Proposed Gear set-up

[scubafanatic]

There is no real need to get something that has to be serviced locally, that is what shipping is for. And this worldwide service is rather overrated as well since the chances of something breaking during a trip are slim. And what are the chances that no one would know how to service it anyway? Its a scuba regulator consisting of little more that a couple springs and o-rings, not a nuclear reactor.

Get a pair of Jet Fins, and spring straps, you will be glad you did. It may take a while to figure out why, but you will.

Also while the BC v. BP/W debate has been done here ad nauseam still you really should get a BP/W. Again you will be glad you did.

...I always bring at least 2 complete regs sets on trips, so if one 'goes down' mid trip I can just switch to the back up reg. I'm not even remotely interested in having god-knows-who in some remote banana republic touching MY regs out in the field !

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

...I always bring at least 2 complete regs sets on trips, so if one 'goes down' mid trip I can just switch to the back up reg. I'm not even remotely interested in having god-knows-who in some remote banana republic touching MY regs out in the field !

When was the last time one went down? I've been at this for 10 years and not had one go down on me yet. I can only recall one dive that was lost by a buddy in the whole time, and that was immediately following expert service at the LDS. Even if I include everyone on every boat I have been on in 10 years I can still only think of one dive lost due to a regulator malfuntion.

The point is service on a dive trip is a second order consideration since regulator failure is unlikely in the first place. Second many parts are common from regulator to regulator and readily available where people dive. If you find turning a wrench something that you do not want to do while on vacation, or you find yourself immersed in a paroxysm of fear because it's "life-support-equipment" there will likely be someone around who is fully capable (even in the third world). True there are a few special parts and perhaps staying away the more exotic regulators would be advised. Also if you go on a diving vacation oddly enough scuba equipment is usually available to rent.

But...this is all a tangent since the original poster did not even ask about regulators.

For the original poster please do read some of the 49,655,129 posts on Scubaboard about BP/W v. BCs and use that information to balance what your dive store is telling you.

And yes Jet fins are really good for diving, assuming they fit your feet. But then there are still much better alternatives than the split fins if they do not.

 

[sdiver68]

Does this seem like a good BP/W set-up? I've found a mint used one for sale:

Halcyon Eclipse:

* Eclipse Buoyancy Compensator (wing); 30 lb. (14 kg.) lift capacity.
* Padded Stainless Steel Backplate in standard size.
* Complete Secure Harness; infinitely adjustable and designed to fit you perfectly.
* Stainless steel Single-Tank Adapter with two cam straps.
* Dual trim weight pockets hold up to 5 lb. per pocket.

 

[sdiver68]

BTW, I've found a solution to the fins debate By some very odd coincidence, my wife and I wear the same shoes size. Since part of my overall plan is to get her certified this Spring, I'm going to take advantage of an overstock situation at my LDS and buy a set of Oceanic V16's AND OMS Slipstreams for around $200.

 

[scubafanatic]

When was the last time one went down? I've been at this for 10 years and not had one go down on me yet. I can only recall one dive that was lost by a buddy in the whole time, and that was immediately following expert service at the LDS. Even if I include everyone on every boat I have been on in 10 years I can still only think of one dive lost due to a regulator malfuntion.

The point is service on a dive trip is a second order consideration since regulator failure is unlikely in the first place. Second many parts are common from regulator to regulator and readily available where people dive. If you find turning a wrench something that you do not want to do while on vacation, or you find yourself immersed in a paroxysm of fear because it's "life-support-equipment" there will likely be someone around who is fully capable (even in the third world). True there are a few special parts and perhaps staying away the more exotic regulators would be advised. Also if you go on a diving vacation oddly enough scuba equipment is usually available to rent.

But...this is all a tangent since the original poster did not even ask about regulators.

For the original poster please do read some of the 49,655,129 posts on Scubaboard about BP/W v. BCs and use that information to balance what your dive store is telling you.

And yes Jet fins are really good for diving, assuming they fit your feet. But then there are still much better alternatives than the split fins if they do not.

