New Diver Equipment Questions

[Ironcat]

1: I have heard a lot of conflicting viewpoints about console computers versus wristwatch type computers so I thought I would ask y'all for your 2 cents. IMHO (which I readily admit means nothing till I get some more exp under my weight belt) it seems having everything handy at your wrist and 1 less dangly would be a good thing? Unless the watch strap broke... Do they break?

2: I saw an ad for a 2 hose regulator with a hose on either side of your head and the bubbles came out in back? Except for the price it seemed like a great idea?

3: I know the difference between back float, jacket, and horse collar BCs but what is a halcyon, a DIN, a backplate, a rebreather, wings, etc, etc, etc?

4: Is the extra expense of a "high velocity" regulator worth it to a warm water recreational diver? Eventually I may want to go deeper for my hunting and whatnot but for right now 50 - 60 feet suits me fine.

 

[spectrum]

Oh boy here we go...

Instruments, well it's up to you.
Unless you decide to trust and pay for an air integrated computer you will still have your SPG (Pressure gauge) on a hose.
You can have a computer on one wrist and a compass on the other.
You need to decide if you trust a computer entirely for depth info, otherwide another wrist item or console. 2 itrems on a wrist is not a pretty thing, but it has been done with wrist consoles. If your hunting includes reaching into places you may want to keep at least one arm clear of instruments.
Many like the wrist mounted compass.
Any instrument on your wrist benefits from being right THERE.
I like my console, It's on a bungee cord and bolt snap. I clip it to a shoulder D-ring and I know right where it is and it does not drag along the bottom. If I'm being fussy about navigation I unclip it and can swim streamlined with my elbows tucked to my chest instead of the crossed arm wrist mount compass position. this works for me, other will differ, that's cool.

Double hose regulators are mainly in the vintage realm and are not commercially avaiable. There is one new high end exception but I don't think you need to burn any brain cells on this. They are mainly prefered by photographers for the way they direct the exhaust bubbles. There are vinatge gear enthuiasts that are fond of the older ones, see the "Sea Hunt Era" forum in the gear section.

Halcyon is a brand name of techical and high end rec gear.

DIN is a type of regulator/tank connection. It is less common here in the states but gaining. The alternate is a Yoke connection. Virtually any resort cylinder is yoke. If you dive din at home you can buy an adapter to let you dive yoke cylinders when you travel. The DIN connection is highly preferred if you intend to use high pressure steel cylinders (>3000 PSI).

A backplate is the foundation of a techical (or recreational) buoyancy control device. In this case you build the device alacarte selecting, a wing (air bladder) tank mounting straps, harness from a number of options. It is as the name states a plate that rests on your back and has holes, slots and contours to attach to. See Hammerhead, Diverite and Deep Sea Supply for openers.

There is a rebreather forum in the gear section. Rebreathers are advanced dive gear that allows you to recycle your air. they chemically remove built up CO2 and replenish the oxygen using a selected gas mix. They offer extended dive times and little or no bubbles for openers.

The wing we mentioned, vists some sites to understand etc, etc & etc.

Nearly any decent regulator will serve you well for recreational diving to the 100'+ range. More money can buy cold and dirty water tolerance and premium regulators will breathe a little nicer. Basic features and local serviceability are important points to watch. Your demands sound modest.

Keep doing your homework and it will all come together for you. Give it time.

Pete

 

[Nomad]

Ironcat,

You are asking some basic questions about some very fundamentally different setups...

Not that there is anything wrong with that...

My advice is this: Don't spend alot of money on a setup that you have never used. Experiment. Don't buy anything based on somebody else's advice.

Use different setups enough to have your own preferences, then purchase based on your preferences.

 

[rawls]

1: I have heard a lot of conflicting viewpoints about console computers versus wristwatch type computers so I thought I would ask y'all for your 2 cents. IMHO (which I readily admit means nothing till I get some more exp under my weight belt) it seems having everything handy at your wrist and 1 less dangly would be a good thing? Unless the watch strap broke... Do they break?

2: I saw an ad for a 2 hose regulator with a hose on either side of your head and the bubbles came out in back? Except for the price it seemed like a great idea?

3: I know the difference between back float, jacket, and horse collar BCs but what is a halcyon, a DIN, a backplate, a rebreather, wings, etc, etc, etc?

4: Is the extra expense of a "high velocity" regulator worth it to a warm water recreational diver? Eventually I may want to go deeper for my hunting and whatnot but for right now 50 - 60 feet suits me fine.

Wrist/console...matter of preference...2 hose "reg" with bubbles out the back... most likley a closed circuit rebreather, perhaps a semi-closed...Price seems to say it was a rebreather of one type or another...big bucks...not now...Halcyon...brand name...DIN valves...usually for higher pressure tanks...back plate...goes with another question you will probably have...a bp/w set up (back plate/wing)...flotation system on your back called a wing...tank straps, back plate and harness makes the basic system...many variations, types and styles... aka a back inflate BC...as opposed to a vest style BC...Used alot by cave and other technical divers, photographers and divers who use doubles alot (double tanks)...Rebreathers...The alveoli in your lungs (little teeny air sacs) fill up with the air you breathe, 21% (for rounding purposes) of which is oxygen (O2). Arterioles absorb the oxygen and carry it to the cells in your body for metabolic processes. The metabolic waste product is carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is carried back to the lungs by the reverse process and exhaled. The process then starts all over again...a circular recycling process. That's the simplified version of gas exchange/ the ventilatory process. Rebreathers are similar because they recycle your exhaled gases. There is a piece of equipment called scrubbers that remove the carbon dioxide and replaces consumed oxygen, thus the term rebreather. It's kind of like a counter lung in a sense. Very expensive...maybe cheaper in the future....High performance regulators...generally easier to breathe under higher water pressures....There are very knowlegeable people on the board who use and are very experienced in the use of these types of equipment and I may be corrected on some things...but that's ok because I learn from my mistakes too. Hopefully I'm not too far off base in trying to explain some of these things in layman's terms to you...If I am too far off base there will no doubt be those happy to correct me...Read on...

 

[ScubaMike14]

Hey all....doesn't this post remind you of the time you first got into diving? Eyes wide open, spending time in the LDS looking at everything...and of course TONS of questions. How cool!!

Ironcat - Keep asking questions, read every magazine you can get your hands on, ask more questions, and utilize Scubaboard as much as possible to get others opinions and advice. But most importantly!!!!!...........don't let anyone TELL you what you want or need to buy. Like all of us, you will probably buy some gear that you will outgrow within a year or two of diving. Not to worry. You are too new a diver to know what you want right now as far as gear is concerned, only because who knows if you will "catch the bug" and go further..ie: Tech, Wreck, Cave, etc, or will just stay a recreational diver who looks at the pretty fish. (Which is absolutely fine by the way).

My suggestion would be to rent as many different styles of regs and BC's as you can for the next few months. Better to spend money renting something that you are told is the latest and greatest, just to find out it isn't for you, rather than spend A LOT of money purchasing something you hate and are stuck with.

Good luck and welcome.

Mike Rushton
PADI DM 174448