New Puget Sound Diver

[Scuba Skaughtie]

Hi all! So I am a new diver in Everett, WA. I have always been around the water and now I'm under it. I just got my OW Cert and am looking forward to getting wet as often as possible. I'm researching and trying to figure out what kind of gear I want to use. Based on advise from more experienced divers I will probably go straight to a dry suit as it's winter and the Puget Sound is COLD! Still trying to figure out where to get my gear and enjoying planning multiple "perfect" setups.

Looking forward to talking to you all and learning from your experience.

Skaughtie

 

[Deuchler]

Welcome! I'm also from Washington (Spokane.) Congrats on your open water cert, it's a good feeling to finally go under the water after being a around it so much.

For dive gear, there's a lot of personal preference involved. If you're going to stay in recreational limits and training, a solid BCD with some trim pockets (pockets high on the back) go a long way for comfort and positioning. Of course if you go dry suit, which is a good choice, you'll want some training.

There's much to be set about your whole gear setup, but my personal opinion for the NW is as follows:

environmental suit: drysuit for colder stuff (or all the time), two piece farmer john style 5mm spearfishing suit for everything else. Get some nice gloves if you dont use drysuit gloves *5mm or 7mm* and a nice 7mm hood. Be careful the hood isn't too tight!

mask: something that fits you remarkably well and leaks as little as possible (takes time to find the right one)

fins: I prefer a stiff, single piece fin. These break you in, not the other way around. I say this because although they are hard at first, they afford maximum control and precision as well as power when you need it. I recommend the Mares avanti quattro closed heal (for the spearo suit.) The open heal quattros or jetfins for the drysuit. You can also just buy open heal quattros and get booties if you do dive w/o the drysuit.

Regulators: For a good solid investment I'd buy an environmentally sealed balanced first stage and same branded second stages that you can easily service near your home.

computer: Get a nitrox compatible computer, I like the oceanic Veo 100 NX.

BCD: Read above.

dive bag: get a nice one with wheels! Not having wheels will make you a sad boy.

Hope that helps in some way, remember, try everything yourself and make your own choices! Welcome again.

 

[TSandM]

Welcome to diving, Skaughtie, and to :sblogo:! There are quite a few Puget Sound divers who pop in here from time to time, and you may also want to have a look at nwdiveclub.com, especially if you are looking for local dive buddies.

There is a semi-regular set of dives at the Silver Cloud site at Mukilteo on Mondays -- usually one dive at 4pm and one at 6 or so, followed by a "third dive" at the brewery nearby. It's a good group of folks, and very supportive of new divers.

As far as gear goes, I think you're on the right track to look into a dry suit as soon as you can, if you want to dive this winter. Low surface temperatures are very hard on the wetsuit folks.

As far as other gear goes, one of the unfortunate facts of Puget Sound life is that we need a lot of insulation . . . so we have to carry a lot of weight. Strategies that minimize that weight and at the same time distribute it for the best balance underwater are really useful. To that end, I would highly suggest that you not purchase a BC until you have had a chance to look at a backplate setup with a stainless steel plate. (If you want to have a look at them, shoot me a PM; we could probably also arrange to meet up for a dive where you could try one out.) Backplate rigs are nice because they have no intrinsic buoyancy (so you lose about 3 lbs there) AND the plate itself is part of your ballast, thus taking five or more pounds off your weight belt.

I'm another person to vote for paddle fins. One of the salient qualities of Puget Sound dive sites is silt, and it's really great to learn, as soon as possible, how to arrange your body and do your kicks so as to leave the viz undisturbed -- after all, YOU'RE going to have to swim back through it! Paddle fins are most useful for the alternate kicks which minimize silting. And heavy fins (eg. Jet fins) are a small part of your ballast, too -- as well as being MUCH cheaper than the fancy splits and rubber-band and flexible post fins that the shops want to hawk.

 

[TSandM]

Welcome to diving, Skaughtie, and to :sblogo:! There are quite a few Puget Sound divers who pop in here from time to time, and you may also want to have a look at nwdiveclub.com, especially if you are looking for local dive buddies.

There is a semi-regular set of dives at the Silver Cloud site at Mukilteo on Mondays -- usually one dive at 4pm and one at 6 or so, followed by a "third dive" at the brewery nearby. It's a good group of folks, and very supportive of new divers.

As far as gear goes, I think you're on the right track to look into a dry suit as soon as you can, if you want to dive this winter. Low surface temperatures are very hard on the wetsuit folks.

As far as other gear goes, one of the unfortunate facts of Puget Sound life is that we need a lot of insulation . . . so we have to carry a lot of weight. Strategies that minimize that weight and at the same time distribute it for the best balance underwater are really useful. To that end, I would highly suggest that you not purchase a BC until you have had a chance to look at a backplate setup with a stainless steel plate. (If you want to have a look at them, shoot me a PM; we could probably also arrange to meet up for a dive where you could try one out.) Backplate rigs are nice because they have no intrinsic buoyancy (so you lose about 3 lbs there) AND the plate itself is part of your ballast, thus taking five or more pounds off your weight belt.

I'm another person to vote for paddle fins. One of the salient qualities of Puget Sound dive sites is silt, and it's really great to learn, as soon as possible, how to arrange your body and do your kicks so as to leave the viz undisturbed -- after all, YOU'RE going to have to swim back through it! Paddle fins are most useful for the alternate kicks which minimize silting. And heavy fins (eg. Jet fins) are a small part of your ballast, too -- as well as being MUCH cheaper than the fancy splits and rubber-band and flexible post fins that the shops want to hawk.