I went over to the Dark Side

[Captain CaveMan]

Well last night at the LDS I traded my Diverite Venture Wing in for a Halcyon Pioneer 45lb. yep im getting closer to doing the DIR thing. :jump3:

Halcyon Pioneer wing
7' Long hose set up
continues harness setup

Whats everyones thought on the Pioneer Wing?

 

[roakey]

Whats everyones thought on the Pioneer Wing?

I've had 18 and 36 pound lift pioneer wings for about 5 years now and I love 'em.

45 sounds a bit too much for a Pioneer though, seeing I use a 45 pound lift explorer wing for cave diving dry with twin 104s... Though it might be approporiate if you do a lot of rough water ocean diving.

Roak

 

[Captain CaveMan]

the diverite wing was 30lbs but it want enough lift.

 

[MSilvia]

yep im getting closer to doing the DIR thing.

What about using a different wing do you think makes you closer to DIR? The brand name?

 

[Derek S]

What about using a different wing do you think makes you closer to DIR? The brand name?

[Tongue firmly in cheek] Didn't you know, that's all it takes these days (at least out in N. CA). [/Tongue firmly in cheek]

On a side note, I have a 45lb Pioneer and love it, especially now that I've got a weighted STA for it.

 

[Captain CaveMan]

After i get more dives in im going to take dir-F, I know buying a Halcyon wing doesnt make me DIR but im buying the gear to get ready for the class. so you dont have to say anything like that and give me a hard post about it. Now that im thinking if all DIR diver are like you maybe i dont want to be DIR..? JUst because your dir doesnt make you better than everyone eles. you just have some good extra trainning..

 

[JustinW]

[Tongue firmly in cheek] Didn't you know, that's all it takes these days (at least out in N. CA). [/Tongue firmly in cheek]

On a side note, I have a 45lb Pioneer and love it, especially now that I've got a weighted STA for it.

Hey!!! We resemble that [tongue also firmly in cheek, look at my profile location]

 

[PerroneFord]

After i get more dives in im going to take dir-F, I know buying a Halcyon wing doesnt make me DIR but im buying the gear to get ready for the class. so you dont have to say anything like that and give me a hard post about it. Now that im thinking if all DIR diver are like you maybe i dont want to be DIR..? JUst because your dir doesnt make you better than everyone eles. you just have some good extra trainning..

If he was DIR, he wouldn't have made the comment in the first place.

 

[MSilvia]

After i get more dives in im going to take dir-F, I know buying a Halcyon wing doesnt make me DIR but im buying the gear to get ready for the class...

I gathered from your post that you were planning to take DIR-F. I'm just honestly curious why you think a Halcyon Pioneer 45 will be more suitable for the class than a Dive Rite Venture wing.

so you dont have to say anything like that and give me a hard post about it. Now that im thinking if all DIR diver are like you maybe i dont want to be DIR..? JUst because your dir doesnt make you better than everyone eles. you just have some good extra trainning..

Woah. Settle down chief... if you use up all your sensitivity now, you won't have any left for later.

Although I've taken DIR-F and gotten a provisional completion, I don't plan to follow through and make it a "pass", I don't consider myself a DIR diver, and I'm not trying to give you a hard time. Again, I'm just wondering why you think that wing will be more suitable for the class.

In my personal experience with DIR-F, I learned that a lot of the gear I'd purchased to get ready for DIR-F and my Advanced Nitrox and Trimix classes wasn't really suitable for me at all. My drysuit didn't fit properly, my DiveRite RecWing (which I'd been diving for a couple of years) was difficult to trim correctly, my steel 45s were too negative, and my mask was... well, it was butt-ugly. In some cases I made some changes and adjustments to my gear afterward, and in some cases I learned to live with it, but many of the assumptions I had going into it were just not right.

Hence my curiosity. If the purchase was just a W.A.G. based on brand-name (Halcyon=DIR is a popular myth), or you bought it to combat a problem (like not having enough bouyancy) that'll go away if you practice proper DIR technique, you might be suprised to find you're in the market for a different wing right after class.

Incidentally, I'm an overwieght cold water ocean diver, and I now use a Pioneer 36 for my single tank dives. I'm very happy with it, and wonder if you might find the 45 is more lift than you really need. Having the extra lift might be good if you're diving deep and wet, but in that case I'd think you'd want doubles and a wing that's suitable for use with them.

 

[roakey]

the diverite wing was 30lbs but it want enough lift.

In what way?

Roak