Tekky BC or not

[sharkattack]

My Hijack of the thread. A reel is not just used for surfacing or blowing a bag. It is also used for navigation. We often run one in Monterey since low visibility and strong current/swell can blow off any compass heading. Those guys don't sound much different in thier gear configurations than I do. I have been laughed at on boats in Maui for my gear set up. I shrug it off. If I want to run a computer and an additional bottom timer, I can do what i want. I certainly don't bring 400' of line on those types of dives but you can bet I have a spool of about 100' clipped off butt along with a safety saus. My canned light? Can never have too much light.

As far as a TEC BCD. Buy what you want. All the people I dive with dive the same stuff. I have changed my gear over several times till I found what works for me.

 

[ChrisA]

Although not a tekky myself I'm seriously considering buying a tek BCD.
Thing is that it seems to be much more comfy and less cumbersome than the usual rec ones.I mean,what do I need those large pockets for?I never happen to carry nothing more than a spare mask and a small torch in them.Having the air bladder in the back and only the harness where I can add just the pockets I actually need for a given dive seems to me a much more practical option.Also having a bladder with more lifting power doesn't sound bad at all,given that I very often dive deep,in currentswept sites(I might incour in one of those infamous downward ones,God forbid!) and sometimes I carry a 3 or 5lt.nitrox tank for deco.
What do you think:huh:

What do you mean "Although not a tekky myself" Isn't planned decompresion diving using gas switches and stage bottle the very definition of "technical diving". I mean carrying a differnt gas mix that could possably be toxic at depth? Yes you are a "tekky" it's just that you are not using doubles. Many people would argue that if you are planning on deco and can't breath your deco gas at the planned depth then you realy should have some redundent gas supply Basically you are doing tech dives but simply don't bring the tech saftey gear. Nothing wrong as long as you know the risk.

If I were in an overhead environment or under a deco obligation (same thing really) I'd want a redundent air supply which likely means doubles. With doubles you need a backplate

 

[dherbman]

Wow, what a lot of hot air.

Back-inflating BCDs were designed originally for commercial divers. They are designed a>to carry all of that equipment, and b> to allow more movement with all of that equipment. They have become very useful for tec divers for that same reason.
Many Americans wear these BCDs, and all of the equipment because they think it makes them look experienced and competent. Really all they have done is fall for salesmanship at their diveshop. I took on some referral students a few years ago decked out in OMS, head to foot - dual-bladder, the works. Why had they bought this gear? Their initial instructor sold it to them, and laughed all the way to the bank with his commission. At the end of the day, look to what the pros wear.
Stan Waterman: Scubapro Classic
Howard and Michelle Hall: Scubapro Classic
The Taylors: Scubapro Classic
Jef Fox: Scubapro Classic
Genie Clark: Scubapro Classic
Basic, durable and reliable. No back-inflator, no steel plates, no d-rings.

Usually you can spot the good, experienced divers by the lack of equipment.

I first used a BP/W in 1977. It wasn't for tech or commercial diving. While jackets might be adequate for virtually any recreational diving, they are in no way superior to BP/W and are inferior in some regards.

Which jacket would you recommend for the folowing:

Drysuit with cold water undergarments
3mm shorty
doubles
single
overhead
deco
small person
large person
man
woman

At the end of the day, I'm going to ask not what the pros wear, but why they wear it. It might be for any number of reasons that would not be of benefit me, including the possibility that they are paid by ScubaPro to endorse that BC.

I didn't think 2 puters was DIR. In fact, one of the 2 was a wireless VTPro, hardly DIR.

Don Janni, what makes you think the guys you saw on the boat were DIR?

