ClassAction once bubbled...
I recently completed my open water training and I'm in the market for some gear. Can anyone help me decide between Halcyon and OMS? I'm leaning toward OMS for the following reasons:
1) I've heard that the OMS wings are stronger
2) I like the feel of the IQ
3) I might want to use doubles in the future. With OMS, I have to buy the STA for around $80, but I'll always have the option of diving singles or doubles. If I go halcyon, the DIR only allows me to dive singles. I'd have to buy another wing to be able to do doubles.
Thanks so much for your help in advance!
1) I doubt the OMS wings are tougher, these guys (OMS, Halcyon, Dive Rite, etc) all make their wings out of the same grade Nylon. I was looking at the OMS (my instructor was selling) over the Halcyon but decided on the Halcyon instead... their wings feel similar... the OMS bladder however (95lbs one) is encased in an outer zippered shell...much like the Explorer wings of Halcyon... if this is what people mean by tougher... then maybe so... but other than that, they're all the same. The OMS wings however do have an additional right shoulder dump. Whether or not you see this as a potential failure point (DIR philosophy) or as an added convenience, is entirely up to you.
2) I did to when I tried the IQ pack over Halcyon's webbing... but then, I tried the whole rig... with my suit and all, with a tank strapped to my back... they both felt the same... and I felt I wanted a less padded system wrapped around me. (I hate the feeling of having so much junk strapped around me)
BTW, you can use an IQ pack with the Halcyon 27 wing in case you're interested... but if not... OMS is coming up with a similar wing as the Halcyon Pioneer wing... it's "O"-shaped as well, and has a 30# lift. just to let you know
3) Don't be too much in a rush to dive doubles (deco diving) now that you've just finished your OW class..log in dives first, besides the additional expense of a 2nd wing (the Pioneer for singles and something else for doubles) is not that much... besides you'll still need a 2nd regulator set and/or manifold tanks, and additional training... you'll find that having separate wings 'feels' better underwater...specially when switching back to singles. And by the time you start diving doubles anyway, you might want to buy a new wing anyway.
A personal note though, one thing I do NOT like about the OMS bladder is the rubber tubing that wraps around it to deflate the wing... this is to supposedly keep the wing streamlined when diving singles or when deflating the wing... but trust me... having bunched up nylong underwater is NOT streamlining a wing... if you can borrow both wings (wings only, no need for the full rig) and have access to a freshwater training pool... try dragging each wing through it and you'll see what I mean... OMS's reasoning sounds fine...but in practice... the wing really creates a lot of drag with that rubber hosing. Without the rubber hosing and your bladder is HUGE for diving singles, and you might as well go with the Pioneer27 wing for singles and another wing AFTER you get certified for deco diving. And if anything goes wrong with your inflator, or something tears your bladder while diving... those rubber hose 'power deflators' are gonna make sure you don't have any air in your BC to surface with.
Never dive with more lift than you need... I used to think more was better... but the more I dove, and after getting my advanced classes... you start to realize that it's more liberating to have less junk strapped to you while diving. Unless you're diving in really cold waters with a thcik wetsuit or drysuit, 27-35# is the most lift you'll need... if you seem to need more, then you might be carrying too much lead... check your buoyancy properly.
Your BC is NOT a life vest... no matter how much lift it has... in fact, the more lift it has (in a BP design) the greater the chances of it floating you face down at the surface (your tank, and wing will put all your buoyancy behind you) A 27-36# wing with trim weights around the back/tank area will balance you off at the surface with not much trouble. My friends with higher capacity wings (Zeagle 45#) have to make sure they don't overinflate at the surface otherwise the wing will really push them face down.
If you want additional lift at the surface to help you float... invest in a good balloon or the Halcyon Surf Raft (or something similar, sorry...I only have Halcyon's catalog with me) then inflate that while at the surface and hug it.... that's a lot safer than having a huge wing trying to force you face-down.
PS: good buoyancy doesn't come that easily... it takes a while to fine tune everything perfectly. I once thought that the BC and weights were everything... then I read that 80% of a diver's lead is need to off-set our friggin' wetsuits... so I did more research... I ended up switching my suits. I now dive a fleece suit from Henderson which is neutral at all depths. This allowed me to ditch about 4 lbs from my belt. Which left me with 4 lbs... basically just enough to offset the AL80 tank when empty.
I now dive with just an AL BP (1.75lbs) and 2lbs trim weight around the tank belts... NO MORE WEIGHT BELT!!!!!
This was the happiest moment in my dive life... when I ditched that annoying weight belt. That's one less thing strapped to me. Feels great. Anyway, my point is... research a bit more. More lift isn't always the answer.
