How do I get back up to speed after 35 years out of the loop?

[lowviz]

Age is beginning to be an issue with me. Easily overcome, but an issue nonetheless. Start with what you know, stay within your comfort range with maintained gear and keep it simple. The basics haven't changed. If I were limited to one and only one suggestion, I would suggest getting your head around diving a balanced rig.

@lamont: scriptkiddie links all bad. You are listed as "Staff". Where is all the information that got me started?

 

[northernone]

Thanks again to all who are responding. Maybe these forums are not as intimidating as I thought.
I have never for a moment forgotten what I love so much about diving and am still more comfortable underwater than I am on land, but I've a long way to go getting back to the cutting edge on all the new gear.

You love being underwater, you'll do fine here! If you like gear, we'll talk it as long as you like! This forum has manufacturers, instructors, technicians, researchers and passionate users all happy to discuss anything. I'm new here myself and it still amazes me the depth of knowledge represented and freely offered. I for one am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on 'modern' diving as you can contrast it to the sort of class materials and equipment you were offering students in the 80s.

Here's a few thoughts, not intended to be complete or in any way exhaustive. I just happen to be awake with the remnants of a flu and am typing until I can sleep. Hope some of it is useful.

The BCD comes in 3 main flavour now. Wing / backplate (around for decades but recently popular on this forum) the jacket style BCD (most common and I'm sure you've dove one?) and a bladder / harness configuration (diving with side mounted tanks)

Dive computers are in two flavors. Recreational and technical. Increasingly those lines are blurred. Still tables inside. A few different tables being used and interesting research is ongoing on decompression theory. This research gets more practical once you're beyond recreational depths.

Fins. Tons of marketing, not much has changed otherwise . I'll give a nod to force fins as I know divers who find them helpful for joint issues.

Regs. Endless options. A few basic designs with various slight variations. Lots of marketing once again.

Wetsuits. More flexible materials available now. The neoprene isn't so difficult to get into in some cases. Perhaps the comfortable neoprene was available earlier but didn't reach my neck of the woods?

Masks. A trend toward smaller mask volumes. Slight improvements in comfort according to some. Vast selection allowing for a better fit for the face.

Dive knives. Smaller. Specific purpose. Rarely do we see a BFK (can't post the meaning of that acronym) in most dive contexts. Trauma shears are also useful tools underwater.

Hose materials. There are more flexible hoses available, they have a recommended shorter service life but some added comfort gained. Standard rubber industrial hoses are still the standard.

Tanks. Hmm. Depends on the area. Similar selection off hand compared to what you'd be use to. There is a perceived popularity for side mount diving where (as the name suggests) the tanks dangle closely beside the diver instead of the back.

New certifications. Perhaps it's marketing, perhaps it's a more effective learning strategy, perhaps it's that we like to feel we are continuing to progress. There's a few new specialties, nothing special. Technical diving history I won't speak on, my impression is it's been developed much since the 80s with safer practices and equipment configurations. Excellent courses available from instructors who have been active since you were teaching yourself. Some on this forum. I suspect you'd enjoy learning from them.

Boyancy. A little wishful thinking on my part, but the concept of being able to neither float or sink during every part of a normal dive is a foundation to good diving. We don't crash into the reef or swim along almost vertical finning to stay in the position in the water we want.

Environment... More emphasis on not touching pretty things? (I don't know what to say here)

Mixed gasses. Deep air isn't considered safe for the majority of divers and new researcher is suggesting helium could be added to the mix as a more suitable breathing gas in a meaningful way as shallow as 100ft even. Most people (dangerous generalization please don't hang me) consider it needed for dives deeper than 165ft or a little shallower. The high cost makes helium mixes fairly uncommon still in.

Rebreathers. I personally love the silence and extended bottom times they facilitate. The concept is simple. The refinements are ongoing and there are a ton of popular units for sale. Each has it's own set of design strong points and fan club. Picking which ones to dive can be challenging but it's often popular to test several units and get to know the designs before committing to investing in one.

