Halcyon worth it for open water?

[Ambush]

So I've lurked this site for a little bit now and I've finally decided to register.

A little about myself first. I'm a sophmore at the University of Florida in Gainesville FL. I'm currently taking a dive master course thorugh the school/NAUI. I plan to take the classes all the way up to instructor. Since I plan to stay in gainesville for a while (i.e. grad school) I really want to get into cave diving, but after I get instructor certfied (I plan to take a cavern class in spring though).

On to the question, would a Halcyon, say eclipse 27lb BP/W config be good for not only open water and deep/nitrox dives, but good for my future cave diving too? Would it be worth it since I would really want a double setup when I begin to cave dive? My DM instructor (who is one of the coolest guys I know ) has an older halycon rig and he likes it. He's also into cave diving, but I havent asked him if he uses another rig for cave diving.

I know extream exposure is right near me, so should I go for the halcyon? I am also loking into the jet harness too but that isn't a wing setup.

I also plan to do DIR-F sometime in the near-future too. Anyone know where around gainesville they offer it?

 

[cornfed]

The backplate and wings setup is probably the most flexible out that there for what you're talking about. As you progress and get into doubles all you need to do is replace the wing. That said, halcyon is no longer the only company making a good single tank wing so if the price is a concern you could check into some of the others. There are a fair number of people here diving oxycheq wings who are pretty happy with them.

 

[Dryglove]

On to the question, would a Halcyon, say eclipse 27lb BP/W config be good for not only open water and deep/nitrox dives, but good for my future cave diving too?

The eclipse comes in a 30lb and 40lb wing while the pioneer series wings come in a 27lb, 36lb and i think a 44lb wing. The eclipse is a tougher double bag design while the pioneer is a single bag/bladder design. The pioneer and eclipse wings are great for open water and nitrox single tank diving. The backplate will cross over for future cave diving but the single tank wing will not. Besides the wing you will have a ton of training to attend and have to buy some expensive gear to go with it.

I know extream exposure is right near me, so should I go for the halcyon? I am also loking into the jet harness too but that isn't a wing setup.

Halcyon and oxycheq are my two favorites and there are more out there besides those two such as diverite, oms, etc

 

[Wendy]

Get in touch with onebrightgator. He lives in Gainesville and goes to UF and is a member of this board. He can help you figure all this out.

 

[OneBrightGator]

Who me???

PM sent.

Ben

 

[Ambush]

The eclipse comes in a 30lb and 40lb wing while the pioneer series wings come in a 27lb, 36lb and i think a 44lb wing. The eclipse is a tougher double bag design while the pioneer is a single bag/bladder design. The pioneer and eclipse wings are great for open water and nitrox single tank diving. The backplate will cross over for future cave diving but the single tank wing will not. Besides the wing you will have a ton of training to attend and have to buy some expensive gear to go with it.

Halcyon and oxycheq are my two favorites and there are more out there besides those two such as diverite, oms, etc

Bah, I meant pioneer. Don't worry I've done my research, I'm not total newbie.

So is the backplate/harness the same for the pioneer/eclipse or ever exlporer? Really if I were to upgrade to doubles I would just need a new wing, correct? If so that sounds pretty good to me as far as longevity/ungradablity goes.

Yah, I know I have a lot of training to under go. I'm planning to either a job in computer repair and/or a DM job at the university come spring. (schedual is hard as hell this fall, no time ) But I love to dive and I really want to start training for cave.

Also I will look into some other brands, since I am a poor college student.

 

[Tollie]

Hi,

For your goals the BP/W setup is what you should be looking at. It’s the most flexible system out there. It can be customized by swapping out bladders as one poster has already commented. Best of all is the underwater characteristics. It makes buoyancy control and trim much more intuitive and it is more stable in the water as it reduces the dynamic instability associated with having a big gas bag wrapped around your body.

You will use the rig with comfort on shallow reefs, deep water dives, and caves no matter what kind of environment. All of this means that your overall expenses over time will be smaller than if you purchased several BCs for different dive environments.

 

[Dryglove]

So is the backplate/harness the same for the pioneer/eclipse or ever exlporer?

Yep

Really if I were to upgrade to doubles I would just need a new wing, correct?

Yep along with another reg set for the second tank

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Really if I were to upgrade to doubles I would just need a new wing, correct? If so that sounds pretty good to me as far as longevity/ungradablity goes.

Yes, all you would need to replace from what you currently own is a wing.

But you would also need to add a second cylinder, a manifold (basically two valves with an assembly that connects them), bands to hold your cylinders to the backplate, and another regulator.

I'll add my 2 psi to what others have said ... there are a number of great options out there for gear. Halcyon is good stuff, but their prices reflect the pride they take in their products. Oxycheq is a very competitive alternative, and every bit as good if you want to buy the whole package from a single source.

Another alternative is to build your own from components, which has the advantage of letting you "customize" your rig. Vendors like FredT, Koplin, and Deep Sea Supply build some really nice backplates. There are others out there as well, but these are the ones I have personal experience with that I think are exceptional quality.

A harness is as simple as purchasing 12 feet of 2" webbing, a few D-rings and keepers, and a buckle and putting it together yourself ... with a little help from someone who's done it before it'll take less than an hour.

Wings ... for a single rig look for one that's "donut" shaped ... in other words, one that continuously allows air to flow from one side to the other both at the top and bottom of the wing. These are easier to vent than the traditional horseshoe-shaped wings. Halcyon, Oxycheq, and Dive Rite all make these type of wings ... shop for the best price, you won't be disappointed with any of them. Avoid any wing that purports to be well-suited for both singles and doubles ... they're not optimal for either.

OK ... so that's more like 20 psi ... hope it's helpful ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[GreenDiverDown]

I'm sooo glad that I don't live near EE...

My suggestion...if you got the dough...just walk over there and load up!

Buy a BP and wing combo pre rigged. I prefer the Pioneer 27 for single tank wetsuit diving with a 6# SS plate. Have 'em show you a rig with and without an STA...play with setting up each rig...heck...jump in the pool and try 'em out. Use the same wetsuit that your planning on using most and play with the weighting. Consider the STA for maybe a better mating of the plate and tank, but more for the additional weighting it affords. But remember, though, the additional setback might make it more difficult to reach your valve. Ask 'em about a channel weight...maybe that would work better than adding a STA...Pick their brain...If anybody can get you set up right, they can.

Do everyone a favor, though. Before you plunk down the big bucks, insist that they re-rig the plate with regular black webbing. Look 'em straight in the eye and tell 'em, "I aint buyin' anything with all those H's on it!"