Absolute best cave diving equipment

[ResQCaveDiver]

Chad -

While this is a sport that is not for the faint of wallet, money will not make your dive safe. It will not get you out of the back of the cave when murphy hits. That being said, the best gear is the gear that you are familiar with, comfortable in, and comfortable using. We're all built differently and have slightly different variations of what is "natural" for us. By that I mean you want to be 100% comfortable with your gear at all times. If the best, most expensive piece of gear is awkward for you to use, then it is probably not right for you.

I would suggest finding an LDS that has a large inventory of gear that you can dive and try out. Get in with the shop and find an instructor. Find buddies that you get along with and see if they'll let you test dive some of their gear for a dive or two. If they're like a lot of us, they'll have more gear than they can dive in a (day, week, lifetime...) and probably won't have a problem letting you try it out and discuss the pros and cons with you before and afterwards. Look at how others configure their gear and find what is logical and natural to you.

Spend your money diving and getting the experience. Build your gear up one piece at a time after you have tried out different models from different manufacturers.

To your original question, you will find lots of posts on here (and maybe more on TDS) about gear and manufacturers. That will probably help you narrow in on some of the major brands to research (my personal favorites in alphabetical order are Dive Rite, OxyCheq, and Salvo).

Just remember, this is not a race and can be a very enjoyable and rewarding journey.

Have fun!
~Jeff

P.S. IF you REALLY have THAT MUCH MONEY. Then I am for sale as a dive buddy. You just need to stock up like Noah's ark -- two of everything. Oh yeah, living expenses, health benefits, and a pension.

Thanks Jeff!

I just moved from PA to Delaware and have not found a dive buddy. I am currently trying to get my best friend certified and hopefully start diving with him. I however, am always looking for an LDS in my area where I may find a group who is as enthusiastic as everyone on this site.

In regards to the dive buddy comment, maybe next year!

[ResQCaveDiver]

You ask a ridiculous question, you get ridiculous answers.

Actually I think the question was rather clear and and left open ended to allow other professional techical and cave divers answers to the questions.

I thought gathering a number of opinions online would suffice for finding an LDS and asking others the same.

[Sludge]

they'll have more gear than they can dive in a (day, week, lifetime...)

I resent that generalization.




Okay, I admit it. I own seven wings.

[ResQCaveDiver]

I resent that generalization.




Okay, I admit it. I own seven wings.

That's terrific! How long have you been diving?

[imdown]

Chad,
icestac has provided you with some very good advice. I had a friend that had basically the same certs you hold and was interested in cave diving. Over the course of 2 years he quizzed and dove with cave cert. divers in our local quarries, asked a lot of questions, and experimented with their gear when offered. He slowly began to purchase piece by piece and practiced,practiced, and practiced some more. He dove the lakes and quarries thru the week, on weekends, at night, and whenever he could get wet. He had a wealth of pointers coming from his tech dive buddies. He finally went to nc fla for cavern thru full cave and did an excellent job. But he sure worked hard prepping for his experience and my hats off to him.
I think you will find or come to understand that there is a different mindset is required from that which may have been instilled during recreational courses. I used to work the table at a local dive site (quarry). I'd have divers exiting saying "what a nice dive--saw the paddlefish, etc.--it was a real fun dive". I would respond "great, glad you enjoyed it--how many times did you share air" Their response was "none--didn't need to". I would bet my bottom dollar the last time they did was 10 years ago during their O/W checkout. Not me! I look at this as a somewhat important skill that I practice at least once on every dive!
I'm sure in your dive experience you have witnessed someone let their second plop off a picnic table and start freeflowing. You probably heard someone respond "hey man, you're losing your air." We respond by "hey man, you're losing MY air!!" Dive safe!!

[ResQCaveDiver]

Thanks....for your story, I appreciate your kindness.

Best,

Chad

Chad,
icestac has provided you with some very good advice. I had a friend that had basically the same certs you hold and was interested in cave diving. Over the course of 2 years he quizzed and dove with cave cert. divers in our local quarries, asked a lot of questions, and experimented with their gear when offered. He slowly began to purchase piece by piece and practiced,practiced, and practiced some more. He dove the lakes and quarries thru the week, on weekends, at night, and whenever he could get wet. He had a wealth of pointers coming from his tech dive buddies. He finally went to nc fla for cavern thru full cave and did an excellent job. But he sure worked hard prepping for his experience and my hats off to him.
I think you will find or come to understand that there is a different mindset is required from that which may have been instilled during recreational courses. I used to work the table at a local dive site (quarry). I'd have divers exiting saying "what a nice dive--saw the paddlefish, etc.--it was a real fun dive". I would respond "great, glad you enjoyed it--how many times did you share air" Their response was "none--didn't need to". I would bet my bottom dollar the last time they did was 10 years ago during their O/W checkout. Not me! I look at this as a somewhat important skill that I practice at least once on every dive!
I'm sure in your dive experience you have witnessed someone let their second plop off a picnic table and start freeflowing. You probably heard someone respond "hey man, you're losing your air." We respond by "hey man, you're losing MY air!!" Dive safe!!

