Mixing DIN and Yoke Regs on Doubles

[Michael Guerrero]

To be the 5th guy to answer your question, yes. 200 bar as they all said w/ the insert to convert to K valve. The bar on the manifold/valve has nothing to do with the pressure of the manifold and everything to do with the pressure of the regulator attached to it and thread count.

You can get a DIN HOG 1st and 2nd stage for $180. Hard to beat that.

Hog Combo Pack 5th Port Warm Water 1st & SE 2nd Stage

EDIT:

Go to divegearexpress. They are selling them for $169, any hose length.

 

[DevonDiver]

If you ask about DIN vs Yoke in Basic or Advanced Scuba forums you'll get a mixed response. When asked in the Technical Diving Specialties forum, there should be only one response: "No".

The risk of a dislodged or extruded o-ring isn't specific to overhead environment. DIN protects the o-ring considerably more than yoke. It's not something you should skimp money on.

With regards 200bar versus 300bar DIN regulators... 200bar is fine until you need to use rental cylinders at a dive center that has only 300bar valves. That happens a lot when travelling. You can buy a 200bar manifold, but I'd advise getting 300bar regulators.

 

[PfcAJ]

300b regs are a rare breed. I've seen a few 200b argon regs, but nothing designed to be breathed from.

Wouldn't buy a 200b reg.

 

[Vegan Shark]

The peer pressure is getting to me. How easy is it to switch back and forth from Yoke to DIN? Will the manual instructions be enough for a tech-challenged amateur such as myself to do it?

I just ordered a Hollis C60 wing, and the Hollis 212 DC3 DIN reg from Dive Addicts. $160 and $200, I couldn't say no to that. Really like the look of Hollis gear, and the reg being environmentally sealed for coldwater diving sounds great.

I dive wet right now, so am more than a little concerned if I should wait till I upgrade to a dry suit before giving heavy steel doubles a whirl. Double 130s + an aluminum backplate will be -24 lbs buoyant when full. With a single 130, right now I am wearing 18 lbs of lead. So with doubles I'll be down to no ditchable weight most likely, yeah? I know many will say even thinking of diving heavy steel doubles without a drysuit is suicidal, but I was thinking that if I am doing only shore dives, where in case of a complete wing failure I could always just follow the incline back to shore, then it might be okay.

In a worst case scenario, can't you just purge your backup reg until you're less negative? Empty 130s with the plate would only be -6 lbs buoyant, so seems like once you drain the tanks a bit you would have no problem swimming up, and then the wetsuit buoyancy would keep you floating at the surface.

Or am I crazy?

 

[PfcAJ]

Too much corner cutting and nickel rocketry for my tastes.

Its not not a matter of peer pressure. The points people are trying to get across are safety related, and some of which were learned because people drowned. Tech diving isn't a game. It's fun. But it must be approached seriously. It mustn't be overly expensive, either, but some things simply cost money. One thing you can't buy, though, is mindset. That's what I think you need to work on most. Sry to be blunt, but I'm not one to dance around with words.

 

[DevonDiver]

Vegan shark - you might be well served to search for threads discussing the relative costs for setting up for technical/cave diving. Also talk directly to prospective tech/cave instructors who you might train with (many have strict requirements for equipment - and won't let you on courses if not happy with your kit).

It's worth getting a realistic understanding of the costs involved. They are high, relative to recreational diving. It isn't something that can be done on a budget... and half-measures and corner-cutting tend to be a very false economy, can significantly jeopardize safety and are distinctly contrary to the 'mindset' expected of technical divers.

As PfcAJ says, this isn't 'snobbishness' or 'elitism' - the lessons are learned from tragic accidents.

The level of 'standardization' in technical diving equipment varies from agency-to-agency, instructor-to-instructor and dive group-to-dive group. Whilst some are more stringent than others; there is also a bare minimum consensus in the community. Your choices will/should be governed by all of the above factors.

 

[Vegan Shark]

Yeah, I understand the benefits of DIN, which is why I went with it for my second regulator. Was joking about the peer pressure Money isn't really a concern so long as it's something necessary and worth it, but something like a regulator exclusively for vacations feels over the top for me.

As for drysuit, I really enjoy diving wet around here; don't want to switch unless water temps require it (below 44F is where I draw the line). I understand the redundant buoyancy is a big plus, but if there are other workable solutions I'd like to stay wet. When I go diving next week I'll bring extra weight to try and simulate swimming up doubles. If it's difficult and not something I could do in an emergency then I'll abandon that idea and go dry. I'm not a big fan of dying, after all

 

[waterpirate]

Have you selected an instructor for your journey yet? Spending 3-4 hours and a 6 pack with said instructor would clear your head of all these thoughts.
Eric

 

[DevonDiver]

a regulator exclusively for vacations feels over the top for me.

Sounds like another argument for sidemount

2 regs, 1 BCD... technical and recreational, home and holiday... any cylinder, any shop... no excess baggage fees... and all your dives done in the same rig, contributing to the same familiarization, comfort and ingrained muscle memory.. Isn't that just fantastic?

 

[ajduplessis]

Doubles nearly always lead to some form of technical diving. If you go down this route do it right the first time. IMO yoke has no place in the technical realm.