Will this gear work?

[Xitesmai]

Coming to rec diving as a former Navy combat diver, I received my AOW cert for my past training. However I'm going through the classes with my spouse since she has never been diving, and we are in the process of selecting gear, and I would appreciate some advice or suggestions regarding the setup described below.

My interest in continuing my diving education goes into the following areas: Wreck Diving, Rescue, Search and Recovery, Night, and Navigation. But ofcourse I would like to eventually expand into more technical diving.

My area for diving is from the VA coast, to the FL Keys and may some in the Caribbean or Mexico/Belize, etc.

So heres the list:

Aqualung Wrap-Around Mask
ScubaPro Jet Fins (old school)
Seasoft Stealth Boots
Fourth Element Proteus 5mm wetsuit
Zeagle Ranger LTD BC
HOG D1 2nd stage Regulator
HOG D2 1st stage Regulator
Zeagle Z-Octo
(Computer not chosen yet, would like something that can track dive position...maybe a suunto).

Thoughts, opinions? Any help/input would be appreciated.

 

[DukeAMO]

As long as it all fits well.

The 5mm is a versatile suit for this area. DH has a 5mm semi-dry that he can use almost anywhere. In 80+ degree water he lets a little water in now and then to cool off, or he switches to a 3mm shorty. In water cooler than 70 degrees he adds a hood and gloves.

On the other hand, since most of your diving will be in warmer water, a 3mm full suit would also work nicely, plus a 3mm shorty to layer with that or wear by itself, plus a hood and gloves. I'm personally going to buy a custom-fitted 3mm full semi-dry + 3mm hooded vest combo. Diving in warm water is really nice with less neoprene, because you can drop a bunch of weight and not mess around with the amount of air in your BCD. I wouldn't wear a 5mm in warm water for that reason.

Oh, BTW, you will want a full-length suit and gloves for wreck diving, just in case you brush up against some sharp metal.

 

[USFpsychDiver]

The

Zeagle Ranger is a highly regarded BC (and I like the Zeagle brand), however, tech divers almost universally use BP/W, so if that's in your near future, you might consider starting there. Just FYI, I have a Zeagle Express Tech for travel and a straight steel BP (for the extra weight) with a 27lb DSS Torus for single tank diving and a 65lb Hollis for doubles, and find that this covers all my different diving needs.

I use the Scubapro Jets when diving dry, but find them too negative when diving wet and use Jet Sports then.

I've never used HOG regulators, but considered them when shopping for a doubles set. Folks seem almost religious about them with some singing their praises, saying they're as good as regulators costing 3x as much and others decrying them as cheap bunk. Again, I have no personal experience, but worth getting opinions on.
​

 

[JohnN]

Coming to rec diving as a former Navy combat diver

I found this:

Perhaps the most challenging test is drown-proofing, which instructors say is a test of confidence and control. They advise that the key to passing it is not to panic but to remain calm, which for some students is easier said than done.

Drown-proofing requires swimmers' hands and feet to be bound with Velcro straps. First, swimmers must bob up and down in 10 feet of water for five minutes. If they break the straps or touch the sides of the pool, they fail.

Swimmers must maintain a rhythm while doing this portion of the test. When they bob up to the surface and take in a breath of air, it must be a controlled breath. Taking in too much air will make them too buoyant, causing them to descend slower to the bottom of the pool, meaning they'll run out of air.

Furthermore, if they push off the bottom of the pool too strongly, they run the risk of breaking their restraints, which cadre says is a salient form of panic.

Next, swimmers must float on the surface for two minutes, followed by a 100-yard swim around the pool. All of these activities are in succession, and hands and feet remain bound.

Once the swim is complete, students must perform a front flip and back flip underwater in the deep end of the pool, without touching the bottom or sides for assistance. Swimmers must be careful to not deplete themselves completely, as the toughest portion of the test still remains.

As soon as candidates have completed the flips, they must grab a face mask located on the floor of the pool -- with their teeth. Once the face mask has been secured, swimmers must perform five more bobs while holding the mask in their teeth. Dropping the mask, breaking their restraints, touching the sides of the pool, or not completing the five bobs appropriately means failure.

Seriously bad-ass !!!!

 

[Xitesmai]

Can anyone recommend some gloves?

Also I will probably run doubles, so I think adding the Back-plate initially will work out rather well.

---------- Post Merged at 11:20 AM ---------- Previous Post was at 11:08 AM ----------

I found this:


Seriously bad-ass !!!!

Outside of hell week we lost alot of people during pool comp. Some really good sailors just couldnt stay calm in the water. This evolution was especially challenging for me as I was naturally negative in the water. So floating was awful. But I stayed calm and passed. I almost failed in the 100 meter unwater swim as well...I had three shallow water blackouts, but the last time I was so close to the edge that I drifted into the pool wall and they passed me.

Other diving related evolutions that were challenging were the "harassment" or "confidence" drills, were we were tumbled, mask reg and fins ripped off, air shut off, air lines fouled, etc. This all happened with increasing frequency and difficulty that we approached hypoxia until they fouled our gear in a normally unrecoverable way....at which point we had to ditch and work the problem. We lost a few guys during this as well...

 

[gurnie]

The HOG are a DIN connector, if you traveling to Mexico / South America you may not see the convertable valves as much. The only place I ever saw DIN down there are the places doing fill for cave / technical diving. The Yoke adapter is not the most comfortable thing to deal with. You may want to look at the EDGE regs for travel..