[divindoc]

Chad -

While this is a sport that is not for the faint of wallet, money will not make your dive safe. It will not get you out of the back of the cave when murphy hits. That being said, the best gear is the gear that you are familiar with, comfortable in, and comfortable using. We're all built differently and have slightly different variations of what is "natural" for us. By that I mean you want to be 100% comfortable with your gear at all times. If the best, most expensive piece of gear is awkward for you to use, then it is probably not right for you.

I would suggest finding an LDS that has a large inventory of gear that you can dive and try out. Get in with the shop and find an instructor. Find buddies that you get along with and see if they'll let you test dive some of their gear for a dive or two. If they're like a lot of us, they'll have more gear than they can dive in a (day, week, lifetime...) and probably won't have a problem letting you try it out and discuss the pros and cons with you before and afterwards. Look at how others configure their gear and find what is logical and natural to you.

Spend your money diving and getting the experience. Build your gear up one piece at a time after you have tried out different models from different manufacturers.

To your original question, you will find lots of posts on here (and maybe more on TDS) about gear and manufacturers. That will probably help you narrow in on some of the major brands to research (my personal favorites in alphabetical order are Dive Rite, OxyCheq, and Salvo).

Just remember, this is not a race and can be a very enjoyable and rewarding journey.

Have fun!
~Jeff

P.S. IF you REALLY have THAT MUCH MONEY. Then I am for sale as a dive buddy. You just need to stock up like Noah's ark -- two of everything. Oh yeah, living expenses, health benefits, and a pension.

Chad, Icestac has given you excellent advice here. Go slow, take your time, and don't be a cheapass when it come to paying for instruction. Make yourself a student of the sport. Cavediving is more of a journey than a destination, there's always some other goal or way to improve your techniques. Have fun along the way, and don't rush into situations you're not comfortable with - incremental challenges to your abilities are better than a come-to-Jesus dive that your manage to survive (or not). BTW, I've been diving since 1970, cave diving approx. 4 years and only Full Cave for six months, and a self-professed newbie at it - but that's OK. Don't do it if you have something to prove to someone else, or it'll get you into deep do-do.

[jj1987]

I had an instructor who swore that.....
Din valves were inferior to Yoke.
Jacket BC's were better than a bp/w for single tank diving.
Stuffing the long hose was superior to breathing it.
Intro divers should only dive a single tank configuration (no doubles).
A handle style primary (non canister) was perfectly fine for cave diving.

Knowing this, go read GUE's website, and you'll quickly learn why it's impossible to specify one gear configuration for cave diving. After you see how different this mentality is from GUE, let me tell you that the instructor I took was the same one that did the current president of GUE's full cave cert in the late 1980's.

Times change, people change, and gear changes. You've just got to figure out what mentality you feel safer with.

Here's a basic gear configuration disagreement. What post should your inflater hose come off of?
Option A- Right post, so that if your donating air, and your "safe" 2nd stage fails you can breathe your inflater.
Option B- left post, so that if your valve rolls off, your inflater not working will warn you of this.

Another hot topic is do you stuff the long hose or donate off of the long hose.
Option A- Donate off the long hose, which guarantees that a panicked diver gets a working 2nd stage.
Option B- Stuff the long hose which guarantees that you don't have to take a working 2nd stage out of your mouth, or pass the working 2nd stage to an OOA diver who won't give it back if your backup is failing.

I personally choose option A in both cases, but other divers way more experienced than myself, choose option B. But then again, divers way more experienced than me also choose option A. Well known and respected cave divers can't even agree on how to hook up gear, let alone what gear is best. I'm afraid it's impossible to find one answer that is accepted as correct. I was happy to find an instructor who explained the pro's and con's of the various setups and let me choose my own opinion (but made sure I understood why it was setup the way that it was).

[Wizard]

Another hot topic is do you stuff the long hose or donate off of the long hose.
Option A- Donate off the long hose, which guarantees that a panicked diver gets a working 2nd stage.

I always told my students after completing class you will never see the OOA signal (slashing across throat).
The OOA signal you will see is large set of eyes coming at you with clawing hand extended grabbing the reg you are breathing on (they know that one works) and your mask becomes turned sideways or is knocked off. Two students came back and told me I was right about the OOA signal.

I wish all agencies taught the long hose and bungie on spare second stage.

[Sludge]

Can we get any more dramatic?

Sure, most out-of-air situations are when the diver comes at you with wide eyes and grabs whatever he can. But this diver isn't in a cave. This is a brand new open water diver who was never taught to monitor his spg, and he goes to take a breath that isn't there. He panics.

In a cave, this isn't going to happen. Air rules state that you will ALWAYS finish the dive with a third of what you started with. Even a catastrophic air loss will give you a minute or more to get your ducks in a row. So a cave diver won't be swimming along and suddenly be out of air.

If you can't monitor your gas supply, you can't dive with me in a cave.

And by the way, there are five reasons why breathing the long hose is "superior" to stuffing it. They're all based on faulty logic. I stuff mine the way the Good Lord intended.