New Diver question

[bwerblo2]

New diver here! I started diving last august at a resort and got my padi OW. I did ~ 10 dives on the trip and loved it.

Now that tax time is here, I am planning on getting some of my own gear and taking a few more courses at a dive shop here in chicago come spring/summer/whenever they start offering them again.

I have a couple questions and any comments I would welcome greatly!

1. Regulator: I was looking at the aqua lung core supreme DIN. I figured DIN since DIN -> Yoke seems easier than yoke -> DIN. The reason for the supreme is that with good maintenance, i would think it is a regulator that will last and can grow with me. Some day down the line I think I would like to take the ice diving course and this seems it would work well for that since it is sealed correct?

2. I know some people will say gear solution to skill problem, but I will ask anyways. I am going to be doing diving courses with instructors and would like to start getting into good habits. One of the bad things i can see myself doing, is losing track of time. There is a lot going on underwater and a lot to keep in mind and constantly think about. Is there any sort of watch that allows you to set an vibrating alarm for every 3-5 min or something? I can see this being a good way to get into the habit of checking air/computer/time. Just like bad habits, once you start good habits, it's hard to break them. Over time, the alarm wouldn't be needed.

Thanks for the input! I'm sure that I'll come up with more to ask, but that's all for now!

 

[Peter69_56]

I think you really have to get into the habit of constant checking by reinforcing it mentally, rather than depending on technology to do it for you. As you become more advanced, it becomes more critical to be methodical in how you dive. Unfortunately running out of air or staying at depth beyond your run time because you forgot to set your watch alarm doesn't cut it.

Safe diving is check check check. Not only do you methodically check your air and run time, mentally you should know how you are going anyway. To physically check it is simply confirming what you already know.

Its the same when you lose your SPG, the world doesn't stop, you should know what your approximate remaining air is, and given you know your max run time at depth, you should be assured (assuming no catastrophic failures) you can surface safely with the remaining air.

My recommendation is to forget the alarm idea, force yourself to check, check, check. Don't be distracted, enjoy but remember what you MUST do as compared to what you would LIKE to do during the dive. Checking air, depth and time is a MUST.

 

[freewillie]

1. If you really, really want a DIN regulator then by all means go DIN. But a more important question is what type of diving will you be doing and what will those needs be for a connection. The most common connection in the US is yoke. If you will primarily dive rental tanks and on vacation you will use yoke almost always. That means if you have a DIN connection then you will need to use an adapter for rental tanks and vacations. If you will have your own tank then it won't matter as much and you will be able to use any type of connection you wish. Most technical divers prefer DIN because it will give you a better connection with less chance of failure. But I dive yoke because most of my diving is recreational vacation and my local rental tanks are always yoke as well. That means I would have had use a DIN to yoke connection for 100% of my dives and without the benefit of actual DIN because of the adapter.

2. What happens if you set the timer incorrectly? You will possibly find yourself in a low on air, or worse an out of air situation because you had an equipment failure. Better yet, just get in the habit of checking your air at certain intervals. Plan your dives and dive your plans. A lot of the time your tank will last depends on your overall fitness level and depth. If you check your charts you NDL times for 60 feet or less is over an hour. But for an average diver your standard AL 80 rental tank is at most only 20 minutes at 100 feet. In the first case you should be able to dive for at least 45-60 minutes checking your tank every 10 minutes or so would be okay. In the second case you might find yourself out of air or very close if you waited 10 minutes to check your tank. Just get in the habit of checking as often and frequently as needed for the dive you planned.

 

[Peter69_56]

1. If you really, really want a DIN regulator then by all means go DIN. But a more important question is what type of diving will you be doing and what will those needs be for a connection. The most common connection in the US is yoke. If you will primarily dive rental tanks and on vacation you will use yoke almost always. That means if you have a DIN connection then you will need to use an adapter for rental tanks and vacations. If you will have your own tank then it won't matter as much and you will be able to use any type of connection you wish. Most technical divers prefer DIN because it will give you a better connection with less chance of failure. But I dive yoke because most of my diving is recreational vacation and my local rental tanks are always yoke as well. That means I would have had use a DIN to yoke connection for 100% of my dives and without the benefit of actual DIN because of the adapter.