.....on pretty much every trip I've been on, I've loaned/donated spares (including complete reg sets) to fellow divers to save dives/entire trips......once I even saved my own trip when a tank popped out of the tank rack and impacted the boat's steel deck.....damaging the 1st-stage, so switched to back up reg. Also, if you have any experience on liveaboards, many DON'T offer any spare gear rental, you must bring everything you will be needing to go diving.....spares/parts/everything gear related except for weights/tanks. While YMMV, I don't like my regs being serviced just anywhere by just anybody, so I will bring my own back up reg set, serviced/maintained by my own chosen/preferred reg tech...instead of my back up plan being having my reg serviced in-the-field by 'joe blow'. As you say, sometimes plan-B is to rent a spare reg on-site, which is doable, however, expect to be issued some low-end, rode-hard-and-put-away-wet reg....which can but a real damper on that nice dive trip on which you've just invested a lot of money!

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

Does this seem like a good BP/W set-up? I've found a mint used one for sale:

Halcyon Eclipse:

* Eclipse Buoyancy Compensator (wing); 30 lb. (14 kg.) lift capacity.
* Padded Stainless Steel Backplate in standard size.
* Complete Secure Harness; infinitely adjustable and designed to fit you perfectly.
* Stainless steel Single-Tank Adapter with two cam straps.
* Dual trim weight pockets hold up to 5 lb. per pocket.

Halcyon makes good gear, if a bit pricey for new, so if you have found a used system for sale that's great.

30 lbs lift if plenty for warm water. You would not want more, and could get away with less.

For warm water and a stainless plate you will need little or no added weight. An aluminum or kydex plate would transfer a few pounds from your back to your belt, and be a few pounds less to carry on the plane. But then we are talking about 2 to 3 pounds so you will have to decide if that matters to you. The stainless plate will tend to put you horizontal in the water which is the most effcient attitude for swimming.

When I dive a steel backplate and a thin 3/2 mm wetsuit I need about 4 extra pounds of ballast. So the weight pockets with 10 pounds capacity are likey OK.

By the way as a point of explanation you will see people getting worked up here about gear selection at least in part because many of us were lead down the garden path by our local dive stores and sold poor equipment to begin with, and usually at a fairly high price. We feel somewhat miffed about that. So when we see new divers being lead down the same path we want to try to get them to buy the right gear the first time. The cliche is that most expensive gear you have is the gear you had to buy twice. Now I will tell you that a well fitting relatively conventional back inflate BC will probably work OK in warm water where you need realatively little ballast. But a BP/W will work better because it puts your center of gravity where you need it to be to trim out while swimming. And that gets to be a bigger issue in cold water where the amount of ballast you need more than doubles. Also it is hard to know for sure if a BC will fit in store, but a harness on a BP/W can be made to fit anyone and then will not need continual readjustment.

 

[sdiver68]

By the way as a point of explanation you will see people getting worked up here about gear selection at least in part because many of us were lead down the garden path by our local dive stores and sold poor equipment to begin with, and usually at a fairly high price. We feel somewhat miffed about that. So when we see new divers being lead down the same path we want to try to get them to buy the right gear the first time. The cliche is that most expensive gear you have is the gear you had to buy twice.

Thanks again!

BTW the Halcyon fell through so I'm still looking. I did pull the trigger on my personal gear. Oceanic V-16, Scubapro Spectra Mask + Snorkel, Henderson 5mm boots. The LDS sold them all at competitive prices. While not quite price matching the best online deals I can find, I don't mind paying a little more for their time, fitting, "good will" and local service.

 

[Shark Bait!]

https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?page=rigs

 

[Bogie]

Both split fins and paddle fins have pluses and minuses. Split fins are easier on your knees and can propel you a bit faster with the same effort. They are good for long surface swims and can scoot you along quite well. For frog kicks and wall dives where your hovering and turning gently the paddle fins are better.

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

Both split fins and paddle fins have pluses and minuses. Split fins are easier on your knees and can propel you a bit faster with the same effort. They are good for long surface swims and can scoot you along quite well. For frog kicks and wall dives where your hovering and turning gently the paddle fins are better.

True enough, if you just want to go in straight line forward splits probably are better. Paddle fins let you back up which is a plus if you want to maintain position relative to a photographic object or your buddy. They do take a bit more physical conditioning however.

Regarding the previous post -1 Deep Sea Supply does have a reputation for getting people fit to the right gear for the type of diving they do and the particulars of their personal size and shape. If you already know what you want Halcyon, OMS and Oxycheq are all options. And there are several others that I have missed.