Entacmaea
Registered
Hi everyone- new to diving and the board- thanks for the wealth of knowledge here. I've already researched quite a bit elsewhere, and read here as well, especially two long threads about BP/W vs. the traditional jacket BCD's. Kind of funny, one of the threads mentioned someone going into a dive shop and mentioning "back plate" and having the employee get annoyed- that is exactly what happened to me : ) Anyway, my thought is to buy gear that is modular and expandable (buy a wing for doubles down the line, for instance, if I ever go that route). I'm about 15 dives in and ready to invest in some gear.
So, my questions are can you suggest a good mid-range set up that meets these criteria (if it can- or meet them with switching out some gear- plates, wings, etc.). First- my particulars, I'm not big at 5'9" - 185lbs, so need guidance on how much lift I need. From what I understand I need a harness, back plate, wings- anything else?
- Coldwater diving in California (I live near Monterey)
- Travel-able to warm water locations
- Will last (rather invest in good gear I only need to buy once)
- Can utilize an integrated airline octo
- I'm going for long bottom time to do photography (so don't know if ultimately going with HP steel tanks should be taken into account now when deciding on lift and a wing for a single tank)
Lastly- weights are a question, as I will likely need some for cold water diving here in CA. Is there a good weight belt/integrated weight solution to a BP/W set-up? I read many people don't even need weight in warm water with some setups, and wonder if the inability to "drop weights" is an issue? That may be a naive newbie question ; )
Thanks all- school me!
Best, Peter
So, my questions are can you suggest a good mid-range set up that meets these criteria (if it can- or meet them with switching out some gear- plates, wings, etc.). First- my particulars, I'm not big at 5'9" - 185lbs, so need guidance on how much lift I need. From what I understand I need a harness, back plate, wings- anything else?
- Coldwater diving in California (I live near Monterey)
- Travel-able to warm water locations
- Will last (rather invest in good gear I only need to buy once)
- Can utilize an integrated airline octo
- I'm going for long bottom time to do photography (so don't know if ultimately going with HP steel tanks should be taken into account now when deciding on lift and a wing for a single tank)
Lastly- weights are a question, as I will likely need some for cold water diving here in CA. Is there a good weight belt/integrated weight solution to a BP/W set-up? I read many people don't even need weight in warm water with some setups, and wonder if the inability to "drop weights" is an issue? That may be a naive newbie question ; )
Thanks all- school me!
Best, Peter