New Diver Please Help With Gear Selection

[diversteve]

I'm pretty sure SEA Elite is the Divers Supply house brand and not sold/serviced anywhere else so you might ask about that. I realize you probably live near them in NC but will you always? And if something breaks on vacation?

Even HOG doesn't have a great worldwide dealer network yet when compared to some of the other options presented here.

 

[RainPilot]

Thread about DIN vs yoke FWIW:
Yoke vs. DIN?

Agree with diversteve, hence my recommendation of the Mares even though the HOG has a great reputation.

As far as BCD servicing, I agree that a known brand i.e. widely distributed is a good thing, but in my experience the servicing etc of the BCD is not usually an issue, the failure points are usually inflator o-rings, springs etc or OPV/dump valves, and those are fairly standard parts wise? Again, I have a much more limited travel experience than many of the contributors here so am genuinely curious.

My Zeagle Ranger has been serviced in every country Ive lived and I have never found any actual agents, they just use off-the-shelf parts. i guess if the bladder goes then Im SOL and would have to rent a BCD while i order a replacement.

 

[diversteve]

I have alot to learn and practice, so I surly won't be working on my own gear.

I meant for the OP to get regs serviced - I service my own Ranger since so far that's been changing the inflator once and cleaning the dumps.

 

[RainPilot]

Ah ok gotcha, the Sea Elite was the BCD option, confused me a bit (not the hardest thing to do, honestly.)

 

[dmaziuk]

OK, not sure which part was BS. I didn't say that you couldn't fix the o-ring on the boat, I was referring to the only 3 OOG and potential OOG emergencies I have ever been involved in. All 3 of them were pinched o-rings that gave way during the dive, on one of them I came across a buddy pair trying to ascend together while gas sharing and not doing a great job of it. After i assisted them it turned out to be the o-ring

That. I'm sure it really happened but I strongly suspect the problems in all those cases was between the diver's 2nd stage and mask strap. If your o-ring blows in the middle of a dive (and not when initially pressurized) and you start losing gas at a rate that takes you OOG, you're going to hear it. And your buddy is going to see it. If you don't thumb the dive at this point, your problem is not with DIN vs yoke fittiing.

Yes, technical divers prefer DIN because if that happens to them, they may not have a direct path to the surface and/or may need to make a few stops on the way up. A rec diver in that situation (overhead and/or deco oblication) is, again, asking for a visit with Dr. Darwin.

What you're really going to do with DIN regs at popular rec dive destination in leftpondia is use the adapter and bang your head on it and have the o-ring.

As far as computer rentals go, out here the dive centres charge for "tank and weights" or "Full gear". a PDC costs around 8$ a day to rent. The BCD and reg costs around 45 $

I'm sure it's true in Atlantis The Palm. This side of the pond a computer tends to be as much or more than either BCD or regs (though usually not both), at least when rented separately and not as part of a package.

If you need to choose between renting the regs or renting the DC, you're better off with the former for any number of reasons including, but not limited to the cost. So the advice to buy regs and hold off on the computer is BS too.