Golem Gear

[Vayu]

Dont they sorta see you as food?

That depends which gator you are around. Generally if you are near a mating area in season or around a nest, all bets are off. On the same note, some of the big bull gators are a little territorial.

By far the most aggressive gators, however, are the ones that have been fed by humans and lost their fear. This is only a minority of them, but alot of people have no sense and so the numbers are increasing.

I doubt an animal in the general area of my size would try to attack me unless it felt threatened, especially when there are lots of other fish around. This one did not give us a bad impression and kept to itself. I have always wanted to see one underwater. It did make me do a quick double-take and we kept an eye on it during the dive. It did not really pay us any notice and therefore we did not call the dive.

Here is a picture I took of a bad gator that was fed by bad humans at a local lake. It rushed out of the water and started hissing. The one in the picture was probably about the same size as the one at alexander springs, however this one was a bit thicker.

-V

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

My Golem Gear BP/W arrived this afternoon!!!!

I cannot believe how tough this gear looks. The build quality is excellent - certainly better than any of the jacket BCs I have seen at my LDS. It even comes with a spiral bound manual (fitting, rigging, care and maintenance)!

The service from Golem Gear is exceptional. The BP/W was really well packaged for shipping and got here without a scratch, dent or nick. A testament to UPS and the South African Post Office is that this gear took 7 days to get from Florida to my local Post Office (in Westville, South Africa). I really had fears of it hitting South African shores and then disappearing (sho't left).

This is a slick package. I got some strange looks today at work when I tried it on - yes, I know that is a strange thing to do. But you only live once

Don't let the "generic" SS BP worry you. I was a bit hesitant about this aspect of the package. This BP is very nicely finished. All the holes and slots have been neatly deburred. The SS plate has a satin finish.

The hog harness is pre-rigged very neatly with all the excess lengths folded back and held in place with rubber loops. Neat and tidy. This was a nice bonus for me as I was not looking forward to doing it myself. There is also enough excess webbing to fit Santa Claus!

I can't add much more to what has been said about this equipment already, other than to say that I can't wait to dive it!

One bit of advice - buy the optional backplate screws with the rig. A few people have come on the Board asking about how to attach the wing to the BP and screws available from Golem Gear do the job well. I am certain the rig will work just as well without the screws, but I prefer a solid attachment.

[One happy customer signing out]

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[timle]

I can't wait for mine to get here, Andrew. Golem was back ordered when I put in the order for the 35 lbs SS combo. Here's hoping it ships soon and I can get some pool sessions before my liveaboard end of February. Let us know how your first dive with the rig goes!

 

[midwayman]

I wrote golem about the back order and they say they expect a shipment in a couple days.

 

[jim T.]

Just wanted to add that I did indeed go ahead and order a rig from Jakub at golemgear.com (although it's an Oxy Sig. 45 and DSS backplate). After reading bits and pieces of Jakub's articles from Advanced Diver Magazine (rebreather stuff) I felt great ordering from someone with his advanced level of direct experience with these rigs. (b.p. wings).

I should have it mid-week, next week around my birthday! I'm glad that such a nice guy, with a wealth of knowledge, who participates on this board is getting our business and that his customers are so happy.

Anyone considering Golem rigs or others he carries, I encourage you to give Jakub a call or email. He answered all of my beginner's questions readily and went out of his way to acknowledge and wish me a happy birthday. I look forward to visiting his shop when I next get to Fla.

Glad I could give Jakub, Tobin and Pat all a little "somethin' at the same time through golemgear.

Jim T.