 

[Beppe]

Wow, what a lot of hot air.
To answer your initial question Beppe, on what kind of BC to buy:
I laugh constantly at the amount of equipment the average American diver buys and uses. I agree wholly with your use of EAN to help off-gas, I myself can run five dives per day for several weeks and dream of using EAN (kind of hard to get O2 in the outIslands) so that I stop sounding like popcorn. However, it really doesnt mean that you need to load up on reels, liftbags, H-valves etc. If you are worried about being visible on the surface, carry a surface-marker buoy - I do. If you are not cave/wreck diving, why carry a reel? In the end, unless you are a commercial or penetration diver, you do not need to carry all of that equipment. Thus to the BCD.
Back-inflating BCDs were designed originally for commercial divers. They are designed a>to carry all of that equipment, and b> to allow more movement with all of that equipment. They have become very useful for tec divers for that same reason.
Many Americans wear these BCDs, and all of the equipment because they think it makes them look experienced and competent. Really all they have done is fall for salesmanship at their diveshop. I took on some referral students a few years ago decked out in OMS, head to foot - dual-bladder, the works. Why had they bought this gear? Their initial instructor sold it to them, and laughed all the way to the bank with his commission. At the end of the day, look to what the pros wear.
Stan Waterman: Scubapro Classic
Howard and Michelle Hall: Scubapro Classic
The Taylors: Scubapro Classic
Jef Fox: Scubapro Classic
Genie Clark: Scubapro Classic
Basic, durable and reliable. No back-inflator, no steel plates, no d-rings.

Usually you can spot the good, experienced divers by the lack of equipment.

Jesus,at last a sound straightforward answer.No offence intended to all the other posters.That's exactly what I wanted to know!
I've always been wary of those tekkies loaded up with gear,especially when they do my very same dive.A couple of weeks ago I dove a deep wreck(45-70mt).We were a bunch of "normal" divers on air,in the boat with us there were these two tekkies diving in trimix,bottles everywhere,wearing dry suits all the way to the site in the sicilian summer.Our maximun depth 52mt.,18min deco.Their maximun depth 58mt.,they stayed down less than 10 min.longer than us and when we were approaching the first deco stop they were already there decompressing.All that stuff,all that money(trimix is expensive) just for less than 10 minutes?I'd rather dive the same site several times. It's much cheaper,easy and fun!If you want to dive very deep,well beyond 60mt.allright then go tekky but otherwise...
As for the BC,well it just crossed my mind looking at those tek ones...just the harness and nothing else to wrap your chest,that's what appealled to me.I like to be as free as possible in the water.As I said "the lesser the better".Although having one I don't even wear a dry suit.Too cumbersome,too many weighs to add.No thank you!I can withstand those 13° in the winter.If I was to dive under the ice or in ...Canada maybe,but just maybe
And as for the bottom time issue in a previous post,let's get things straight:in my old days I was taught that the bottom time is calculated from the minute you start your descent to the moment you start ascending from your max depth.I know for sure that many thinks like me and many others intend it as the actual time you stay at the max depth,instructors included.That's fine with me as long as we make it clear.That explains my aggressive (aggressive like hell,that is) dive profile.Of course the actual time at 68mt was muuuuuch shorter.
Bye everyone.

 

[TheRedHead]

I started wearing a BP/W initially because I could have it custom fitted. There is no woman's BC that will fit me, particularly a jacket. The best I could do was a Zeagle with different sizes body and straps and could never get it snug enough. With the BP/W, my trim was instantly better and no more tank rolling.

The 7' foot hose seemed like a good idea when I had to do an ascent with my buddy because his first stage was leaking and had a loooonnng surface swim back to our entry point. And I thought that the 7 foot hose sounded like a wonderful idea.

 

[stas]

