What BC for drysuit?

[fishchaser]

Oh, another question:

What exactly does this mean? How is it adapted for the tropics?

Thanks again,
Chad

[Omicron]

It's not so much that you need to change anything...it's just that a backplate will work in ANYTHING - from pool, to open water, to wrecks, to caves, to easy reef diving.

Whereas a regular jacket BC won't be as flexible...or adaptable/versatile as the backplate.

Does that help?

[dfreeman]

I plan to do Blackbeards Cruise in January using a wing and backplate. Seventeen dives in 5 days, I will let you know if there is any kind of problem. I believe that Gearge did this in 2003 with no problems.

A good dive shop can set you up with all of the gear.

Doug

[Omicron]

Gearge? Oohhhhhh waitaminute...that's what his name sounds like when you say it underwater.

[jasondbaker]

You can easily put together a nice package for around $2,500. Right now is the worst time for you to buy equipment because you don't know what really works for you. It is also the most exciting time to buy equipment because everything is so new. Take your time. Look for deals from local shops. Watch the online gear sales. Watch the classifieds. People buy and sell good gear all the time.

Many shops have an annual rental program. You can rent a whole set of gear during the season for a couple hundred bucks. That is a reasonable option. It probably is not the gear you want to eventually buy. But it lets you experience local diving more and make sure this is something you truly want to do.

[matt t.]

;D

[DiveCaptDean]

hey chad,

how big of a person are you? maybe some of the folks here has some extra gear that they might be looking to sell for a good price. I know i have some..i know Matt probably has some..it might be a way to get good, well maitained gear for a good price........just a thought....also, have you thought of picking up some dive shop rental gear??? they usually have year ending sales to liquidate some of their rental stock.....you can get good deals....my first rig....regs and all were from a dive centers winter, rental gear liquidation sale. I picked up a nearly new Zeagle Concept BC and a Tech 50..for a great price.....i have since gotten rid of the BC, but still use the tech 50....If you are a good sized fellow, i still have my Ranger BC..i may have a reg or two available before next season.....

Deano

[jasondbaker]

Doug I did a liveaboard this summer with my SS backplate and wing. One word: awesome. I wore a full 3mm and did not wear any weights. It was simply perfect.

The one catch is that you need to adjust the harness a bit. It took me a couple dives to get the harness dialed in. Next time I will just use a separate backplate+harness that is dedicated to warm water trips. My 36lb halcyon wing was overkill as well. I could have easily used a 27 or 18. My wing was still smaller than a couple of the BCs on the boat. I expected to be the only guy on the trip with a backplate. But I discovered that the DM and Captain were both diving backplates. That tells you something...

[HSrep]

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Thank you, Paul, for the advertisement about Hoofers SCUBA at UW-Madison. As a student-based organization, the dive club that aims at safe and fun diving. There are a few errors in Paul's original post that should be clarified.

1) Cost of membership varies between $25 and $35/year depending on the time in year. Membership costs are lowered from September 1 till January 20 because of the short dive season. There are some small additional fees if you are either a faculty or staff (typically about $5-10 at most).

2) Since Hoofer SCUBA not a dive shop, but rather a dive 'club', it makes sense to require that Hoofer SCUBA equipment only be used on approved club trips. However, because of the large number of members in the club and the easy-to-use website (), it is very easy to get the word out and plan a dive trip with members almost every week of the diving season. Furthermore, it affords students and club members a non-expensive route to get their feet wet and learn more about diving prior to making committed and expensive purchases. After all, it is a Registered Student Organization (RSO), so students are a big concern.

3) The club has socials every Thursday at 8pm at Memorial Union (Ratheskeller or Terrace) where not only do people take the time to relax from a long week,
but also take the opportunity to discuss upcoming trips or even share stories/photos from trips people have recently been on. It's a warm, fun, and engaging environment for all current and prospective Hoofer SCUBA members. Some people take the relaxation a step further by having and sharing in some beers/food, but that is at the discretion of each person.

Come dive with the club...!

[fishchaser]

One word. Big. Looks like I'd be a XXL for the Bare suit, and most likely XL in everything else.


Yes, I'm not opposed to buying used or ebaying. I'm slightly concerned about the lack of warranties, but I suppose that's "the cost of saving money". I actually just picked up my first two purchases, of which I'm quite proud of the thriftyness of them. Dacor Tiger fins for $45, and get this... Cressi Airtech (piston) reg, Cressi XS2 octo, and Cressi Archimedes nitrox-capable computer... $330 shipped!! (that package is about $700 new online). Nice savings for a little pre-use.