Your opinions on my first set of Dive Kit..!?

[Jay]

Now you see Dave, I told you you wouldn't have this problem if only you had bungeed wings like me!!

[Andy Phillips]

Hi,

Just want to chuck a thought in, I am inclined to agree withthe wing principle, although I will probably get slated, A Diverite Transpack II with a back plate might be a good alternative in the begining, and move over to different harness / wing configurations as you gain experiance. I now have a cupboard full of unused dive gear, no need for you to repeat the errors some of us have made.

Andrew

[parahandy]

Good advice already given,
I'd add to that both the regulators you mention are good having owned a Scubapro myself. What I would bear in mind is the ease with which you can get these regularly serviced.
It seems you can get an Apeks serviced just about everywhere. There a few less scubapro dealers.

Having had 3 Northern Diver neoprene suits,i'd now go for an Otter from Divers warehouse. Weezle undersuits seem to have a good following at the moment if your going for a neoprene drysuit the compact model seems suited.

[Andy Winterburn]

Hi Justin
Having read your shopping list and others comments, might I just add a few of my own. Neoprene suit, got one love it and I am trying a Membrane which I hate at present . The Weezle Extreme suit won't fit under a Neoprene that fits you properly although there is the compact.
TX regs great, the only real difference is the amount of air they supply so try them. I have a TX50 which breathes better for me than my TX100.
Fins, I bought Frogs at 1st as they fitted the Neoprene boot on the suit. However they don't fit that Membrane, I am now using Quattros, and to be honest they are a lot more work, make sure that the fins fit the boot on your suit
The BC great, just sold mine £225, if you buy from some where like SDS in Sheffield they're so cheap you won't loose when you 'upgrade' to a wing.
No to the console, you'll strip it down later in any case to seperate the gauges, the computer will tell you the depth, buy a dive timer instead as a backup, and you won't get a true reading on the compass in a console, go for a Sunnto SK7 or simular.
These are just my opinions based on the mistakes I have made in buying kit.
And YES YES YES and alternate air source (pony or twin) is ESSENTIAL and should be part of your budget.

[Justin Owen]

Thanks guys, will be printing this whole thread and taking it to diving with me tomorrow!! All the equipment mentioned above has been priced via SDS (they'll be closing early on Saturday!?) I know the BC's cylinder isn't an AAS, but it does give me a potential "bail out" system by breathing via the jacket n'est pas? I know your all probably cringing at that but it's a start while i'm doing non-deco stop dives... The pony is definitely on my list though - i intend on doing the instructor courses as soon as i'm up to sports diver... I'm made up i've found a hobby (albeit EXPENSIVE hobby!) that i'm really enjoying and can't get enough of!

Andy - with regard to console then, I have a 200m Casio G-Shock watch with back-light, i guess that will be a suitable dive timer? And that all I should go for on the console then is a cylinder pressure gauge?

Once again, thanks for all the info and opinions!

Justin.

[Davey Willo]

Justin one more thing mate, it seems you've convinced yourself of the buddy BC so might I suggest a couple of things, firstly DO NOT go rushing to SDS just yet, beg steal and borrow, try everything and then try it again... as much as you're gagging to own that shiny new kit straight away I will bet my left bollock that a hasty purchase now will be regretted later on..

Second suggestion, if you really believe that you can bail out by using the emergency bottle on the BC then try it.... really.. try it... get to the bottom of the pool, spit out your reg, stick the inflator in your mouth and try and reach the surface without getting there missile fashion and without a lung full of water (this does not mean holding your breath from the bottom to the top or swimming the rig up, I mean reeeally try it) if you do succeed, which to tell the truth I'd be suprised if you do, but if you do, then be honest with yourself and think about if you could do the same under stressfull conditions whilst surfacing from maybe 5-10 times the depth that you just tried... I stress this issue because it appears that your purchasing decision may be based on false hope... good luck!

Third suggestion... Do Not consider a casio watch as a bottom timer..

The advice of a single SPG (short hose clipped to BC or BP) plus wrist mounted computer or diver timer and wrist mounted compass is good advice although to get you started you may pick up a cheap triple console which will contain all three very cheaply.... just make sure it's clipped away and doesn't dangle and trail in the bottom.

Fourth suggestion. Don't even think about instructing anybody for at least a couple of years or a 100 or more dives.

Best of luck in all of your endeavors J.

Dave

[Yorkie gone under]

have a look at the backplate and wings setup.  i bought an oceanic probe last february, and sold it in october - bought a DR Trek Wing/Stainless Steel backplate/Harness webbing and stainless steel trinkets / clips for it.

Then, after diving it a couple of times, thought to myself "Why the #### didnt i do this in the first place ??"

Regs - Apeks are good (though a pain in the arse in Australia to get serviced), dont EVER buy Oceanic 1st stages (DX4 DIN shat itself to the point where even Oceanic didnt know what was wrong - 3 months old).  Fins - i went for the diverite monoprene ones cos they were about &#36130AU....each to their own.  Have a crack at split fins though, they are pretty good.

Just bought the Otter Brittanic (as some on here would know), bloody good suit (membrane), excellent price and works a treat.  Have heard a lot about neo drysuits, none of it good but i am not qualified to offer personal opinions on them (other than they are a cast-iron bitch to get out of !).

Beg borrow steal gear, try the BP + Wings setup, try everything then buy.  

[nige pierce]

I've just bought the scubapro spitzbergen (go dive -Derby...£299) and it's the badgers nadgers...can't comment on the rest of your requirements but there's plenty of guys out there that can...have fun and dive safe
:bravo:
Nige

[Mark Chase]

As a reply and for Dave:

I use the Custom divers wing and back plate. The wing actualy bolts on to the back plate so it cant go wraping its self around the tank. The Back plate has center slots for cam bands and even side slots for indipendent twins. I had a BCD a Seeman Sub Blac Jack and it was great but when I go on holiday I dive a deep in the morning (twin independents) and shalow dive in the afternoon and night (single 12 & Pony) the wing can cope with both but the BCD is a bit underpowered in the lift department for twins.

I realy realy liked my Seeman Sub BCD but my wing is better and more flexable so now the Seeman Sub hangs in the garage unused.

Get the wing and get a travel plate if your worried about weight and overseas trips. Personaly I just take the standard SS one and dont bother with underpants.

Mark Chase

[Justin Owen]

£299 for a compressed neoprene dry suit!? Wow - funny thing is i was staying at my friends house in Derby on Friday night so I could get to SDS early on Saturday. Do you have there number or do they have a web-site? SDS are charging £450 for Spitzergen suit...

OK - Gonna take a deep breath... The problem is i may be too enthusiastic about starting diving...

To finish training I can use the club kit - but - the minimum i need is the dry suit. So I'll try Go Dive and SDS and maybe even Divers Warehouse for both membrane and compressed neo suits on Saturday. I'll hold off the rest of the other equipment till I can try some options.

The problem I have is that no matter how much reading I do, or how many opinions I get - they all tend to be different!! I really appreciate all your feedback though - so i'm definitely gonna hold off for another couple of weeks (hope no-one from SDS is reading this right now!!) ;)

I've taken everything else on board too! I don't expect to be instructing anytime this year! Definitely want the experience first. Redundant air supply is noted. Given the fact how highly the Commando BCD with it's additional cylinder is rated I'm surprised it isn't considered as a viable "bail out" system (marketed as such in the brochure I have)...

Anyway - can't thank you enough for the info - i'm looking forward to joining you on one of your trips in the future and annoying the #### out of you with my queries!! Once I'm up to a suitable experience level that is!!

Thanks again...

Justin.