Looking at BC's and regs for trip, relatively new diver, thoughts?

[Murphy in NC]

My son and I are going to be diving Grand Caymen next month.

I would feel more comfortable if we had our own gear and we would probably dive a bit more going forward.
We have had varying degrees of quality when renting

I like weights that you need to work a little to remove as I feel the tug and release could be dangerous if they were accidentally removed at depth.
We were trained with jacket style and I think we like what we are used to.

So I don't want the cheapest nor the most expensive.

I feel the LDS is focused on wallet rather than providing me with the right product so I will probably buy online.

I am looking for jacket style BC, and regs. So far we have used Aqualung and Scubapro.

Any thoughts for newer divers?

We aren't going to do anything extreme for awhile as my son is 14, so far we haven't gone deeper than 60 feet and I want to focus on shallower dives and work towards greater levels of difficulty as we move forward.

Lots of choices, balanced, unbalanced, piston, diaphragm,

The folks on the forum are great and I wanted to see what you had to say before I purchased.

Thanks

 

[Marie13]

The AquaLung Core regs are just fine for warm water. Add the i300 computer. A friend had those and really liked them.

 

[BoltSnap]

I feel the LDS is focused on wallet rather than providing me with the right product so I will probably buy online.

Do you think that the online stores are charity?

I am looking for jacket style BC, and regs. So far we have used Aqualung and Scubapro.

They are the top two brands worldwide. I prefer the SP BC's more in my experience in our dive school. They seem to fit better and last a lot longer.

This is probably the most suitable BC for you:
http://www.scubapro.com/en-US/USA/bcs/products/glide-x.aspx

This one is very durable and gives you the option for adding weight integration pockets:
http://www.scubapro.com/en-US/USA/bcs/products/x-one.aspx


For regulators, my pick will be one of these three with the first one as top pick and best value:

http://www.scubapro.com/en-US/USA/regulators/products/mk21s560.aspx

http://www.scubapro.com/en-US/USA/regulators/products/mk11s560.aspx

http://www.scubapro.com/en-US/USA/regulators/products/mk11s360.aspx

For dive computers (I'd buy the computers before anything else), one of these two:

The i300 is probably the best value
i300 Dive Computer - Aqua Lung US - Personal Aquatic Equipment for Recreational and Professional Use

http://www.scubapro.com/en-US/USA/instruments/computers/products/aladin-sport-matrix.aspx

 

[Clark Fletcher]

I first certified in 1979. But, hadn't been in the water for many years until I recently decided to start diving again. So, I started over and hence I'm a novice diver myself. But, I too wanted my own gear. Honestly, you just feel more comfortable and confident diving with stuff you're used to (IMHO).

I too feel more comfortable at this point with a jacket as opposed to a wing (yep, I've tried both). I just feel more secure in a jacket. I dive a Sherwood Avid CQR-3. And, while it's one of Sherwood's top of line BCs, it's actually mid-range in price as BCs go.

As far as regulators, I dive a Sherwood SR2 regulator and SR2 octo. Again, these are top of the line as far as Sherwood regulators but, mid-range in price as regulators go in general. And, I can tell you that the SR2 is all you would ever need. I wouldn't hesitate to dive this regulator well past 100 feet.

As you can tell, I'm kind of a Sherwood guy. And, in keeping with that theme, I also dive a Sherwood Amphos Air dive computer.

A lot of people overlook Sherwood when they start looking for diving gear. But, Sherwood's been around since before the first time I got certified back in 1979. That didn't happen by chance. And yes, there are plenty of good scuba manufacturers out there. But, I personally don't think that any of them have the same level of customer service as Sherwood.

Just my two cents.

Fletch

 

[runsongas]

Try a back inflate bc at least before deciding what to buy. If you don't plan on cold water diving, something like a Zuma or litehawk is fine. Or consider a zeagle Express tech or bpw.

