Moving to Eastern Canada... new gear advice.

[orlock]

Hey all!
Planning on moving back to Nova Scotia after 5 years working in Singapore. Got my OW and AOW here. Tropical Diving only, so all my gear is set up for this. 0.5 mm neoprene skin, etc.
Question: What do I need to buy to dive Comfortably in Nova Scotia? Specifically Cape Breton--Baddeck, St. Pauls Isl, etc. Not in winter.
i.e. Wetsuit? Semi Dry? Dry? Doubles? Regs? I already plan on getting a BP/wings (Please please don't get hung up on this! ) and taking a course with 'em.
Please give me all the help you can. I plan on buying all the gear I need here. I'ts cheaper and there's a wider range.
Also what are the conditions I can expect? I already know about the COLD part! LOL!

Thanks in advance.

Orlock

 

[The Silverback]

Welcome home, the gear you will need to dive here as with all locations is as depentant on you and your personal preferences. I've been diving in and around Halifax for 8 years and still use a basic Winter wet suit recreational reg and an old school BC. My friends are all over the road... Drysuits, plates, doubles etc. My advice is buy the best all around gear you can afford and keep in mind the type of diving you want to do wreck reek etc. Thats the advice I got when I asked the same question 8 years ago and I 'm still using the same gear...though I'm in the process of evaluating my options as the stuff is getting pretty worn. Mybe I'll take my own advice
Cheers

 

[Gator Diver]

dont move back!!!

hehe

 

[caveseeker7]

Orlock,
you'll probably dive with a thick wetsuit or a drysuit (my preference for any place that requires more than 5mm insulation) so weighting will be very different. Also, the entire environment you'll be in will be different (viz, currents, waves etc. can all be severly different from the place you're accustomed to).
Either suit, as well as switching to a ss plate, will affect your buyoncy, and hence your weighting. Make sure you sort that out before you jump off a boat. I've seen tropical divers being overweight several times, and struggling at the surface here in SoCal. Make sure you learn as much as possible about your new environs, and dive with someone who knows it well and can introduce you to it. Advice DMs/boat operators that you're new to the area.

 

[shrwdtech]

Kastle X-country skis, North Face parka, Wool hat, Polypro underwear, gortex/thinsulate gloves...

Oh wait. You meant SCUBA Gear! My bad...

 

[gilou28]

Why don't you give it a try, with local divers (important), and rent both wet and dry suit...

Make-up your mind according to how you feel...


Diving here is really, REALLY, different that in warm clear calm waters (I do not mean to diminish any places, I'm sure all places have their difficulties and rougher times)...

That's the fun part.... trying different environments...

Personnaly.... DRY DRY DRY DRY.... I do not understand anything else in waters from -2C to 15C for more than 20 minutes....

 

[turnerjd]

Eastern Canada should be about the same as diving off the scottish weat coast so here goes........

1. Suit - depending on you, either a good fitting semi-dry or a dry suit. Even in summer the water won't get much about 17 Deg C. Either type of suit is good for the first dive. You really notice the difference getting ready for your second dive of the day. Getting into a nice dry suit is REALLY nice compared with getting into a cold wet semi-dry that was used earlier in the day.

2. BCD - not a lot to say - if you want to go BP&W cool, if not, then pretty much any BC will be OK

3. Regulators - good quality environmentally sealed. Apeks and Scubapro are the reference here, both are good in COLD water (down to negative water temperatures). First stages need to have some form of sealing, and second stages need to have some form of heat exchanger.

4. Tanks - This depends on the diving you are doing. If you are doing no deco, then singles are good, twins come into play if you start doing deco and need loada gas. If you do dive a single in really cold weather it might be interesting to get an H valve and two regulators. If you dive with steel tanks these take considerable weight off your belt, doubles with twin regs in a semi dry can almost result in having no ditchable weight.

I've outlined the basics, now all you need to do is go and play and find what works for you

Jon T