Newbie here, need regulator advice

[lowviz]

Who in the world dives whitewater? .........

Nobody I know.

.............. I've dived WV rivers for 45 years and I've never experienced any sort of "tumbling." Yoke type regs are all I've ever used.

For the record, my experience with your area is all topside. Would LOVE to dive it someday. Any suggestions on where to start? <I enjoyed the cabins at Babcock SP in the past.>

I've turtled in flow on soft bottom tidal rivers a couple of times. (IJS my mileage varied.) Not saying that yokes can't take it, but I remain impressed with the pounding that you can get while plowing.

 

[Doc Harry]

Who in the world dives whitewater? I've dived WV rivers for 45 years and I've never experienced any sort of "tumbling." Yoke type regs are all I've ever used.

Kayak (not raft) the New or the Cheat or the Gauley if you want some real fun.

Most of the major brand name regulators are fine. Yoke is the most common recreational fitting in the USA. DIN is more secure, but if you rent tanks then you're going to need an adapter so that your DIN regs will fit on a yoke tank. Might as well stay with a yoke fitting.

When I take my DIN tanks to be filled most places don't have an adapter, so I have to supply my own (we're talking Appalachia here).

What to look for in a regulator:

1. Service - can your regulator be serviced locally, or will you need to send it to Florida for annual maintenance? Check with your local shop to see what regs they can - and can't - service.

2. Ports - How many ports does the first stage have? At the minimum, you need 1 high-pressure (HP) port for the pressure gauge, 1 low pressure (LP) port for the primary reg, 1 LP port for the octo, and 1 LP port for the BC inflator. That's 1 HP and 3 LP ports. If you have a dry suit, you'll need another LP port for the dry suit inflator. If you have or want other fancy (unnecessary) gadgets, then you may need even more HP or LP ports. But most people will do well with either 1-HP/3-LP or 1-HP/4-LP ports.

3. Piston or Diaphragm? The innards of a piston regulator first stage are exposed to the water. If your water is clean, then it doesn't really matter. But if the water is dirty, then it's best to stay with a sealed diaphragm.

4. If you like the Oceanic, then get it. You'll have your regulator forever, so get what you like or you'll be spending double to replace it with something that you do like.

 

[skankpile]

If you want American made go Zeagle, if else go Apeks/Scubapro they are all great. The Zeagle will breath a little easier from the factory as American regs don't have to meet certain regulations the non-american regs do and are detuned a little from the factory (hence your observation on the oceanic cracking easily). They can all be tuned and work as well, but it comes down to preference, hose routing, materials...they are all great.

 

[Doc Harry]

BTW...
In recreational scuba there really isn't a whole lot of practical differences between the various regulators. It isn't until you get into technical diving that the nuances between the brands and styles starts to become truly important. Hose routing and balancing, etc., have real consequences.

Bottom line... don't worry about it too much. Get what you like!

 

[lowviz]

Kayak (not raft) the New or the Cheat or the Gauley if you want some real fun.
...............

Like face plowing the hydraulic jump (roostertail) at Sweet's falls... Sweet's Falls Rapid - Rapids of the Gauley River Video Tour

I'll stay in my ducky (or raft if I'm feeling gregarious), thank you.

OP: Buy a good reg set and keep it serviced at some reasonable interval. Even while sitting on the shelf for a year, the seat is under a lot of pressure.

Happy New Year to all,
Stay safe.

 

[LakeCountyDiver]

If you want to invest money in regs look at your Local Dive Shop (LDS) see what kind of line they carry. You will want quality but also want to be able to get it serviced come time. Another good piece of info I read is talk to the local divers there and see what they dive with.
In clearwater,Fl you will not have trouble finding dive sites or LDS's or even people to work on your gear.

Good brands to look at will be but not limited to:
ScubaPro
Atomic
AquaLung
Zeagle

 

[Paladin]

Like face plowing the hydraulic jump (roostertail) at Sweet's falls... Sweet's Falls Rapid - Rapids of the Gauley River Video Tour

I'll stay in my ducky (or raft if I'm feeling gregarious), thank you.

OP: Buy a good reg set and keep it serviced at some reasonable interval. Even while sitting on the shelf for a year, the seat is under a lot of pressure.

Happy New Year to all,
Stay safe.

When in storage, the high pressure seat in the first stage is under no pressure at all because the seat is open. Once the IP drops below the operating pressure of 135 psi to 150 psi, the pressure of the adjustment spring opens the HP seat and keeps it open.

The low pressure seat in the second stage, however, is always under pressure.

 

[EnriqueL6]

I wouldn't worry too much about "quality", cause in recreational diving you shouldn't experience extremes (unless you are doing cold water). I have many regulators, some expensive high end models and a lot of low end models. All of them have never failed me and get used all the time; since I lend my gear out to friends without dive gear (I know I&#8217;m a nice friend).

The only problem I have had is servicing. I move every 3 years since I&#8217;m military and have been to places that were not able to service my regulator, at least in a reasonable timeline. Funny thing is, most of those were the high end models. So goes to show, paying extra money isn't always in your favor.

No matter what regulator you buy, it will meet certain standards and so long as YOU maintain its serviceability it will last you for years and not fail you. If you buy new, you're good to go diving right away. If you buy used, just take it to a good dive shop so they could test it. That's about the only recommendation I could give you. Find one you like and go from there. I got regulators I love to use and others I hate to use. Some because I feel like I&#8217;m sucking a golf ball through a garden hose and others because they weigh so much I feel like someone is punching my in the jaw when I dive. Those same regulators I hate, I have friends that love them. Go figure, to each their own.

 

[Paladin]

Lowviz:
As far as diving my area is concerned, I recommend some time at Summersville Lake. 30 to 50 ft. visibility and depths of up to 300 feet make it a popular dive location. Visibility in the rivers is marginal, at best. The Kanawha river seldom has visibility greater than a foot or so. There is a spot where the Gauley River flows into the New River that can be interesting, just don't get close to Kanawha Falls or you are in for a ride.

The rivers here are great for artifact hunting. People have been using these rivers for transportation for many centuries and objects have fallen out of every kind of craft from prehistoric canoes to modern tugs and motorboats.

My favorite place to look for "treasure" is the Ohio river. Visibility averages about 8 feet and the depth is shallow, usually around twenty feet. It has a soft, silted bottom and artifacts from the ancient to the modern are always turning up. Keep close to the banks for safety reasons. The river is heavily traveled by heavy barges. The prop wash from the big tugs toss artifacts from the center of the river to the sides anyway, so that's where you find a lot of stuff.

 

[Hokie Diver1]

Jimmer...How do I PM you??