I have a dive rite bpw with Al plate and a set of the dgx dive rite regs I use for warm water vacations.

The dgx deep 6 regs and dgx bpw would give you the most bang for the buck.

DGX Custom - DGX Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package

DGX Custom - Deep Six DGX Single Tank Reg Package

 

[northernone]

It's difficult to made a bad choice buying a common popular bcd from a major online store given the requirements you are looking for are very common and not unusual in any way.

Of the various rental bcds did you have a specific bcd or brand that you felt was best suited? Sometimes we like can one company's material choices, styling or design philosophy better and that will help narrow down your choices online.

Everyone has their favorite brand and has good (to them) reasons why.

It makes me happy to hear of you diving together with your son. Enjoy.

Sorry the local dive shop doesn't seem to be communicating care about what you need. A profit before customer focused business will be broke soon. Hope you have another local option for air fills.

Regards,
Cameron

 

[tbone1004]

@Murphy in NC where in NC are you? I'd really recommend checking out a bp/w before you go. As far as regs, there are a bunch of options out there that we can help you with. Depending on where you are, and when in July you're going, we may be able to show you a bunch of stuff that may help you make a more informed decision

 

[RayfromTX]

I would take tbone up on that offer.

 

[jd950]

You guys are getting slow! It wasn't until the 5th post that someone ignored what the OP said he wanted and tried to sell him a BPW.

I don't know much about jacket style BCDs so I can't offer much help to the OP. Scubapro uses a buckle system to hold weight pockets in and Zeagle now makes a jacket style BCD that uses the ripcord system, so those might be worth looking at due to the concern about weight systems. The Scubapro Glide X is something that I think has been around for quite a while and is probably worth checking out, but they have a number of models including a travel weight BCD although that one is a back inflate.

Cressi also makes nice jacket style BCDs from what I hear, but I have little personal knowledge of them.

I would not worry about matching brands of regs and BCD, but it might be nice if you try to get stuff that can all be serviced/repaired at one location, regardless of where you buy them. I would suggest making sure whatever reg you get has two HP ports to give you more flexibility in hose routing or using a wireless dive computer. Nothing wrong with scubapro regs, but I also think the Aqualung Titan LX (which I think is now replaced by a model called Core) is an excellent reg and has their ACD device. Some would think of it as a gimmick but it can be helpful if you should forget to properly close a reg up sometime before soaking. The Legend model is also very nice, but more expensive.

You mentioned diaphragm vs piston regs. Technically, a piston reg requires a bit more care because water enters the regulator's spring chamber with this design. The diaphragm reg's inner parts are sealed from the water so there is less risk of internal corrosion. In reality, the differences are not usually much of an issue for most recreational divers, in my opinion.

There are a number of other major reg manufacturers including Atomic, Sherwood, Mares and Tusa. And there are several other "house brand" reg brands that are undoubtedly fine, but if you go with other than the major brands you may have more limited options for repair/service. There are not many places in the U.S. or the Caribbean where you cannot get Aqualung and Scubapro regs repaired/serviced. Atomic regs are quite nice but have some unique care issues that you may not want to deal with.

Keep in mind, the differences in regs is something that has occupied many, many pages of discussion on Scubaboard and some people get really passionate about the topic. If you really want to get into diaphragm vs piston, balanced vs not, stainless vs titanium vs chrome plated, etc., you should block out a few hours and go through the multitudes of threads and posts on regulator choices, many written by people really into the finer points of regulator design, functionality and service.

Good luck with the choices and try to have fun with it and not get overwhelmed.

 

[Nasser]

You can't go wrong with Scubapro. I've been using those regs for a long time and they have performed very reliably. If you don't want something too expensive check out the mid range of regulators, but also consider the type of diving you will be primarily doing. Do you need something for cold water as well or just for the tropics? They have different models that can accommodate a variety of conditions. They also make very good BCD 's at varying costs so it becomes more an issue of preference... back inflate? weight integrated? etc..