Jesus,at last a sound straightforward answer.No offence intended to all the other posters.That's exactly what I wanted to know!
I've always been wary of those tekkies loaded up with gear,especially when they do my very same dive.A couple of weeks ago I dove a deep wreck(45-70mt).We were a bunch of "normal" divers on air,in the boat with us there were these two tekkies diving in trimix,bottles everywhere,wearing dry suits all the way to the site in the sicilian summer.Our maximun depth 52mt.,18min deco.Their maximun depth 58mt.,they stayed down less than 10 min.longer than us and when we were approaching the first deco stop they were already there decompressing.All that stuff,all that money(trimix is expensive) just for less than 10 minutes?I'd rather dive the same site several times. It's much cheaper,easy and fun!If you want to dive very deep,well beyond 60mt.allright then go tekky but otherwise...
As for the BC,well it just crossed my mind looking at those tek ones...just the harness and nothing else to wrap your chest,that's what appealled to me.I like to be as free as possible in the water.As I said "the lesser the better".Although having one I don't even wear a dry suit.Too cumbersome,too many weighs to add.No thank you!I can withstand those 13° in the winter.If I was to dive under the ice or in ...Canada maybe,but just maybe
And as for the bottom time issue in a previous post,let's get things straight:in my old days I was taught that the bottom time is calculated from the minute you start your descent to the moment you start ascending from your max depth.I know for sure that many thinks like me and many others intend it as the actual time you stay at the max depth,instructors included.That's fine with me as long as we make it clear.That explains my aggressive (aggressive like hell,that is) dive profile.Of course the actual time at 68mt was muuuuuch shorter.
Bye everyone.




Either just plain stupid, or bull****. I don't know which one

 

[Beppe]

would greatly benefit you "experienced, european divers".

Hey we have won the world cup)

 

[djanni]

I first used a BP/W in 1977. It wasn't for tech or commercial diving. While jackets might be adequate for virtually any recreational diving, they are in no way superior to BP/W and are inferior in some regards.

Which jacket would you recommend for the folowing:

Drysuit with cold water undergarments
3mm shorty
doubles
single
overhead
deco
small person
large person
man
woman

At the end of the day, I'm going to ask not what the pros wear, but why they wear it.

Excellent point and there's two side to that coin.

Which jacket would you recommend for the folowing:

Drysuit with cold water undergarments: Not enought room to list them all.
3mm shorty: Not enought room to list them all.
doubles: the must be a few
single: Not enought room to list them all.
overhead: No sure
deco: Not sure
small person: Not enought room to list them all.
large person: Not enought room to list them all.
man: Not enought room to list them all.
woman: Not enought room to list them all.

Answers are in BLUE text.

Don Janni, what makes you think the guys you saw on the boat were DIR?

I didn't say they were DIR. I said their Halcyon bp/w's said DIR Equipment on the lable. I was actually poking fun at them and I shouldn't have. It was shallow of me. As Bob said in another post "maybe they just like gear." Yep, well I do too. So shane on me for being the pot calling the kettle black.

 

[Beppe]

Either just plain stupid, or bull****. I don't know which one
stas is online now Report Bad Post Reply With Quote

O.k time to go to bed.
Good night

 

[dherbman]

I first used a BP/W in 1977. It wasn't for tech or commercial diving. While jackets might be adequate for virtually any recreational diving, they are in no way superior to BP/W and are inferior in some regards.

Which jacket would you recommend for the folowing:

Drysuit with cold water undergarments
3mm shorty
doubles
single
overhead
deco
small person
large person
man
woman



Excellent point and there's two side to that coin.



Drysuit with cold water undergarments: Not enought room to list them all.
3mm shorty: Not enought room to list them all.
doubles: the must be a few
single: Not enought room to list them all.
overhead: No sure
deco: Not sure
small person: Not enought room to list them all.
large person: Not enought room to list them all.
man: Not enought room to list them all.
woman: Not enought room to list them all.

Answers are in BLUE text.

My only point in this line of questioning is to point out that it would take many different jackets to fit all of these situations, yet a single BP would fit any of them better than the best fitting jacket. Dive a BP/W for a single tank dive in a 3mm shorty in warm water, then swap wings to use it to dive doubles in a dry suit.

It doesn't get any simpler.

I didn't say they were DIR. I said their Halcyon bp/w's said DIR Equipment on the lable. I was actually poking fun at them and I shouldn't have. It was shallow of me. As Bob said in another post "maybe they just like gear." Yep, well I do too. So shane on me for being the pot calling the kettle black.

No shame, just making the point that gear does not a DIR diver make.