 

[Colliam7]

Thoughts, opinions? Any help/input would be appreciated.

Good selection of gear. I presume you probably have some prior experience with the Aqualung Wraparound and the Stealth boots from the military. If they fit you, that's great. I personally prefer a smaller volume, dual lens mask, but fit is everything and if the Wraparound works for you, nothing wrong with it.

Four comments:

1. If you are thinking about technical diving in your future, I would suggest you consider the ZX octo instead of the Z octo (and I definitely assume you mean the Z octo, NOT the Octo-Z), OR just go with a second D1 - better to have the same primary and alternate second stages, if for no other reason than ease of service (same kits).

2. Since you are serious about diving, and buying your own gear, I imagine you will buy tanks as well. When you buy tanks, you will probably go with steel, or AL tanks with Pro valves. So, go ahead with DIN regs, given your intended diving and future plans. IF you decide to go to an area where it is unlikely that you will find DIN tanks, either use an adaptor (pain in the back of the head) or convert your regs back to yoke for the trip.

3. The Ranger LTD is a nice BCD - comfortable, back-inflate, durable. Zeagle really stands behind their products, and I have a lot of Zeagle gear. My first BCD was a Ranger, I still have it 11 years later (and dove it recently, for the first time in quite a while, for an OW class). It has far more lift (44 lbs) than you need for single tank diving, and you won't use it for doubles if you end up pursuing technical training. I would suggest you think about either something like a Zeagle Express Tech, or simply go with a SS backplate and a single tank wing, since you mentioned the possibility of technical training in the future.

4. The 5mm wetsuit is actually a good idea, for coastal diving in VA and in NC, and even diving the Keys in fall and winter. While you can find some nice warm water in NC (not so much in VA) you can also find enough cold water even in the summer to make a 3mm a little thin at times, even with a hooded vest. Until a couple of years ago, I was of the mindset that I would dive a 3mm if the water temps were above 73, and a drysuit if they were lower. Then I bought a 5mm, AND I LOVE IT. Used it last week on some moderately deep (170 ft) dives off the NC coast, and when I hit a thermocline at 150 feet and the water temps dropped from the mid 70s to 68 degress, it was nice to have. For tropical / Caribbean diving, you might find a 1mm to be adequate.

 

[TSandM]

Is this just gear for you, or for your wife as well? If the latter, I would highly recommend the 5 mil wetsuit, possibly with a hooded vest for her, unless she is an unusual woman and always warm. In my experience as a DM, women just generally seem to feel the cold more than men do.

And for her, make SURE the BC fits, and fits snugly and well. I'm not familiar with the Zeagles, but a lot of people like them; I tend to recommend backplates and continuous harnesses for women, because of the ability to achieve a custom fit.

You can dive Jets in warm water -- you just have to put your weight on your back. Or, if you want a lighter paddle fin, consider the OMS Slipstreams or the Dive Rite EXPs. Whatever you get, get spring straps!

 

[Xitesmai]

Thanks for all the help guys.

I was definitely going to acquire spring straps...I remember how much of a pain it was to take the Jets off and on. I like the idea of getting another D1 as an octo, especially since the HOG D1s can be self-serviced.

As far as gear for my wife, the list I provided was just for me. I chose items that were familiar in form or function to my previous training. But as far as what would be a good fit for her, I dont know because my knowledge of rec gear is rather limited, but I'm trying to get up to speed as much as I can. The girls that work at our local dive shop would be of a much greater help to her than I, and she does get cold quite easily. We did the Discover SCUBA class together as a date night a few months ago and she liked it, but she was freezing the whole time and it was a heated pool.

So with the Jets in warm water are you saying that to keep neutral buoyancy i would have to add more weight due to them being a positive fin? And I will buy tanks, probably close to last on my list, but I'm eyeing a pair of Worthington X-7 120s.

 

[DukeAMO]

I guess you (and I) could always do a 5mm semi-dry plus a stretchy 3mm shorty plus a hood and gloves. Then you have several options, as the water gets colder:
3mm shorty, with or without a hood, for the Caribbean. (Personally I like to wear a beanie.)
5mm for medium temps, with or without the hood and gloves.
Both together with the hood and gloves for colder temps.
Anything colder than that would be in drysuit territory.

3mm stretchy shorties are cheap, $100 or less online.

DH loves his semi-dry. The only disadvantages vs a wetsuit are cost, and the fact that it's hard to get on/off, especially the legs. But you usually only do that once per day. Well, I guess you can't pee in it either, but we don't do that anyway. Our instructors used 5mm semi-dry suits for long days in the water from 68 to 85 degrees, so that's a good sign.

For your wife, it's a really good idea to get the wetsuit and BCD custom-fitted, unless she just happens to fit the wetsuits on the rack perfectly. They always have gaps at the back and wrists/ankles for me, which means they don't work all that well. You can get a custom fitted wetsuit for around $300-400 (check out the women's perspectives forum).

My Zeagle Zena fits really well -- it will not ride up or shift around AT ALL once I get it cinched down, unlike men's BCDs. It was also constructed from three parts of different sizes, and that doesn't cost extra. I never would have guessed what sizes I needed for those parts without actually trying them on at the shop. Or, if you're serious about doubles, I guess you can find someone who knows how to put together a good BPW for her too. (And get ready to help her carry them!)