New guy with tech ???

[lou19604]

IM looking to take cert thru scubaventures in pa my question is mainly for tech divers cause thats my direction i want to go in....here it is being a new diver not even 1 dive im thinking i should make my first purchases with tech gear in mind. so whats a good starting point to begin with ill spend some money but i dont want to buy something that wont hold up or be useable in a few years basically a good starting point. BEAR IN MIND I DONT KNOW SQUAT. I DO KNOW I WANT TO BE ABLE TO ADD TO WHAT EVER I START WITH.

SO WHAT ARE THE DIFFRENCES FROM TECH GEAR AND BASIC GEAR???

I have been surfing the net but id rather hear from actual users then salesman

 

[tstormdiver]

Talk to your instructor/ future tech instructor. They can point you in the right direction for what is required, when you reach that point in your diving carrer. Different agencies/ types of tech diving/ instrucotrs tend to go in certain directions for a reason. For basics, Most will steer you towards a backplate & wing (for a single tank) & a single tank adapter. You may also want to look at a high performance regulator.

The major differences between rec & tech, is tech gear tends to be minimalistic & a bit more streamlined, though it does bear to remember that a lot of today's recreational equipment came about from technical roots.

 

[Mayor]

I would ask around and find a great tech instructor that will help you with classes and gear. Don't get sucked into buying anything till you find someone to work with. That is if you want to save money.

 

[reddiver970]

I would get a few dives under your belt before spending any money on any gear. Make sure Scuba is your thing first. Then buy gear that can be used in both rec and tech diving,..fins, mask etc..... until you make sure tech is your thing. You don't want to buy stuff twice, but you also don't want to buy it once if you don't or won't need it.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

Generally a back plate and wing are the basic foundation of tech gear. It works nicely for rec gear too. Lots of brands out there and lots of price points. They can be used with single tanks or doubles and accommodate stage bottles well.

 

[Mr.X]

If you really get into this niche of the sport - you will be spending gobs of money. Enjoy your first few training dives and then decide (under wise instructor guidance) whether or not this stuff makes sense, or at the end of the day is purposeful & fun.

I say this because my office is chock full of tech gear and as I am dialing back on the dangerous stuff I used to do - I am wondering why the heck did I do it in the first place? I lost a lot of colleagues here and there, and sometimes ponder if I should have been doing something else like investing more in real estate, inventing, playing with dogs, enjoying the company of my wife more, giving back more to society...?

X

 

[Jim Lapenta]

A comprehensive OW course followed by an AOW that actually gives you real new advanced skills and 100 or so dives would be a good start. Someplace in between OW and AOW get BPW, drysuit, and can light. And make sure your OW instructor will allow a BPW. Some won't. If he/she does not that is a bad sign if you make it known you plan to go tech. Either they don't sell em, don;t understand em, don't know how to set them up, or some other nonsense. Show up to my class with a BPW and long hose reg and you'll be more than welcome!

 

[rx7diver]

... [My] question is mainly for tech divers cause thats my direction i want to go in ... BEAR IN MIND I DONT KNOW SQUAT ...

Lou19604, sometimes new divers who express an interest in tech diving, don't really know what tech diving is, nor what it is for. If you're one of these, then the following is for you. If not, stop reading this NOW! Otherwise, please continue.

There seems to be no universal agreement as to what constitutes tech diving, although many divers think that if one is diving in an overhead environment--i.e., diving where he cannot make a direct, unimpeded ascent to the surface (where there's an infinite amount of air to breathe!)--he is, or ought to be, tech diving. Or if one is breathing a gas other than simple, everyday air or two special gases known as NOAA Nitrox I and NOAA Nitrox II, or if one is switching (or altering) his breathing gas at any time during a dive, then he is engaged in tech diving. Or if he is using some types of specialized scuba equipment (e.g., a closed-circuit rebreather), he is tech diving.

Examples of overhead environments include submerged caves, interiors of underwater shipwrecks, and flooded mines. Sufficiently deep and/or lengthy dives which do not permit a diver to ascend directly to the surface without having to stop at a specified depth and wait a while before ascending to the next specified depth to stop and wait a bit, etc., until one reaches the surface, create an overhead environment, too.

Are you interested in doing these types of dives in the future? If not, then you really don't need to worry now about gear that's suitable for tech diving. A tremendous amount of enjoyment can be had simply scuba diving within recreational scuba limits (as opposed to tech diving limits), and a diver can become an extremely competent recreational scuba diver without ever having taken tech diving instruction nor purchased gear suitable for tech diving.

Spend some time reading through the various forums on Scubaboard. There are an awful lot of people doing amazing dives while remaining within recreational scuba limits.

FWIW,

Ronald

 

[rongoodman]

You can start out with a BP/W, which will work well whether or not you ever decide to go tech. There are lots of threads on the details, but it's hard to go wrong with a SS plate, one-piece harness, and a singles wing of 30# or so. When you buy your first regulator set, instead of a cheap octo, get two identical second stages--adding one more first stage later on will give you a pair of regulators to use. If you don't want to start out with a long hose, bungeed back-up configuration, adding the extra hoses to later on won't be expensive. Keep things simple, no gimmicks. Wrist mounted computer or bottom timer, no bulky console. You probably won't want to start off with an expensive primary light, but you can choose a light that will make a good back-up down the road.

 

[ptyx]

Get good paddle fins (Hollis F1?) instead of split fins.
Get a good basic wrist computer, not a console. Don't bother with air integration, trimix or other fancy features - if you end up deciding you need them, there will be better options on the market and your old computer will make an excellent backup.
Get a good wrist compass.
Get a simple brass and glass SPG.
Choose a light you can reuse later as a backup. In-line D cells, twistable bezel, single attachment point at the rear is the canonical form. I would recommend against a can light for a new diver.

Don't think too much about regulators - even if you switch to double tanks, you'll want to keep a single set. Personally, I like HOG and DiveRite because they sell kits and sell online 'officially', but that's more a political statement than a technical recommendation.

Consider getting a BP/W setup instead of a regular BC, but be prepared to suffer from the weird looks, the lack of pockets, and non integrated weights if you do. (And find someone to show you how to adjust it).

Know that any kind of money you save now because because you took the right options will be a minuscule drop in the ocean of what you'll end up paying if you go tech. And if you don't, all the options above are still pretty solid choices for any kind of diving.