I don't understand any of this - just tell me what to buy! :)

[knowone]

G'day Tsaven, Emile G. here, and good to hear about your resurgence.

Have a think about contacting the Kwajalein People before you go, where you are going to get their tanks filled and exchange words about any shop gear or otherwise they may wish to sell you which will put you in good stead for your two years of daily diving and all the niggly pigglys that come with it.

Initially this system may cost more or not, they may have perfectly adequate second hand gear for you to destroy until you are in a better position to make suitable gear choices for when you return if you do.

It's called the relationship building initial friend finding spenden to be Tsaven system.

Best wishes to you and those that go with you and those that you find.

 

[Scared Silly]

I think folks are putting a wee bit too much into getting a reg that can be serviced locally on Kwaj. Most regulators built today are quite reliable. The OP said that they will be on Kwaj. for two years. It ain't like they are never going to leave the island for two years. Many go to Hawaii for a break which last time I check had shops carrying damn near everything. As such, I would buy a regulator you like.

BTW at one time there was a reg tech for Atomic and ScubaPro on Kwaj. but he has since retired and moved back to the states.

As for what to buy I am a fan of Atomic's regs. The basic design has not changed since they first came out. What that means is a 10 year old reg can be fully upgraded into the latest generation. The recommended service interval is every "two" years but I have not serviced mine in 4 years and they still work great (I do the service myself). Though I will probably service them this winter. The first stage is a piston design and the second stage has a nice low profile. They are a good work horse reg.

As for other bits if you want a conventional BCD, Zeagle is a great choice. If you want a backplate and wing check out Deep Sea Supply.

Have fun, Kwaj. is a great place to hang - I just wish I could get a base invite ;-).

 

[diver 85]

Somehow contact 'your' spot on the island & find out what they use-------& go with that, for servicing & continuel usage of equip....UNLESS,... you want to service the stuff yourself...

 

[redacted]

Kwajalein Scuba Club

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Based on AWAP's link get yourself a Sherwood reg. Brut, Oasis, Magnum, etc. Personally I'd get the Brut. The new ones can be had for $250. There is no reason to spend 5-600 on a reg that may not be able to get serviced. The link says they are a Sherwood dealer. You could buy an Atomic titanium reg for 1200 bucks but IF it should fail or need serviced you now have a very expensive paper weight. The Brut is bullet proof, easily serviced, and cheap. And if tuned properly the average recreational diver will not know the difference between it and one costing twice as much. And now that the first stage on the new ones is balanced you could dive it to 200 feet and not have a problem.

 

[diversteve]

Will be soon doing 10+ dives every week for at least two years, in a tropical shore-dive environment.

Maybe the issue isn't the service interval but the dives. Atomic Z2x is $439.

What's a good workhorse ScubaPro? MK17/G250V - IDK...

+1 for the Brut also - they're used in a lot of rentals. IIRC I saw a DM pull a 2nd stage apart and fix it once on a boat ride.

Although it looks like the OP has multiple options for sales/service locally:

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Based on AWAP's link get yourself a Sherwood reg. Brut, Oasis, Magnum, etc. Personally I'd get the Brut. The new ones can be had for $250. There is no reason to spend 5-600 on a reg that may not be able to get serviced. The link says they are a Sherwood dealer. You could buy an Atomic titanium reg for 1200 bucks but IF it should fail or need serviced you now have a very expensive paper weight. The Brut is bullet proof, easily serviced, and cheap. And if tuned properly the average recreational diver will not know the difference between it and one costing twice as much. And now that the first stage on the new ones is balanced you could dive it to 200 feet and not have a problem.

 

[halocline]

Oh. Also if you want the whole package you could look at the Mares HUB. It's a BC with 'built it' octopus.

Mares - just add water

DO NOT, under any circumstance, buy a Mares HUB.


Personally, if I were going on a 2 year dive trip, I'd take a simple bulletproof reg and a few service kits. Dive rite or HOG might be good choices in this case, as you can buy a few kits and bring them with you. I'm sure there's a competent service tech in the Marshall Islands area.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

The local dive club claims 300 members using ~1,400 tanks per month.

I'd take a quality 5 mm full wet suit, 2 pair of my favorite fins, 2 of my favorite masks and buy everything else used, there.

 

[herman]

If I had to use a jacket BCD, I would probably opt for a Zeagle Ranger or a Buddy Commando (but you probably can't get those in the US).

The Ranger, as well as all Zeagles are back inflate BC's, they do not make jacket style BC's.