Quest to become a local Nor Cal diver...and drysuit diver

[ScubaERDoc]

Yes I have seen prior threads from new Monterey divers asking advice and also have read this: New Monterey Diver Information

The advice I need is for a more broad reaching transformative goal...I want to be a regular cold water local diver likely with a drysuit.

Me currently: Live in SF, warm water travel diver since 2010. Have now 100 dives under my belt, AOW, Nitrox. Dive with Apek regs and a Zeagle express tech with 24 lbs of lift. Integrated weight pockets. With no wet suit, I only need 4 lbs of lead. Comfortable in cold water with 7 mm farmer johns when abalone diving in Mendocino a couple years ago (I was 20 lbs heavier and 10% more body fat then...another long story).

Me (ideally) in a year: Regular twice a month or monthly Monterey diver. Hope to find partners who can dive weekdays as well (the life of an ER doc is one of scheduling chaos)

The problem is the places I have been before : Kona, Cabo Pulmo, Los Cabos, Koh Tai, Koh Phi Phi, Roatan, Belize, Curacao and Bonaire...all nice but NOTHING like Monterey. I fully respect that none of the places I have dove have prepared by for diving in Monterey and I plan to go about preparing my self in a step wise fashion.

I know that I am gonna want to get into drysuits as fast as possible.
Should I start wetsuit diving in Monterey or should I begin my diving there in a new drysuit?

I do plan to take drysuit courses as well when I get my new drysuit. Pretty much liked what people said about the DUI TLS 530 and the Whites Fusion. Leaning towards DUI. Like the idea of membrane trilam for less uncontrolled changes in buoyancy at depth. Also may like the turbo soles but may need to check them out.
I heard from a nice diving couple that All Water Sports in San Jose is a place to get the DUI suits.

Any other recs and any recs on where to do a drysuit course?

Also, is the 24 lb lift from my Zeagle Express tech gonna be enough or am I gonna need a bigger wing. Hard to know without my exact weighting which right now is a guess to me (probably not as much as some as I am a 4 lb warm water diver)

Weight belt as well as weight pockets??

Obviously the final question will be regarding which dive op would best suit my needs for these classes and intro dives into the bay.
Seven seas vs Bamboo Reef (I live right next to the BR in SF)

Thanks so much,
I'm tired of not taking advantage of our local world class diving and the thought of being on a surface interval until April in Cozumel makes me want to sink into a maelstrom of sadness. Need to get into local water!!!

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

You will probably need a BC with more lift.

 

[TSandM]

I agree with Chuck.

Not a California diver, but I've helped folks through the same warm to cold water transition up here in Seattle. Unless you already own cold water wetsuits, I'd say just go dry from the get-go. You will be much more comfortable while you are figuring stuff out.

The two big things about changing are weight and viz. Cold water gear is HEAVY, because you have to sink the exposure protection. At the same time, you have to get used to a much more limited world of vision (although Monterey CAN have some utterly amazing days). It is a transition, but it's definitely a manageable one. One piece of advice -- DO practice mask skills in the cold water! A good friend of mine got certified in Thailand and came home to become a very active Seattle diver. Several months later, he had a true, absolute panic episode brought on by dislodging and flooding his mask. He had never practiced that skill in cold water, and he completely lost it and almost quit diving as a result.

 

[Rob Wilks]

I dive a DUI FLX 50/50 and I love it. They make great suits I believe. I'd recommend getting it custom fit however. I didn't, and I wish I had. The zip seals are a great idea, though some people love em and some hate em.
Keith and Carol at BR in Monterey are good people and can take care of your training needs. I didn't get drysuit certified there, though the folks I know who did were happy. They have suits to train in as well.
I agree with Chuck. You'll probably want more lift out of your BC. I had the same issue when I switched to a drysuit.
Hope this helps some. When you get out this way, drop a PM. I'm free Tuesdays and Wednesdays to dive. Have fun with your new gear!

 

[bjd001]

DUI also has a weight harness you can use instead of a weight belt. It has straps that go over your shoulders. I have several friends who are happy with those. I also know some divers who use both integrated weights and a weight belt.

I can also recommend Any (not All) Water Sports. They are on Saratoga Avenue in San Jose.

 

[enigmata]

Welcome ScubaERDoc, good to see another fellow physician diver in norcal! Personally, I use a 25lb wing with 12lbs of lead and a 6lb steel backplate when drysuit diving - so, depending on how much lead you end up needing, a 24lb wing may work. There was only a 2lb difference when I went from a FJ 7mm to my current drysuit. Also, a drysuit course is helpful, but I've had many dry buddies who didn't take a course.

 

[zf2nt]

You might want to look up Hans Pogemeyer, who is both an avid U/W photographer AND an ER pulmonary MD at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Penninsula (CHOMP). I taught Hans a course a few years ago and was extremely impressed by him.

 

[jeangadbois]

I dive a dui clx 450 and love it. Also it takes me 22lbs of weight to sink me and I use a 25lbs wing that I barely ever put air in. So I can't see why you would need a bigger wing when properly weighted.

 

[GCullen94]

I would go straight to the drysuit as has been stated. My rule of thumb is:

Water less than 60- Dry no matter what
Two or more dives in a day- Dry
Night- Dry
Single shore dive with water over 60- Wet maybe, still probably dry.

I would move to a bigger wing or a true backplate and wing system as that will allow you to be able to take more lead off of your belt and have a more customizable rig, for I dive a Diving Concepts Z Tech suit and I need 12lbs of lead, 2lb can light, a 5lb plate and when I start my dive my 119 is negative 10. If I have a full suit flood due to a failure at the start of a dive then I've lost some buoyancy and I am now negative 29 lbs in the water. Yes I could ditch weight but I'd rather have a wing that can support me even with a full suit failure. I'd also like to be able to float comfortably on the surface or assist another diver if needed. For this reason I use a wing with 35lbs of lift.

Using your suit for buoyancy can make you very unstable and out of trim, my suit is my backup incase I have a wing failure. For this reason I dive with just enough gas in my suit to relieve the squeeze and use my wing for buoyancy control. When I dump gas out of my wing I use the butt dump and when I rotate my shoulder around I also raise it allowing the suit to vent as well.

As for weight belt vs weight pockets vs harness, I use a weight belt, I can still dump weight if needed however I have two methods of buoyancy and have not had a reason to dump weights... Yet. The reason I didn't go with a weight harness was bulk and clutter, same with the weight pockets. as for dive ops people where I live use multiple.

 

[ScubaERDoc]

Wow! Thanks for all the great advice. I see that I am in good company.

I am now leaning on just going ahead and getting the DUI TLS 350 custom right off the bat. Also I'm pretty much convinced to get a DSS Stainless BP/W as they have good value. I just wish the backplate had boltable weight pockets like my Zeagle express tech. That has been a perfect accessible low profile ditchable system for me

I think ANY Water Sports (thanks for the correction :doh has both. Plan to take the class at the BR in Monterey for sure and then practice at Breakwaters.

Thanks for all the offers on dive buddies. Shows what a great NorCal dive community we have here! I'll let you know when I'm ready to join

Yen