2. What happens if you set the timer incorrectly? You will possibly find yourself in a low on air, or worse an out of air situation because you had an equipment failure. Better yet, just get in the habit of checking your air at certain intervals. Plan your dives and dive your plans. A lot of the time your tank will last depends on your overall fitness level and depth. If you check your charts you NDL times for 60 feet or less is over an hour. But for an average diver your standard AL 80 rental tank is at most only 20 minutes at 100 feet. In the first case you should be able to dive for at least 45-60 minutes checking your tank every 10 minutes or so would be okay. In the second case you might find yourself out of air or very close if you waited 10 minutes to check your tank. Just get in the habit of checking as often and frequently as needed for the dive you planned.

Out of curiosity, what sort of percentage do you have tanks that are only Yoke valved, compared to those who are a combination Yoke/DIN valve. I think most (if not all) new tanks these days are fitted with the Yoke/DIN setup so they can be sold all over the world with no change for location.

 

[LowDrag]

I own my own tanks and dive DIN here in the PNW and when I am in a warm water locale I throw on a Yoke adapter...no big deal there. It has never hit me on the back of the head or get in the way at any time. As for you getting into ice diving some day, I would go with the sealed reg's from what I have heard other divers say. I am not an expert on ice diving but that is what I have heard.

 

[Peter69_56]

I own my own tanks and dive DIN here in the PNW and when I am in a warm water locale I throw on a Yoke adapter...no big deal there. It has never hit me on the back of the head or get in the way at any time. As for you getting into ice diving some day, I would go with the sealed reg's from what I have heard other divers say. I am not an expert on ice diving but that is what I have heard.

I agree, I have had no real issues with the adapters as all my gear is DIN and I have to occasionally use a converter when there are a limited supply of DIN tanks when travelling overseas. In the main most dive sites these days seem to have either a good mix of both Yoke and DIN or often now have the Yoke/DIN type valves so no issue.

All my regs are sealed except deco regs, however I have no ice experience but I also have been lead to understand that sealed regs assist in icing issues

 

[flyin01]

Try a wrist mount computer. I am use to wearing a watch and the wrist mount computer just seems like second nature.

 

[doctormike]

Out of curiosity, what sort of percentage do you have tanks that are only Yoke valved, compared to those who are a combination Yoke/DIN valve. I think most (if not all) new tanks these days are fitted with the Yoke/DIN setup so they can be sold all over the world with no change for location.

Right, but it will still be a long time before all of those thousands and thousands of old aluminum 80s in the Caribbean without the Pro Valves are retired, so for the near future, if the OP is ONLY diving with rental tanks in warm water environments, it might make sense to just get a yoke reg.

All my regs are DIN, and I far prefer it, but that's because I do local diving with my own tanks.

If the OP ends up going into cold water local diving with his/her own tanks down the road, the cost of a conversion kit (to DIN) would be pretty minor in the scheme of things.

Also, the OP should remember that if you own your own regulators you need to service them regularly, and that servicing environmentally sealed regs often costs more. So if ice diving is far in the future, you could also go with a non-sealed regulator to start with. Many regs can be converted to sealed by adding the internal grease packing later on, from what I am told.

The watch alarm thing sounds like a bad idea to me, as others have mentioned...

 

[John A Lewis]

Like others here, I have used DIN and put an adapter on to use yoke when needed. No big deal.

As to an alarm to get yourself looking at gauges and so forth, my council is not to do it--learn to do it without them. You'll be happier in the long run.

What you may want to do is think about your most immediate dive goal and work backward from there in order to determine what you really need, as opposed to want in dive gear.

 

[doctormike]

Another thought for the OP - I guess it depends on how much you are diving each year, but I'm not sure that a regulator is the most important first purchase. Assuming that you are renting from reliable sources, you will find that pretty much all modern regulators are identical for your purposes. On the other hand, a good BC - specifically a BP/W, more on that elsewhere - will really impact your diving positively, especially as you customize it to your own preferences over time. Also, yearly maintenance on a BP/W is minimal and you can do it yourself, while owning a reg implies an ongoing cost of regular overhaul by a certified technician.