New diver has tech gear questions

[lantzh]

hey all...I am new and in oklahoma.

I have reciently purchased some tech gear and I am interested in using that gear for sport diving as well as future training in technical diving.

Any suggestions in this area is helpfull....

 

[cool_hardware52]

hello...my name is lantz, I have reciently purchased some tech gear and I am interested in using that gear for sport diving as well as future training in technical diving. I am very technical and tactical minded and my interests are in public safety diving and technical diving. my goal is using my tech gear for all my diveing needs.

My questions are these.

first...I have an abysmal 80lb back wing w/dual bladder. No back plate or harness. I have enough stuff to make a harness but I am looking to make one that can be used for a single or dual tank. is there a back plate that will fit this wing with a lumbar pad? Any suggestions or ideas from tech peeps would be helpful.

secondly...I have an abysmal regulator set, the regs say "abysmal diving system " on them and they are new. I cant seem to find this company abysmal. any information on this company would be helpful.

thirdly...any suggestions on setting up my gear to be used for sport and technical diving would be of value to me. Back plate brands, harness systems and designs ect. as I am trying to get away from having to buy two sets of gear to dive with. I am a poor boy...hahahh I got the goals but not a lot of backing. DYI peoples information is greatlfully accepted.

I like their style...

what? no dive icons?

My suggestion is to stop buying gear, and find an instructor / mentors first.

Find some divers that are doing the types of divers you aspire to do. Listen to them.

A 80 lbs wing is almost certainly far larger than you need.

Tobin

 

[battles2a5]

I am pretty sure Abysmal is Joel Silverstein's company (who frequents this board). I haven't seen much of the gear, but I would imagine that the wing will fit any standard 11" on center backplate. Once you set up your harness on the BP, you can use it for singles or doubles. That wing is probably too big for any doubles diving you would want to do and is definitely too big for singles. So you can use the BP/harness but you will prob need another wing for singles. You really do not need a lumbar pad, but if you have your heart set on one, Dive Rite has one, OMS has one, Halcyon has one, and I believe Oxycheq does as well. Usually the pads and accesories will only fit that brand's plates (they use the accessory moutning holes as opposed to the standard webbing and bolt holes).

As for the regs, You will be better off with a dedicated set for singles and a dedicated set for doubles. You will tire of switching hoses back and forth very quickly. However, as a new diver you probably will be safe sticking with singles for a while before you have the need to dive doubles. Like I said, ping Joel about details on the reg. You can look him up here or check out Tech Diving Limited. If I remember correctly, they were sourced from scubamax, or one of the other reg OEM's. They should be fine for what you need.

 

[24940]

My suggestion is to stop buying gear, and find an instructor / mentors first.

Tobin

This, from a guy who makes his living selling the type of gear the OP is asking about.... Nice. Tobin, you're a class act.

An 80 lb wing for doubles would typically be overkill. It's not enough to have gear, you should know the why. Why would you want dual bladders? Why would you want 80lbs of lift? What problems could these features cause?

If you don't know the answers to those basic questions, you should.

Great advice from Tobin.

 

[potablewater]

Slow down there fella, use the 'search' button, and start reading...alot!
Then listen to guys like Tobin and Joel Silverstein, they know what they're doing.
And by the way, Welcome to the SB.
Oh, and there are plenty of dive icons if you look around...like the two just mentioned...

All the best,
Geoff

 

[SlowRain]

Yeah pretty much what everyone else said. Put the brakes on a bit. I think the best thing you can do, provided you are ready from an experience point of view, is find and take a intro into tech course before you buy another thing (if your profile is accurate with 0-24 dives, you might need some more water time first). Tech diving can cover quite a bit of ground in terms of what you need versus what you don't need. There are dives that some gear I have stays in the bag, and others where it is traded for something I might have taken on another dive. Certainly there are "must have" items such a primary and backup lights...but learn from someone who knows what offers the best in terms of performance and practicality. Bigger is definitely NOT always better (i.e. an 80# wing).

Before you invest in anything else, get some idea of what you really need...you could end up saving yourself some substaintial money, not to mention deciding if tech diving is really what you want to do. If you get to the point where you have some ideas about what you want to do and what you need...get a hold of someone like Tobin who can walk you through some choices and give you some other things to think about.

I have seen a lot of people drop some serious dollars into gear, only to find out what they bought was either not suitable for the diving they would be doing, or they bought the wrong thing, or went cheap when they should have gone quality first...and even the opposite where they spent a lot on something that could have easily been a DIY item. Spend some time learning the in's and out's. It will pay for itself!

Welcome to the board and good luck.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I also will agree with the previous posters. When my tech instructor does an intro course the first thing he does in class is have everyone bring their gear in. He then proceeds to tell them what is and is not acceptable. But more importantly he tells them why. You may have wasted some money depending on what your specific interests are. I can see no earthly reason for an 80lb wing with a dual bladder. Forget about it working with a single tank. Even in doubles unless you are going to be doing some seriously deep stuff with huge tanks and alot of stages and other stuff it's way overkill. A good instructor would have saved you some money. Read up on the tech forums, check out DSS, Oxycheq, Golem Gear and other wing/plate manufacturers. See how many 80lb dual bladder wings are offered. Look how many complete setups they offer. This is for a reason. Many plates and wings are interchangeable, some are not. You need to educate yourself a little before spending anymore money. A good intro class with a good instructor is the best way to do this.

 

[Teamcasa]

The old adage of “If a little does a little good so a lot does a lot of good.” Does not apply to wings. Tobin is right, spend a little time here and get a mentor near you to help advise you in your class and instructor selection.

 

[nereas]

Tobin at Deep Sea Supply in Southern California USA sells the best variable-size & variable-weight backplates in the world. I suggest you get one of his. Then weave his plate with 15 ft of webbing, 4 D-rings, 1 belt buckle, and 6 weight keepers.

The plates come in the sizes of small, med, and large.

They weigh from 6 to 14 lbs of steel.

You don't need a foam pad. Tobin's plates do not hurt.

I am sure he can set it all up for you and then ship it. He is one of the best in the world at gear, if not the best.

I got my backplate(s) from him.

https://www.deepseasupply.com/

 

[nereas]

...An 80 lbs wing is almost certainly far larger than you need.

Tobin

Better bigger than too small. I would be less concerned about a diver having an 80 lb wing for a 55 lbs rig, than with someone having a 30 lb wing for a 40 lb rig.