Small Questions Thread

[rddvet]

Personally quit listening to all these people and buying and trading stuff and just go take your course. I am 100% certain at some point you'll dive dry or seriously consider it. I'm sure you'll change you mind on pretty much everything you're told here 50 times. Whatever decision you make now will likely change.

Just keep what you've got, go take a sm class and use what your instructor offers and go from there. You may choose to stay wet, but add a dual bladder wing which is perfectly safe. You may freeze your ass off on your first dive and immediately buy a Drysuit. You may hate technical diving and quit immediately. So quit sweating it, changing everything, and just go take a sm course with a good instructor. Then you can start making your own decisions from there. You can't take what people on the Internet try to tell you to heart until you have some experience to compare it to. Hell there's tons of people I thought would be awesome squared away divers because of their posts here, but then I saw them in the water and reconsidered everything I ever heard them say.

Basically, quit stressing the decisions till you get some actual hands on instructor help which will be your starting point.

[Scubaru]

I guess my dilemma is that I prepare for everything I do. Maybe that's the boy scout in me, maybe it's the nurse. Who knows. I just don't want to show up for a class and be the guy everyone looks at like "What the hell's he planning on doing with that crap?"

[rddvet]

I guess my dilemma is that I prepare for everything I do. Maybe that's the boy scout in me, maybe it's the nurse. Who knows. I just don't want to show up for a class and be the guy everyone looks at like "What the hell's he planning on doing with that crap?"

I do too. But I changed everything I bought before I took a sm course during the cours. Then I changed it again 2 years later. Just like alot of the guys you read moving away from the SMS'

[Sludge]

Yeah, don't be so gung ho to have everything figured out up front. The continual tweaking of gear is what you see in cave diving.

[PeterVICEG]

My apologies for my weird post. I have no idea how the first part got in there. Dam!

Anyhow, to the op, you have had great advice here. The best of which us to just go diving and things, gear wise, will soon sort out. Get wet often and soon you will be the guru on here. Happy diving!

Peter

[Kelly Jessop]

I guess my dilemma is that I prepare for everything I do. Maybe that's the boy scout in me, maybe it's the nurse. Who knows. I just don't want to show up for a class and be the guy everyone looks at like "What the hell's he planning on doing with that crap?"

I have to agree with some of what rddvet said. I heard two instructor friends of mine talking, and they commented on how they hated students coming to class with already having a cyber education from the forums,because they spent a lot of time unlearning them from all the stuff they read. Pick an instructor and date, and I would send them emails with questions you have been asking, and that will really help you get the preparation you seek.

[Jack Hammer]

I have to agree with some of what rddvet said. I heard two instructor friends of mine talking, and they commented on how they hated students coming to class with already having a cyber education from the forums,because they spent a lot of time unlearning them from all the stuff they read. Pick an instructor and date, and I would send them emails with questions you have been asking, and that will really help you get the preparation you seek.

+1.

There is a lot of good info on the forums and some that is not so good. Actual cave diving experience will help you to understand how and where to properly apply that good info and to better weed out the info that is questionable. A stable foundation from a good instructor is the best place to start.

[Scubaru]

I have to agree with some of what rddvet said. I heard two instructor friends of mine talking, and they commented on how they hated students coming to class with already having a cyber education from the forums,because they spent a lot of time unlearning them from all the stuff they read. Pick an instructor and date, and I would send them emails with questions you have been asking, and that will really help you get the preparation you seek.

I hear that. Thanks y'all. I take everything with a grain of salt, as I know the majority of what I ask is subjective, opinionated, and obviously comes with biases of all sorts.

So I guess let me preface the next question with "This isn't so I can run out and buy one before class; I'm going to take everyone's advice and wait and try a few during classes."

What are the pros and cons of harness/backplate/wings vs a more standard BCD? Maybe I've been approaching it all wrong from the get-go simply because I'm used to diving my jacket style OW BCs... My cousin that I got most of my tech gear from dove back mounted doubles using a harness, back plate, and wing. Is it more of a backmounted vs sidemounted discussion?

[Kelly Jessop]

What are the pros and cons of harness/backplate/wings vs a more standard BCD?

You've asked the question, so it is out there,but a search will reveal multiple discussions on this point worthy of reading.

[Sludge]

What are the pros and cons of harness/backplate/wings vs a more standard BCD?

I don't know of a single person who uses a "BC" with doubles. People used to use TransPacs with doubles, but I haven't seen it in awhile.