorer. I wasn't totally sold on either horse shoe or dough nut style anyways, although I had planned on going w/ dough nut.

I called my Uncle who has an outdoor pool he said the water temperature was about 60 so I figured why not!! I went down to the lds and got a set of 100's and an al 80 (to practice as a stage).

Friday night wasn't bad, it was warm all day right around 70. I didn't get into the pool until 7pm though after setting up all of my gear. I didn't get out until 10:15. After the 1st 1/2 hr. I thought I was doing pretty well so I grabbed the Stage bottle...... Eh, could use a bit more practice w/o that I guess. But after about another 1.5 hours I could manage the al 80 at my side. The coldest water temp I saw was 57. I don't know if the cold didn't bother me in my 3mm because I was just so excited or because there is no current at all in the pool, or just what, but I wasn't cold once! Just a great big grin in a dirty pool that had just been treated!!

Saturday afternoon I spent just over 2hrs in the pool after making some more changes to my webbing.

Sunday I spent just under 2 hrs in the pool. This day felt the coldest It was in the mid 40's air temp, and raining off and on.

What an awesome experience though. Although the pool is only like 9' deep.

Does anyone know a good website that shows how to set up your webbing correctly. I had a website that I thought I had bookmarked, or maybe it was a link off one of my bookmarks. Now I can't find it. I think I did pretty well although it will take allot time to be able to simple get really comfortable right down to where everything is and clipping thing off smoothly with one hand.

 

[robin><((((*>]

The first test in deciding whether or not you are ready for technical diving goes as follows: 1. Walk into bathroom. 2. Open wallet. 3. Fetch largest bill. 4. Drop in toilet. 5. Flush and repeat steps 1-4. If you can handle this without cringing, you are ready for tech diving

I think you'll like your 130's. They are great tanks, trim out very well, and you'll have oodles of gas. While you are getting used to the equipment you will be able to get two recreational dives on them so no need for multiple sets on the boat and not switching tanks between dives. They are heavy but you'll get used to them.

As for the BP/wing, I have no problem w/ the quality or function of Halcyon gear but it is just way overpriced for my tastes. I'm not going to shell out the cash for an "H" on my gear when I can get just as good if not better gear from Agir, DSS, Oxycheq, etc., etc.

You will be happy with Bare. I dive a DUI myself, but dive with some folks who own Bares and they love them.

Take the time you need to gather gear to work on your skills. You don't need to be in a technical environment to work on the skills that you need to be successful in a technical environemnt. Bouyancy and trim needs to be spot on. Ascents and descents need to be very controlled, especially your ascent through shallow water (30 to 20, 20 to 10). Good buddy and environment awareness, communication, and the ability to plan a dive and execute that plan. All this stuff can be practiced on any dive and so take advantage of the time you have before now and the start of your training.

Find a good mentor! It is good to have a sounding board while you are working through issues and you won't have the pressure to perform that might have with an instructor. Just make sure you find someone who is doing the kind of dives that you want to be doing.

Good luck w/ your transition and congrats on the decision. As with many other things in life, it's all about the journey and not just the destination.

repeat steps 1-4....... the best impartation of wisdom that I have read so far on scubaboard....I have found the transition from step 5 back to step one to be the most difficult...start all over again.... just had a custom dui suit made for me, off the rack suits did not fit well cha ching!!

 

[Blackwood]

I would not worry about argon until you get into trimix diving. There is very little (if any noticeable) difference between air/nitrox and argon in the suit.

Putting helium into your suit however does suck.

Mat.

I say get the argon setup with the suit. The cost is in the noise compared to the rest of his expenses.



Used bottle, argon reg, hose, soft-mount: 200-250 bucks

Being able to add air to your suit when your tech instructor inevitably decides to be an ass and simulates a left-post failure: priceless

 

[Flightlead]

I called my Uncle who has an outdoor pool he said the water temperature was about 60 so I figured why not!! I

I didn't get into the pool until 7pm though after setting up all of my gear. I didn't get out until 10:15. After the 1st 1/2 hr. I thought I was doing pretty well so I grabbed the Stage bottle...... Eh, could use a bit more practice w/o that I guess. But after about another 1.5 hours I could manage the al 80 at my side. The coldest water temp I saw was 57. I don't know if the cold didn't bother me in my 3mm because I was just so excited or because there is no current at all in the pool, or just what, but I wasn't cold once! Just a great big grin in a dirty pool that had just been treated!!

holy ice cubes in your SAC my friend. over 3 hours in below 60 degree water in a 3mm!

YIKES! I get chilled after 45 minutes or so in water that temperature in a 7mm with hood and gloves!

Perhaps you can save money on the dry suit my friend

 

[c6six]

I had a hood too (looking back I think I forgot to mention that), and I did say the coldest I saw on my vytec was 57, I saw it as high as 63.

also does anyone think the fact of being in a pool w/ no current had anything to do with it??

I'm sort of wondering if I could get by w/ a heavy neoprene easy enough. That would certainly be cheaper. I didn't believe I would have been so comfortable in that water for that long. Course if you told me I would have a big grin in that dirty shallow water I would have called you nuts too. I think most of it had to do w/ the novelty of being new. If I were to have done it in my old probe lx there is no way I could have lasted that long, I would be thinking about how cold it was instead of what I was doing.

 

[Flightlead]

I had a hood too (looking back I think I forgot to mention that), and I did say the coldest I saw on my vytec was 57, I saw it as high as 63.

also does anyone think the fact of being in a pool w/ no current had anything to do with it??

I'm sort of wondering if I could get by w/ a heavy neoprene easy enough. That would certainly be cheaper. I didn't believe I would have been so comfortable in that water for that long. Course if you told me I would have a big grin in that dirty shallow water I would have called you nuts too. I think most of it had to do w/ the novelty of being new. If I were to have done it in my old probe lx there is no way I could have lasted that long, I would be thinking about how cold it was instead of what I was doing.

depends on the diving you are going to be doing. remember neoprene compresses and looses buoyancy and insulating ability with depth. Beyond 80 feet in an off the rack 7mm suit you are really in a 1.5mm suit. even with rubatex you are at a disadvantage deeper than that. it really starts to have an effect on longer dives.

if your dives are going to be shallower then a well fitting suit, possibly a semi-dry, with good pockets might be an option for you. a good custom suit is only 50% more than I paid for my thick d/s undergarments

the suit you use really depends on the mission you are trying to accomplish.

 

[c6six]

I realized neoprene compressed under depth. I guess I didn't put 2 and 2 together and think about it's insulation properties at depth. Since I am looking to go deeper for longer I should stay with the dry suit.

 

[Blackwood]

I realized neoprene compressed under depth. I guess I didn't put 2 and 2 together and think about it's insulation properties at depth. Since I am looking to go deeper for longer I should stay with the dry suit.

Not to mention that a drysuit has the advantage of offering redundant buoyancy.