Underwater scooters. For longer dives, caves and shore diving the diver propulsion device has improved significantly with the development of better battery and motor technology.

Dive lights. Smaller more powerful. Again thanks to technology improvements.

Agencies. Still a ton and all feeling they are superior in one way or the other. You'll run into fanatics pushing their personal flavor just like in any sport or hobby... Or religion for that matter.


OK, I'm sleepy now. I may edit this into oblivion when I awake, hope a few things said are helpful.

Anyway, welcome once again.
Cameron

 

[MrMitch]

Lots of helpful information there, thank you Cameron.

If you like gear, we'll talk it as long as you like!

Not a gear head, but gear is a necessary evil so some discussion will be needed.

BCD Wing / backplate, jacket style BCD, and a bladder / harness configuration (side mounted tanks)

I worked at a Scubapro shop and dove what they called a BCP which had all the flotation in back. Despite some criticism it got at the time, I loved it. Floated you way high up and if you kicked hard enough the thing would almost get up on a plane like a speed boat. Later we switched to a wrap around that was also attached to the backpack. Not sure if that is one you refer to.

Dive computers

The only piece of equipment I saved when everything dry rotted or worse after 20 years of neglect is my Scubapro Decompression Meter. Was that one of the first ever?
We called it the Bendomatic. Always kept the navy tables handy too.

Tanks. Hmm. Depends on the area. Similar selection off hand compared to what you'd be use to. There is a perceived popularity for side mount diving where (as the name suggests) the tanks dangle closely beside the diver instead of the back.

Never dove anything but a single steel 72.
Do they still call it that?
Can't even visualize side mount.

BFK (can't post the meaning of that acronym)

Not hard to figure out what a BFK is. They were all the rage in the Stone Age. My weapon of choice was the small thin Stilletto. Still have it. Handy prying tool around the workshop.

Buoyancy.
We were very aware of the concept of what I see is now referred to as a balanced rig. It was something we talked about and aspired to but had few tools to work with. I look forward to learning about options other than a belt full of lead.

Mixed gasses.
Not in any rush for this.
Is there any point in it for dives 80 feet or less?

Rebreathers.
Bubbles remind me that I am not really a fish.
I would love to see how much better I could blend in with a rebreather.
Is it expensive?

Time to read up on some of everyones suggestions.

 

[Caveeagle]

Never dove anything but a single steel 72.
Do they still call it that?

Yes. But you won't find then around most shops. I still have several and they work good for single tank or even sidemount. Many seem to think they work great as a doubles set.

*there are many more tank options today. low pressure and high pressure , many sizes.

Can't even visualize side mount.

Don't worry about this at all, unless you decide to get into caves or feel the need for total redundancy.

Mixed gasses.
Not in any rush for this.
Is there any point in it for dives 80 feet or less?

Well, Nitrox is a "mixed gas".. ..just increased o2, typically to 32-36%. ..And is perfect for a dives of moderate depth. It can give you longer NDL times for a given depth. Increase margin of safety if you stay within shorter "air" NDL and times, and can reduce surface intervals for repetitive dives. In some areas, 'Nitrox' is so common, that it's actually easier to deal with fills vs air. AND, understanding how to check your tank O2% is pretty much a requirement when dealing with a shop who banks nitrox, and you shouldn't just assume any tank has air (or 21%) in it.

If my "mixed gas" you mean tri-mix, then you don't need that unless you really want to get into deeper (>130') dives.

Rebreathers.
Bubbles remind me that I am not really a fish.
I would love to see how much better I could blend in with a rebreather.
Is it expensive?.

Yes

 

[Altamira]

When I came back to diving in 2010, I had about the same out of water time as you, but a lot less experience, and no certification level, much less an instructor cert. With a great instructor, I found that the diving part came back to me a lot faster and easier than I expected, especially since all previous diving was done without the convenience of buoyancy devices, spg, octo, computer, and nice comfy wetsuit. With your diving background, I'll bet you adapt and recover your skills, at least for recreational diving, faster than you can imagine. You are going to love it, and at the same time, you will kick yourself for waiting so long. Also, as others have indicated, this forum will be your best friend. Have a blast.

