Halycon BC, wings and harness
- Thread starter Scuba446
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Don't be in such a big hurry...
Why not wait until you get certified and then take you Halcyon rig out on a comparison dive (in fresh water preferably.)
Since you listed yours on ebay with a typo (halycon instead of halcyon) maybe no one will find it and bid on it... however since you posted it here maybe they will
I personally wouldn't advise you to use the Halcyon rig in the pool (chlorine) if you are planning on selling it as new... or at least rinse it very thoroughly in fresh water immeadiately.
VTWarrenG
Guest
Some thoughts:
1) You don't need two rigs. Your BP/wings setup is GREAT! You'll enjoy the heck out of it, no matter how recreational you choose to dive. Keep it, use it, and learn to use it well.
2) You seem to be confusing the terms "stroke," "non-DIR," and "unsafe." "Stroke" is simply synonymous with "unsafe diver." "Non-DIR diver," however, does not necessarily imply "stroke."
My girlfriend is not DIR, and she's not terribly skilled either. Should that stop me from diving with her? Of course not. I only have to adhere to the following bits of common sense:
a) Ensure that we don't dive beyond her abilities, since she is the more novice diver. We generally do shallow shore air dives, use computers, and just have fun playing with seals and sailing through kelp and such. It's a great bonding experience, and no one, not even GI3, could convince me it's bad practice to dive with her.
b) Make efforts to improve obvious safety problems in technique, gear selection, and gear use. This doesn't mean I should throw her entire kit into the dumpster, buy her a BP, and send her to GUE DIR-F. Instead, this means that I should help make sure her equipment is set up properly, give her guidance on how we'll solve the type of problems we anticipate on our dives, do basic safety drills with her, and instill in her an awareness of the possible failure modes of our gear and our abilities.
The reason the DIR militants are so militant is simple: DIR is very safe, and most other systems are less safe. Please note the strong qualifier: most. In general, those that do everything their own way, without any regard to the opinion of those more experienced than themselves, tend to be somewhat unsafe -- but there certainly are those intelligent folks who blaze their own trails, and do so with safety on par with that of the DIR system. My hat is off to those people. They are quite rare.
It's often stunning to me to see all the belly-aching that goes on with regard to diving gear and technique standardization. Many other sports have such standardization clearly included as part-and-parcel of the sport itself. Rock climbing folks, for instance, have zero tolerance for others who, for instance, use their own knots, or their own anchoring techniques. There's really only one kind of gear to purchase, and one way to solve each problem, and no one questions any of it. Why not? Because the gear and techniques solve all problems with little, or at least predictable (thus manageable) risk. There isn't a single good reason to go against that dogma, because any differences are almost certain to decrease safety, rather than increase it. The same concept applies, with the same gusto, to diving: those who do everything their own way are seldom as safe as those that go with the collective choices of a large number of more experienced people.
- Warren
1) You don't need two rigs. Your BP/wings setup is GREAT! You'll enjoy the heck out of it, no matter how recreational you choose to dive. Keep it, use it, and learn to use it well.
2) You seem to be confusing the terms "stroke," "non-DIR," and "unsafe." "Stroke" is simply synonymous with "unsafe diver." "Non-DIR diver," however, does not necessarily imply "stroke."
My girlfriend is not DIR, and she's not terribly skilled either. Should that stop me from diving with her? Of course not. I only have to adhere to the following bits of common sense:
a) Ensure that we don't dive beyond her abilities, since she is the more novice diver. We generally do shallow shore air dives, use computers, and just have fun playing with seals and sailing through kelp and such. It's a great bonding experience, and no one, not even GI3, could convince me it's bad practice to dive with her.
b) Make efforts to improve obvious safety problems in technique, gear selection, and gear use. This doesn't mean I should throw her entire kit into the dumpster, buy her a BP, and send her to GUE DIR-F. Instead, this means that I should help make sure her equipment is set up properly, give her guidance on how we'll solve the type of problems we anticipate on our dives, do basic safety drills with her, and instill in her an awareness of the possible failure modes of our gear and our abilities.
The reason the DIR militants are so militant is simple: DIR is very safe, and most other systems are less safe. Please note the strong qualifier: most. In general, those that do everything their own way, without any regard to the opinion of those more experienced than themselves, tend to be somewhat unsafe -- but there certainly are those intelligent folks who blaze their own trails, and do so with safety on par with that of the DIR system. My hat is off to those people. They are quite rare.
