New Diver..Halcyon, "Do It Right"...Is it Worth It

[orcatwiggy]

Ok...I will try to make this as succinct as possible. (I apologize in advance if this belongs in the "New Diver" category)

I am a new diver. Faced with the overwhelming opinions and information on the net, I have noticed a niche, ?? does niche apply...perhaps not ??, the DIR.

Practically, you cannot try every piece of equipment out there. Where does that leave the novice, I will tell you...information overload. It is very difficult to decipher between those that truly have the best of intentions and those who are just opinionated. This post is not meant to anger anybody, just try to simplify the vast choices out there.

I have done my homework. Read as much as possible to educate myself on equipment. That's when DIR came along. The savior????...The simplifier????...At a cost???

DIR makes sense...but what do you think? They seem to have a logical approach, one that I thought would have assumed been the norm from the highly educated diving community.

So...Let's get down to it:

Equipment suggestions (DIR or NOT..are these bad choices?)

Regulator: AquaLung Legend XL
Apeks 200

BC: Here's were I get a bit confused. I want to be capable of doubles. Does that preclude me from the eclipse. Do I need to use the explorer? Is it as good a BC? (p.s. I know....wing/back plate...bear with me) Before discovering DIR, I was set on the Zeagle Ranger LTD.

Fins: Scuba Pro JetFin ( This all sounds like DIR standard equipment...but it all looks good)

Tanks: I want steel, 100's or 120's ... Nitrox
Masks, Wetsuits (can't afford dry), snorkel etc are too personal.


This was a lot of stuff in one message. I am just looking for experienced, objective views.

Thank You in advance,
John

 

[Wendy]

If you are a new diver then it will be awhile til you are in doubles, but if you are wanting gear thatyou will one day graduate to being bale to use with doubles then a backpalte and harness is good. The eclipse wing is a single tank wing and the explorer wing is a doubles wing. So you will end up needing 2 wings in the end. Some compnaies offer wings that are 'used for both singles and doubles', but why get a wing that can go either way, but not be the best for either? Many on the board agree with me that you need 2 wings, one for singles and one for doubles.

Are you interested in DIR or just the gear? Cuz you can have all the 'DIR' gear you want, but it won't make you DIR.

If you are interested in DIR, may I suggest you take the DIR-fundamentals course.

Where are you located?

 

[cool_hardware52]

Ok...I will try to make this as succinct as possible. (I apologize in advance if this belongs in the "New Diver" category)

I am a new diver. Faced with the overwhelming opinions and information on the net, I have noticed a niche, ?? does niche apply...perhaps not ??, the DIR.

Practically, you cannot try every piece of equipment out there. Where does that leave the novice, I will tell you...information overload. It is very difficult to decipher between those that truly have the best of intentions and those who are just opinionated. This post is not meant to anger anybody, just try to simplify the vast choices out there.

I have done my homework. Read as much as possible to educate myself on equipment. That's when DIR came along. The savior????...The simplifier????...At a cost???

DIR makes sense...but what do you think? They seem to have a logical approach, one that I thought would have assumed been the norm from the highly educated diving community.

So...Let's get down to it:

Equipment suggestions (DIR or NOT..are these bad choices?)

Regulator: AquaLung Legend XL
Apeks 200

BC: Here's were I get a bit confused. I want to be capable of doubles. Does that preclude me from the eclipse. Do I need to use the explorer? Is it as good a BC? (p.s. I know....wing/back plate...bear with me) Before discovering DIR, I was set on the Zeagle Ranger LTD.

Fins: Scuba Pro JetFin ( This all sounds like DIR standard equipment...but it all looks good)

Tanks: I want steel, 100's or 120's ... Nitrox
Masks, Wetsuits (can't afford dry), snorkel etc are too personal.


This was a lot of stuff in one message. I am just looking for experienced, objective views.

Thank You in advance,
John

John,


If all your gear choices are "Dir compliant" you will have little to regret.

A BP&W is an excellent approach. This definitely save you money as you progress to doubles. BP's are a very adaptable basic rig.

I caution you about trying to get one wing to use with both doubles and single tanks.

It's not so much a matter of lift, although doubles typically require higher lift wings, it's more a matter of shape.

A double wing will have a wide non-inflatable center panel with the inflatable bladder beyond. The center panel mush be wide enough for the pair of double tanks.

If you use this wide single wing with a single tank, the wing will wrap the tank taco style, making it hard to vent.

If you use a single wing (narrow center panel) the wide doubles will prevent it from inflating fully.

Your wise to check out your options, good luck.


Tobin George

 

[orcatwiggy]

This is what makes me a newbie. I am not necessarily interested in DIR, it just seemed to simplify the choices without sacraficing safety or equipment quality.

I am in Connecticut. The thought to go for doubles right away is because I have kids and a family and thought of trying to maximize those times that I can dive.

If I am way off base on something, let me know. I am here to learn

Thanks again.

 

[detroit diver]

Ok...I will try to make this as succinct as possible. (I apologize in advance if this belongs in the "New Diver" category)

I am a new diver. Faced with the overwhelming opinions and information on the net, I have noticed a niche, ?? does niche apply...perhaps not ??, the DIR.

Practically, you cannot try every piece of equipment out there. Where does that leave the novice, I will tell you...information overload. It is very difficult to decipher between those that truly have the best of intentions and those who are just opinionated. This post is not meant to anger anybody, just try to simplify the vast choices out there.

