Friggcket
As some of you may be aware I have difficulty making large decisions. By large I mean decisions that will make a sizeable impact on the life of myself or others, and those that involve a large quantity of money. Thus my problem with purchasing scuba equipment. Of course I always seem to pick hobbies that require very expensive equipment and I think scuba is the crowning glory. I've been doing a lot of research and visiting a number of dive shops and trying to narrow down my choices little by little. Here is what I've come down to:
BCD: Ideally I think I would get the Zeagle Zena, but due to cost and availability I think I will end up with a SeaQuest Diva. I'm still debating between the LX and the XLT, currently leaning toward the LX.
Regulator: Ideally I would like one of the AquaLung Legends, but due to cost I will go with the Titan LX.
Alternate air source: I'm thinking octopus. I'm not sure what it is that bothers me about the air2 type systems, but it's something.
Compass: Suunto SK7 (wrist mounted)
Compy: Here I'm sort of stuck. I don't know if I should go with something like the Suunto Vyper or Gekko, or spring for the Suunto Vytek so I won't have to upgrade if I wan't to seriously pursue nitrox diving. I don't really want the wireless air pressure, but it might be nice to have the option to upgrade to that in the future. The dive shop I was chatting at seemed to be pushing me away from wrist mounted stuff, which I don't understand. I am pretty sure I want my compass on my left wrist and my compy on my right one.
Wetsuit: 3mm and hooded vest for chilly dives.
Dive light: Not sure what to do here.
Dive knife: If I go with the Diva, then one of the knives that fit on it would be great. But I would like titanium, small, and blunt.
Thats all for now. Anyone who has anything to say on the subject is encouraged to do so.
BCD: Ideally I think I would get the Zeagle Zena, but due to cost and availability I think I will end up with a SeaQuest Diva. I'm still debating between the LX and the XLT, currently leaning toward the LX.
Regulator: Ideally I would like one of the AquaLung Legends, but due to cost I will go with the Titan LX.
Alternate air source: I'm thinking octopus. I'm not sure what it is that bothers me about the air2 type systems, but it's something.
Compass: Suunto SK7 (wrist mounted)
Compy: Here I'm sort of stuck. I don't know if I should go with something like the Suunto Vyper or Gekko, or spring for the Suunto Vytek so I won't have to upgrade if I wan't to seriously pursue nitrox diving. I don't really want the wireless air pressure, but it might be nice to have the option to upgrade to that in the future. The dive shop I was chatting at seemed to be pushing me away from wrist mounted stuff, which I don't understand. I am pretty sure I want my compass on my left wrist and my compy on my right one.
Wetsuit: 3mm and hooded vest for chilly dives.
Dive light: Not sure what to do here.
Dive knife: If I go with the Diva, then one of the knives that fit on it would be great. But I would like titanium, small, and blunt.
Thats all for now. Anyone who has anything to say on the subject is encouraged to do so.
posted by Susan at 11:48 PM
2 Comments:
Friggcket!!!!!!
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
BCD - not much for me to say on that one. I'm not terribly familiar with the female specific BCDs.
Regulator - seems like a good reg. When I was looking I also gave serious thought to the Genesis GS2000. It can be had for under $200 and was a Scuba Labs Tester's Choice and Best Buy.
Alternate Air Source - I agree 100% on the Air2 being bad. It's more complicated than an octo making it more likely to fail. It also requires that you donate your primary since the Air2 is on such as short hose. That by itself is not bad but it may make for confusion when someone else is looking at your rig. Personally I _really_ like the octo on a bungee necklace and my primary on a five foot hose. The five footer doesn't hang at all as you wrap it around your body and behind your neck. In an OOA situation I can donate it by handing it over and ducking my head to clear the full five feet - allowing my buddy much more room to play with.
Compass - The SK7 rocks. I love it. If you go for the aftermarket boot be sure to lubricate the bezel. Give me a call if you have trouble during installation. I actually sent mine back to Deep Sea Supply to get it fixed but understand now what I messed up.
Computer - The Vytec is very cool. I definitely think something that handles Nitrox is a must but the multi-gas switchable may be overkill. Worst case, you buy an inexpensive computer that becomes, once you're very experienced, your backup running in gauge mode. The Dive Rite Nitek Duo is a very nice computer and a Tester's Choice/Best Buy from Scuba Labs. The only reason I didn't get it was that I wanted the ability to go wireless for tank pressure. The Nitek Duo is two-gas switchable and supports Nitrox to 99% O2. The Vyper is nice minus the wireless. The Gekko doesn't allow you to download data to a PC. As a huge computer geek that was a show stopper for me... for others it may not be a big deal.
Wetsuit - I just bought a Bare 3mm for $114. It should be here Wednesday. I'm excited!
Dive Light - I ended up going for the Princeton Tec LED for $80 after a price match to Leisure Pro. I also picked up a Princeton Tec Sea Star Tank Light for ten bucks and a Princeton Tec 3 LED Attitude backup light for around $15. Don't forget the ScubaBoard 10% discount if you buy anything from ScubaToys!
Dive Knife - I decided not to get one right now. Scuba Diving magazine, home of Scuba Labs, did an article which compared a number of different knives. The funny thing is that EMT shears do a better job of cutting through stuff and can be had for $10-15 including a nice holster with velcro closure.
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