Oceanic Alpha 8

[Sjloug]

I begin my scuba class next week end and i was looking to start buying some things. I was looking into the Oceanic Alpha 8 Sport, because it comes with a free octo. Does anybody have an opinion on this. Its $269... Looking at some of these regulators they could get pretty pricey.... Thanks for you opinions....and suggestions..

 

[Jimmer]

It's a fantastic Reg. My LDS just brought in a bunch for rentals, and had me take one on a deep dive to check out how they perform, and I was quite impressed with the performance, considering they are an affordable reg.

 

[mikerault]

I use them with the first stages they sold here on scuba board for $60, I love them. I use them for both primary and backup regs.

Mike

 

[aowdan]

love them. advertised as good to 198 feet. just watch out for the px3 first stage. i like it but i'm on my 2nd one now. something with the pisto o-ring. the sp4 or sp5 are pretty good also.

dano

 

[Offroad]

Have you seen this deal?
http://www.divers-supply.com/OCEANIC-GT3-W-CDX5-p/oce0003.htm

You can also use the discount code PG10 at checkout and get an additional 10% off. That brings the price down to $179.95 plus shipping. If you order $250 or more you'll get shipping free. They are an authorized dealer and shipped mine the same day I placed the order.

This is last years model without the dry valve on it (Alpha 8 doesn't have it either) and you won't get a free octo, but its a better balanced and evironmentally sealed reg than the Alpha 8 Sport and at that price you can just buy your choice of octo's.

I bought one each for my wife and I and couldn't be happier. We also bought these SPG's:
http://www.divers-supply.com/TUSA-IMPREX-PRESSURE-GAUGE-p/tus5596.htm
Its a nice easy to read gauge, ours came with a cover that went all the way down to the hose. With the discount code its only $50.

The GT3 second stage is also diver adjustable. We used ours recently on a two week diving trip, our deepest dive was about 100fsw and they breathed great at that depth.

Hope this helps.

 

[Stu S.]

Darn good. Compares in performance with more expensive items. The SP-5 first stage is trouble-free.

This might not be the choice for a cold water diver. And, why buy so soon? Typically a regulator is provided with SCUBA instruction. There are a few divers in each class that can't finish for some reason. You could buy one when you finish training.

 

[Jimmer]

This might not be the choice for a cold water diver.

The GT3/CDX5 will work beautifully in cold water, I buddied with a guy using that reg on my ice dive back in February, I've also seen that reg in 44 degrees at 120 feet deep too...flawless.

 

[Sjloug]

Thanks everyone... I have another stupid newbie question.... Do i need to purchase a gauge. Or would a good computer do all that i need...

 

[Jimmer]

You'll need some way of monitoring air pressure, if you choose an air integrated computer, that will suffice. Otherwise you will at least want an SPG such as the TUSA that Offroad mentioned, and then a wrist computer to handle your depth and time tracking.

 

[paulwlee]

Thanks everyone... I have another stupid newbie question.... Do i need to purchase a gauge. Or would a good computer do all that i need...

At a minimum, you need two gauges, a depth gauge, and a submersible pressure gauge, a.k.a. SPG, and a watch.
A basic computer tracks depth and time, so is used in place of a depth gauge and watch, but you will still need an SPG. Then there are computers that are pricier that are AI, i.e. Air Integrated, that also functions as an SPG, in which case the computer is all you need.

BTW, I also concur with another post on this thread, that it would be better to wait until you finish the class to buy gear. Besides the fact that a non-negligible percentage of people either do not finish their open water class (due to health or other reasons) or never dive again after the class, it's also possible that after finishing the class and doing a few dives you will get a different idea of what gear you'd like to have.

That said, the Alpha 8 sport seems to be a good regulator, with great bang for the buck, and a good choice if affordability is an important consideration.