Need Some High Quality Equipment

[Hypersquid1]

hello everyone at DB! i havent been on here in a while, my family did not launch our boat because my mom was recovering from a knee injury. im basically going nuts because i am not able to get a speargun or or go fishing or do any of that fun stuff. but anyway, last week i met a friend of my dads who is an officer in the Navy, and he gets a government discount on anything that has to do with underwater sports. He pays 5-10% of the listed price!!!! (so thats what Dubya is doing with our taxes!) he told me if i ever need to get anything for Scuba or spearfishing to call him and have him order it. that being said, i want to get some high quality Scuba gear, because if i have the gear then my mom will let me start lessons. so, what do you think would be some good stuff?

21 views and no replies? please? somebody? i also forgot to say this gear should add up around $2000, give or take a few dollars.

 

[Amphibious]

DSS 30lb wing, SS Backplate and Hogarthian Harness (www.deepseasupply.com)

Apexs DS4/ATX40 regs/oct.

Suunto Gekko Computer

SPG of your choice.


should keep you under $2K (leaves $$$ for a good wetsuit) and some top notch gear. best part about a backplate & wing is you can never outgrow it (you;re young, you'll grow). get bigger, $10 in webbing and you're ready to go again.

 

[Hypersquid1]

wow thanks a lot Amphibious. is the backplate/harness combo like a BC? and what would i need for tanks? the place i am taking my lessons at says i need 2, but of course i have no idea what to get.

 

[Amphibious]

a Backplate/harness is a BC. see this thread: [ame="http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?t=67107"]Thoughts on new dive gear[/ame]

tanks should be the last thing you buy. the very last. rent untill then. unless you plan on diving a lot it;s cheaper to let a shop look after the upkeep of cylinders.

if you really want to buy cylinders Luxfer AL80's are the standard and a nice value priced option.

 

[Hypersquid1]

ok thanks. the place im getting lessons requires you to have 2 tanks, rented or bought. i dont want to rent any, because i know i will just end up buying them. I'm pretty much going to get right out of lessons and dive all the time. oh, by the way, how do you refill a tank?

 

[Amphibious]

oh, by the way, how do you refill a tank?

with a compressor. the shop will handle this. I've seen fills go anywhere from $5 -$10 a fill.

 

[Hypersquid1]

ahh, ok. so its not free then. will any shop do it?

Amphibious, what about this BC? it looks a lot more comfortable than the backplate. http://www.zeagle.com/index.php?submenu=HeavyDutyBC&src=gendocs&link=RangerLTD

hehe, hate to ask so many questions, but what about a mask, snorkel and fins? would the black freediving package from spearfishinggear.com work? i know you cant use freediving fins for scuba, so what would be a good choice?

 

[Amphibious]

any shop that rents tanks will typically fill them.

I'm not a fan of the "soft tech" rigs. they are grossly overpriced and way to "busy". lots of snaps and do-dads, and extra crap to break. they are not nearly as streamlined either. that particular BC has 44lbs of lift. overkill for most divers. if you want to look like an Xmas tree, the zeagle gear could be just what you're looking for. I prefer the simplicity of a DIR/Horgarthian rigged Backplate and wing. if you really must have a soft backinflate rig look hard at the Diverite Transpac. I owned one for a couple years and it was a very well built rig. it can also me retrofitted later on if you grow.

with masks the most important consideration is fit. all else is just window dressing. one of those spearfishing gear packages would be a great start, although you are right, there are far better choices for scuba fins. I use a very basic pair of Jet fins. they look very oldschool, but combined with some Stainless Steel Spring straps they are indestructable and very efficient.

if you want to go with the standard shop and resort fare the Cressi's, Mares, and Technisub brands offer some good choices. I would stay away from split fins, to much dough, not enough go.

 

[MKDVR]

any shop that rents tanks will typically fill them.

I'm not a fan of the "soft tech" rigs. they are grossly overpriced and way to "busy". lots of snaps and do-dads, and extra crap to break. they are not nearly as streamlined either. that particular BC has 44lbs of lift. overkill for most divers. if you want to look like an Xmas tree, the zeagle gear could be just what you're looking for. I prefer the simplicity of a DIR/Horgarthian rigged Backplate and wing. if you really must have a soft backinflate rig look hard at the Diverite Transpac. I owned one for a couple years and it was a very well built rig. it can also me retrofitted later on if you grow.

with masks the most important consideration is fit. all else is just window dressing. one of those spearfishing gear packages would be a great start, although you are right, there are far better choices for scuba fins. I use a very basic pair of Jet fins. they look very oldschool, but combined with some Stainless Steel Spring straps they are indestructable and very efficient.

if you want to go with the standard shop and resort fare the Cressi's, Mares, and Technisub brands offer some good choices. I would stay away from split fins, to much dough, not enough go.

Ditto. Everything he said.

 

[Hypersquid1]

ok, i can deal with the back plate being a little too hard. i will get the horgarthian setup. thanks a lot Amphibious. i have some stuff to ask but i am too tired so i will ask it in the morning.

 

[Amphibious]

I dive my Backplate no suit (just boardshorts, no top). it;s surpisingly comfortable. they are polished very smooth. a lot less rubbing on bare skin then my old jacket style BC's.

best part about an SS Backplate. short of rolling over it with a tank, you'll never kill it

 

[Hypersquid1]

hahaha, this gear gets better and better. now, what is the difference between the horgarthian harness and the pro-fit harness? and should i buy this all in a set like this: http://www.deepseasupply.com/page12.html or should i buy it all seperately and put it together? (that would be a little disastrous )
oh, and i cant find any place that has the Apex regs. what websites are good, and where should i look?

 

[Amphibious]

personally I would go with the hogarthian harness. it's a far simpler design and doesn;t have the possible failure points of the other harness. and take a look at the other harness. you're paying more $$$ for all those funky d-rings. really going to use them all?

Apeks regs can be found at the deeperblue store, or closer to you, leisurepro.com

 

[Yidaki]

I would like add couple more things...If u think being ins. in the future, u should get a regular bc.. No, if u insist on tec equipment i recommend Halycon products..Just my two cents...
Cheers,

 

[Hypersquid1]

thank you both. i just got home from a 5 day cross country camp, and i was away from my computer for a while. amphibious, i will check the DB store right now.

 

[Amphibious]

thank you both. i just got home from a 5 day cross country camp,

Scouts or running?