It's often stunning to me to see all the belly-aching that goes on with regard to diving gear and technique standardization. Many other sports have such standardization clearly included as part-and-parcel of the sport itself. Rock climbing folks, for instance, have zero tolerance for others who, for instance, use their own knots, or their own anchoring techniques. There's really only one kind of gear to purchase, and one way to solve each problem, and no one questions any of it. Why not? Because the gear and techniques solve all problems with little, or at least predictable (thus manageable) risk. There isn't a single good reason to go against that dogma, because any differences are almost certain to decrease safety, rather than increase it. The same concept applies, with the same gusto, to diving: those who do everything their own way are seldom as safe as those that go with the collective choices of a large number of more experienced people.
- Warren
VTWarrenG
Guest
Honestly, it would have been best for you to skip buying gear until you've gotten a few post-certification dives under your belt with some widely varied rental gear.
However, that's not an option. I agree with many that a BP/wing is an ideal BC solution, and, unless you have some particular dislike of it, it will perform better than a jacket-style BC.
I think you should return the brand-new jacket-style BC, keep your BP/wing, dive some on it, and come back to the whole issue in a few months when you're a little more experienced and a little more able to make wise decisions.
- Warren
However, that's not an option. I agree with many that a BP/wing is an ideal BC solution, and, unless you have some particular dislike of it, it will perform better than a jacket-style BC.
I think you should return the brand-new jacket-style BC, keep your BP/wing, dive some on it, and come back to the whole issue in a few months when you're a little more experienced and a little more able to make wise decisions.
- Warren
Agree!
I got to try the BP/Wings out just for a short time recently and was impressed. Tomorrow I am going to have about 2-4 more hours to get into the pool and try it out further. Let you all know how it goes. But the short trial seemed to go very well.
I got to try the BP/Wings out just for a short time recently and was impressed. Tomorrow I am going to have about 2-4 more hours to get into the pool and try it out further. Let you all know how it goes. But the short trial seemed to go very well.
Well, I tried the rig....and there was more I DIDN'T like than I DID like....as such:
1. Its too hard to adjust the webbing harness to accommodate different weights of wetsuits - be they .5mm, 3mm or 7mm.
2. Without a chest strap, the rig keeps shifting, at times, the tank was at 45 deg angles to my spine...not very stable. Probably if I had tightened up the shoulder straps and crotch strap, that would have corrected it, but I dislike how much work it takes to adjust that harness to fit correctly. Its a major project in getting the webbing in/out of the keepers and the belt buckle.
3. I don't like the way that the inflator hose goes thru a piece of bungee cord at the left shoulder D-ring, it impeded one from getting the inflator hose totally overhead (vertical) when you want to let air OUT of the rig...I found myself having to shift my weight to my right side of my body, in an effort to get my left side high up to vent the air OUT of the wings...
4. I found I missed the 'security' the way a BC feels around your body - I know, maybe just a mental thing, but I like the BC to go AROUND the body better!
5. I LIKE Fastex buckles, they are quick and easy to adjust tighter or looser, and lets face it - have you ever heard of ANYONE losing their BC because of quick release buckles?
Well, thats it - so I am selling the rig and keeping the Mares Syncro BC I have.
Enough already - lets get out and get some water time logged!
The rig is on Ebay for sale, so if anyone is seeking a rig for around $350-400 - its there.
1. Its too hard to adjust the webbing harness to accommodate different weights of wetsuits - be they .5mm, 3mm or 7mm.
2. Without a chest strap, the rig keeps shifting, at times, the tank was at 45 deg angles to my spine...not very stable. Probably if I had tightened up the shoulder straps and crotch strap, that would have corrected it, but I dislike how much work it takes to adjust that harness to fit correctly. Its a major project in getting the webbing in/out of the keepers and the belt buckle.
3. I don't like the way that the inflator hose goes thru a piece of bungee cord at the left shoulder D-ring, it impeded one from getting the inflator hose totally overhead (vertical) when you want to let air OUT of the rig...I found myself having to shift my weight to my right side of my body, in an effort to get my left side high up to vent the air OUT of the wings...
4. I found I missed the 'security' the way a BC feels around your body - I know, maybe just a mental thing, but I like the BC to go AROUND the body better!
5. I LIKE Fastex buckles, they are quick and easy to adjust tighter or looser, and lets face it - have you ever heard of ANYONE losing their BC because of quick release buckles?
Well, thats it - so I am selling the rig and keeping the Mares Syncro BC I have.
Enough already - lets get out and get some water time logged!
The rig is on Ebay for sale, so if anyone is seeking a rig for around $350-400 - its there.
UncleJT
Guest
Heh, whatever. I bet you'll be back to a new/different rig in less than a week.
ut:Practice what you preech.
- JT
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