Mixing up dive gear style/arrangement

[The Horn]

My dive buddy and I have been diving a few years together and given our style and some of the types of dives we complete we are looking to advance our common rec style to a mix of tech/hargo/rec/dir.

Does anyone else out there dive with a combination style? All our dives are within rec limits so we would maintain the single tank- Shore dives sometimes really limit the gear as you have to carry it pretty far. We would be looking into configuring a 7 foot second stage hose and look at carrying a "stage" bottle, sort of a high bread pony for deeper dives. Mostly for safety. I am looking to upgrade to a computer and he already dives with one.

We already try and keep dangles down and we are looking to get some photo equipment rigged up.

Any one have any equipment configurations that work for them well?

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Hi there and welcome -

Firstly - If you want to increase safety then get a computer.

Secondly – if you want to increase safety on deeper dives, within rec limits, work on your air management and buddy skills first. Below 20 metres on a single 80” cylinder you should hit the no decompression limits before air consumption becomes an issue, however if you do want a larger reserve of air then I would suggest getting larger tanks: it would be far more minimalist and streamlined compared to sharing air from a slung stage bottle as well as cheaper when you take into account the need for additional regulators, spg etc. It would also mean one less item to hall on your long walks. IMHO stage bottles and ponies should not be needed for recreational dives – your buddy is your alternative air source.

To simplify your gear consider getting a backplate and harness, get a wrist mounted computer and just use a small spg on a short hose and clip it to your harness. Glue pockets on your exposure suits to carry additional gear - particularly handy for those walks to the entry point. Your regular occy should work fine for open water OOA situations: practise makes perfect.

To really improve your safety and diving I'd suggest further training – particular before doing deeper dives (your profile suggest you dive only a couple of times a year with a OW cert) - Advanced Open Water and particularly Rescue Diver courses would be a good place to start..

Just my 2 cents,
Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[The Horn]

I guess being new to this my profile and the above post is a bit misleading. I clicked the "logged" dives in as a yearly estimate so I do dive more than a few times a year.

My basic question was trying to get at equipment configurations that others may use that are combinations of typical styles.

The extra training is fine, I guess, and I may do the Advanced just to have the card and log some more dives, perhaps learn a bit too.

I'll try to be more specific in the future

 

[aquaoren]

I'm just a little curious as to what and how do you expect the "mix of Tech/hargo/rec/dir" to benefit your diving?

 

[The Horn]

Good question, I guess I do a wide variety of dives and I was looking to see if there were any gear types or configurations that people were using other than the some of the stricter "this is it no other way" of doing things.

Gotta run, ship is ready to leave port.................

 

[Sideband]

Prepair yourself for, "It is dangerous to use 'X' configuration without understanding why it is used". A lot of those gear configurations are somewhat of a system that lends itself to a particular style.
Good luck

Joe

 

[theskull]

Equip yourself in a manner and style that pleases YOU! We're diving for fun after all. Give some thought to what you "need" to have with you and what you "want" to have with you, and then just think through it so that you can handle what you take and none of it becomes a nuisance or hazard.

Personally, my styles depending on the dive situation range from very sleek and Spartan for tech dives or easy rec dives to quite dangly looking when I am out looking for "treasures" and have a couple marker buoys and lift bags attached as well a mesh bag with the smaller "treaures" stuffed inside.

theskull

 

[BigboyDan]

If you're asking these questions, then you need additional training. Take AOW, and Rescue, no mater what else. AOW will introduce you to deep dives, the necessary rig configurations, and the skills, for that dive type. All agencies offer a Deep Diver course, take it next; deep diving takes a mindset and is skill specific.

As you've already guessed, there is no "right way to do it." I use different rig configurations depending on the dive profile.

 

[Sideband]

As you've already guessed, there is no "right way to do it." I use different rig configurations depending on the dive profile.

Ah, but there is a way to Do It Right. But that is a different forum...
Joe