 

[BoltSnap]

I don't think that updating the faded skills and knowledge will be difficult at all. The issue will be being in shape for the demands of the sport after such long time of inactivity. I have had students who were advanced divers/instructors that came to me for refreshers and did well on the skills and knowledge parts but had issues in physical fitness levels and the ability to meet the demands of the activity. The other issue was, sometimes, their egos and false sense of competence that got in the way of becoming up to date and competent enough for diving after their long time off the activity. The most challenging types were navy divers who were trained in the 60's and 70's but never dove or had anything to do with diving since that time.

 

[MrMitch]

I don't think that updating the faded skills and knowledge will be difficult at all. The issue will be being in shape for the demands of the sport after such long time of inactivity. I have had students who were advanced divers/instructors that came to me for refreshers and did well on the skills and knowledge parts but had issues in physical fitness levels and the ability to meet the demands of the activity. The other issue was, sometimes, their egos and false sense of competence that got in the way of becoming up to date and competent enough for diving after their long time off the activity. The most challenging types were navy divers who were trained in the 60's and 70's but never dove or had anything to do with diving since that time.

I’ll find out soon enough if my fitness level is up to it.
In two weeks I will be on a family vacation and in Phuket.
For one day I am going to ditch the whole crowd and go on a dive trip.
As for the ego thing, I’m going to work very hard at keeping an open mind not being my usual smart ass self. Even when I was in the business I hated dive instructors With their know it all attitudes. I am determined not to be like that. I might even learn something along the way.
I never lose sight of the fact that it’s all about having fun!

 

[Kimela]

That's a long surface interval! Hope it was long and profitable so you have LOTS of time and money to finance a glorious return to the water! Welcome back!!

 

[Saboteur]

After 7 years as instructor and dive guide I hung up my regulator in 1982. Nothing but vacation dives every few years since then.
Please suggest something I can read or study to familiarize myself with current equipment and practices.
I know NOTHING about mixed gasses, rebreathers, the 2,475 new categories of certification, and don't know if I should still use the Navy tables.

These forums are a cornucopia of information and opinions but forums are tough to jump into as a newcomer. I can't even get through most of the posts here just because of the unfamiliar acronyms. It is information overload without context.

I need something with a progression that will help me understand not just where we are but also how we got there.

Any recommendations?

Mr. Mitch you've already done the right thing by joining this board. There is a weatlh of knowledge here. I'm in the same boat as you, 33 or so years off between '83 and 2015. Unlike you I was not an instructor, had no vacation dives in between and you probably had 50x the dives I had. Once you get wet again, it will all come back to you very quickly. Just keep perusing the threads and you will get an idea of what is out there for gear and what you'll want to fit the diving you plan to do.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Welcome to Scuba Board MrMitch!
Either only a little has changed or a lot has changed depending on how you look at it and what type of diving you plan to do.
I have a feeling that once you get rolling again you’ll soon realize that you’ve probably forgotten more than some modern divers will ever know.

First, let’s start with your list of gear that you have from the old days?
There is an entire community here that still uses a lot of the gear you probably still have.
Old Scubapro Regs, jet fins, BFK’s, Steel 72’s, tables, all have a following here.
You’re going to get all sorts of suggestions here that you need a lot of modern stuff or else it will be impossible for you to dive safely.
Get ready to hear that you should get a BP/W because you might get into doubles someday and tech diving, and you should go sidemount because it’s the greatest thing since the invention of the Aqualung, and you slso need a $900 computer that does trimix because it’s the new SB darling. There are a lot of SB darlings you’ll hear about. And unless you want to generate a 5000 post thread about fins, don’t even mention split fins vs paddle fins.
This forum can get very technically oriented.
Then there are people here perfectly happy diving an old plastic backpack with a steel 72, no BC, no computer only tables, and an old restored double hose regulator.
Welcome to scubaboard!