I have done my homework. Read as much as possible to educate myself on equipment. That's when DIR came along. The savior????...The simplifier????...At a cost???

DIR makes sense...but what do you think? They seem to have a logical approach, one that I thought would have assumed been the norm from the highly educated diving community.

So...Let's get down to it:

Equipment suggestions (DIR or NOT..are these bad choices?)

Regulator: AquaLung Legend XL
Apeks 200

BC: Here's were I get a bit confused. I want to be capable of doubles. Does that preclude me from the eclipse. Do I need to use the explorer? Is it as good a BC? (p.s. I know....wing/back plate...bear with me) Before discovering DIR, I was set on the Zeagle Ranger LTD.

Fins: Scuba Pro JetFin ( This all sounds like DIR standard equipment...but it all looks good)

Tanks: I want steel, 100's or 120's ... Nitrox
Masks, Wetsuits (can't afford dry), snorkel etc are too personal.


This was a lot of stuff in one message. I am just looking for experienced, objective views.

Thank You in advance,
John

John,

Here's a couple of suggestions.

1.Your regs are fine.
2. There is no good wing for both singles and doubles. The singles (pioneer, eclipse)wing are too small for doubles, and the doubles wings are way to large for single tank diving. No good answer for you here, but you'll need to fit the equipment to your type of diving.
3. Jets are the fin of choice.
4. Tanks- here's where you have a problem. The bouyancy characteristics of steel tanks do not work well with wetsuits, especially when you're speaking of doubles. Can you swim up your rig from depth with a complete wing failure? If the answer is yes, then the tank is appropriate.

Backplates are your choice. Material will be dictated by the rest of the rig.

Good luck, and dive safe!

 

[orcatwiggy]

Wow, so far this is great feedback. I hope that it continues. Concerning tanks, I want to be able to stay under for about two hours. (sorry if this statement is a "stupid" one).

Are there better tank options that I may not know about?

 

[Northeastwrecks]

Ok...
Regulator: AquaLung Legend XL
Apeks 200

Either is a good choice. I use ATX 200's on my doubles. However, in retrospect, its overkill. I use matched ATX50's for my singles and DS4/TX40's for deco. The ATX50's are more than adequate for the job.

Mechanically, the Aqualung is very similar to an Apeks.

BC: Here's were I get a bit confused. I want to be capable of doubles. Does that preclude me from the eclipse. Do I need to use the explorer? Is it as good a BC? (p.s. I know....wing/back plate...bear with me) Before discovering DIR, I was set on the Zeagle Ranger LTD.

The Eclipse is a very good system, IMHO. A number of people at my LDS dive one for singles (I'm still using Pioneers).

You do NOT want to try to use an Explorer with singles. The wing will taco. When you are ready, you can purchase the Explorer and use it with your existing backplate and harness.

Fins: Scuba Pro JetFin ( This all sounds like DIR standard equipment...but it all looks good)

Only one comment. If you are going to buy a drysuit, you may have difficulty fitting your foot into the pocket, in which case I'd recommend a set of turtles or IDI's if you can find a set. Otherwise, great fins.

Tanks: I want steel, 100's or 120's ... Nitrox
Masks, Wetsuits (can't afford dry), snorkel etc are too personal.

If you don't intend to double your singles, either will work. Personally, I hate the buoyancy characteristics of double 120's and am not all that impressed with 100's.

I'd recommend 119's or 130's.

This was a lot of stuff in one message. I am just looking for experienced, objective views.

Thank You in advance,
John

 

[Wendy]

Wow, so far this is great feedback. I hope that it continues. Concerning tanks, I want to be able to stay under for about two hours. (sorry if this statement is a "stupid" one).

Are there better tank options that I may not know about?

Please don't take this the wrong way, but have you gotten certified yet? The reason I ask is that you say you want 2 hours of bottom time....if you have taken an ow course you shoul dknow that how long your tank lasts depends on your depth (plus other things like air consumption, streamlining of gear, etc). And also you have to follow your NDL (no decopression limits).

Like you have been told, steel doubles in a wetsuit is not a good idea. if you had a drysuit you would have redundant bouyancy in case you had a wing fail.

Please don't be a in a rush to dive doubles or to have long bottom times. I have a alot of dives and been diving a number of years and my longest dive to date is only 78 mins and that was in an average of 12' of water.


You said, "The thought to go for doubles right away is because I have kids and a family and thought of trying to maximize those times that I can dive. ". If you care for your family and kids then you will get proper training and not try to go to far to fast, so you will around for many more years for your family. Sorry if this seems harsh, but we just want you to be safe.

 

[orcatwiggy]

Wendy,

Sorry that was unclear. Two hour dive, not all at the bottom. Just total duration. I understand about air consumption etc. Not as much as you, but I am learning.

How do steel tanks and a wetsuit make a bad combination.

Thanks Again - John

 

[hantzu701]

Wendy,

Sorry that was unclear. Two hour dive, not all at the bottom. Just total duration. I understand about air consumption etc. Not as much as you, but I am learning.

How do steel tanks and a wetsuit make a bad combination.

Thanks Again - John

John,
Since u didn't fill out ur profile:
1) What makes u a solo diver?
2) Why do you want steel tanks over aluminum tanks?

Charles