Having another go, after 25 years, and on a budget.

[MACS]

the swivel is nice to have on the mk10. freeze resistance is better on the mk10 if you have the spec boot and pack the chamber vs the titan without the supreme sealing. some of the mk10s have a mushy lockup which isn't great though. more personal preference really as both should work ok, but go with either the mk10 with a spec boot or titan with the supreme sealing for extra freeze resistance.

Thanks again for the advice, the titan octo has the snowflake on both second stage regs so I would presume they and the first stage is the lx supreme.

 

[kelemvor]

Would there be any advantage in using the air2 on the aqualung bcd as a third option for air or is that overkill.

Having a second octopus isn't any significant advantage that I know of. Personally, I would eliminate the aqualung titan lx octopus. I'd use the MK10/Polar and Air2 only. This way you eliminate the additional hose coming off your first stage but still have a secondary to breathe from. In this configuration, you would give an OOA diver your Polar and switch to the air2 yourself.

 

[Tribal]

I hope they provide drysuits, temps are around 14.1°C / 57.4°F avg Min: 13.2°C / 56.5°F min.

The first dives you won’t have time to think about the cold. A few years ago when i did my first dives it was 6C, it all went fine. The next winter when diving felt more natural i did get cold and bougth a drysuit.
Enjoy the adventure

 

[MACS]

Having a second octopus isn't any significant advantage that I know of. Personally, I would eliminate the aqualung titan lx octopus. I'd use the MK10/Polar and Air2 only. This way you eliminate the additional hose coming off your first stage but still have a secondary to breathe from. In this configuration, you would give an OOA diver your Polar and switch to the air2 yourself.

Ok thanks, I might switch the air2 from the scubapro bcd to the aqualung bcd.

 

[MACS]

The first dives you won’t have time to think about the cold. A few years ago when i did my first dives it was 6C, it all went fine. The next winter when diving felt more natural i did get cold and bougth a drysuit.
Enjoy the adventure

Thanks ! But I hope at this time of year there will be fewer people starting to dive in Ireland and will ask the instructor to include drysuit within the training. I'd rather pay more and be prepared to dive locally than jet off to a sunny climate and dive once or twice a year.

 

[FinnMom]

The students we have had diving dry from day 1 have progressed as well with bouyancy skills as the wetsuit students. On the other hand, those that dove a wetsuit 20 or more dives found it a bit of a challenge to learn to use a drysuit (as did I 10 yrs ago). My conclusion: if you mean to be a drysuit diver, dive dry from day 1.

 

[MACS]

The students we have had diving dry from day 1 have progressed as well with bouyancy skills as the wetsuit students. On the other hand, those that dove a wetsuit 20 or dives found it a bit of a challenge to learn to use a drysuit. My conclusion: if you mean to be drysuit diver, dive dry from day 1.

Thanks.

 

[Gareth J]

I would suggest the opposite.

Keep the Octopus, ditch the Air2. Especially if you are diving locally (British Isles). If anything, the suggestion would be to get a longer hose on the Octopus.

If you need an AAS the stress will be high, (both for you and your buddy,) so the best performing regulator you can get.
If you use an Air2, then you will have to swap from your primary reg to the Air2, and then donate your primary reg. Whilst primary donate is done at tech level, you are not at this level. There is a higher risk of two casualties rather than one. If your buddy attempts to use the air2 they will be right in your face, not a nice place to have a potentially panicking buddy.
The Air2 will restrict your head movement, in an emergency this is not ideal.
Either way someone is breathing from the air 2 - probably you - and you will be attempting to control your buoyancy with it at the same time - not good.

Visibility is vary variable in the British Isles, from truly fantastic to not being able to see your hand in front of your face. The AIr2 doesn't suit poor visibility diving.

The Air2 is also more likely to confuse your buddy. An unfamiliar diver will often press the purge rather than the dump. Not ideal if they are lifting you and trying to control your ascent rate.

Gareth

 

[Marie13]

Agree on going dry from day one. That’s what I did up here on the Great Lakes.

 

[MACS]

I would suggest the opposite.

Keep the Octopus, ditch the Air2. Especially if you are diving locally (British Isles). If anything, the suggestion would be to get a longer hose on the Octopus.

If you need an AAS the stress will be high, (both for you and your buddy,) so the best performing regulator you can get.
If you use an Air2, then you will have to swap from your primary reg to the Air2, and then donate your primary reg. Whilst primary donate is done at tech level, you are not at this level. There is a higher risk of two casualties rather than one. If your buddy attempts to use the air2 they will be right in your face, not a nice place to have a potentially panicking buddy.
The Air2 will restrict your head movement, in an emergency this is not ideal.
Either way someone is breathing from the air 2 - probably you - and you will be attempting to control your buoyancy with it at the same time - not good.

Visibility is vary variable in the British Isles, from truly fantastic to not being able to see your hand in front of your face. The AIr2 doesn't suit poor visibility diving.

The Air2 is also more likely to confuse your buddy. An unfamiliar diver will often press the purge rather than the dump. Not ideal if they are lifting you and trying to control your ascent rate.

Gareth

Thanks, Gareth, I know the air 2 put's a lot of people off, but when I did my first suck and see (BSAC) with a Friend That's what I had with a fellow called Mike. Hello, Mike Jones if you read this! In NewZealand somewhere.

Well to give an update The tank past hydro today and not due until Sept 2023, With a full tank I thought I would test what I have.

So I put in first the aqualung legend octo into the cylinder, It showed just under 220 on the spg and I could hear the second alt reg leaking Air. I then put the low-pressure hose to the aqualung bcd and the inflator valve is stuck open.
If I did not unhook the hose I did not want to test the overpressure valve. Any advice is welcome for the aqualung bcd inflator valve.

I think the shrader valve is at fault or dry o rings.

I then tested the other Scubapro MK10 first stage with a polar second regulator in conjunction with the Scubapro bcd and air 2, guess what! it worked perfectly.

The fabber 12.2 cylinder and the Scubapro gear came from the same person, I Guess they
looked after their equipment better.