Good reg set up for SEA 1st - advice needed

[roxolana]

Greetings everybody. I am brand spanking new and very excited to get to be a diver finally ) I really looking forward to the first long diving trip to the warm and clear Carribean this summer. That brings us to my question - I have a friend give me his US Divers Micra with SEA first stage in great condition - suggesting I can use it if I find the rest of the gear for the set up. Being a complete novice - I really need advice on whether there are any compatibility issues , or things I need to consider looking for an octo for that setup? Being that SEA is environmentally not sealed ? Woudl apprecaite feedback or if you have dove with it. I so far only dove with Mares V16 and Sherwood Oasis - and would not know how they compare to Micra. Thank you in advance!

 

[rgbmatt]

IMO, the Micra 2nd stage sucks - you might want to buy a new 2nd stage and use the Micra as an octo. The SEA is a perfectly normal 1st stage, so almost any 2nd stage will work fine with it.

If you're a beginning diver and don't want to do spend heaps of money, any of the no-frills unbalanced 2nd stages from a good manufacturer such as Scubapro, Aqualung, Mares, or Oceanic will work great. Your best bet is to try some out in the shop and see which ones feel most comfortable in your mouth.

Environmentally sealed regs are meant for diving in near-freezing water. Absolutely no need for it if you're going to the Caribbean!

 

[Hzracing]

The Micra doesnt really suck, its just that most techs dont know how to adjust them properly, and there are a couple upgrades that can be done to make them breath better (LIM diaphragm, teflon coated lever).

The 1st stage pressure is approx 140 PSi, so any octo will work with the SEA 1st stage, I would recommend the Aqualung ABS octo, to keep the regulators in the same manufacture

As stated above, enviromental sealed is not a issue, unless diving in freezing water.

 

[roxolana]

Thanks a lot ! It is a little overwhelming with all the info around here - waaaay over my head. Appreciate the info.