new but old, full cave in 95

[wellzy]

So back in the day dive/tec diveing was a major part of my life, till I met my wife. She was not the reasion for me stoping, really she is my bigest suporter only saying no to moonshing and make fireworks,it was the kids. Rasing 3 kids there was little money to go off diveing. Well now the kids are in collage or going soon, and with my doughert doing open water, the dive bug is back.

My goals

1. Put together some kind of rig from what I have left and source replacements for stuff that does not meet muster.

2. Get my butt back into the water open water stuff and building up to rec stuff.

3. Above all else have fun with my doughter.

So any suggestions or advice please feel free. However as for my doughter I am take a back set let her do her thing and supporting her as she find her way in diving

[CaveMD]

So back in the day dive/tec diveing was a major part of my life, till I met my wife. She was not the reasion for me stoping, really she is my bigest suporter only saying no to moonshing and make fireworks,it was the kids. Rasing 3 kids there was little money to go off diveing. Well now the kids are in collage or going soon, and with my doughert doing open water, the dive bug is back.

My goals

1. Put together some kind of rig from what I have left and source replacements for stuff that does not meet muster.

2. Get my butt back into the water open water stuff and building up to rec stuff.

3. Above all else have fun with my doughter.

So any suggestions or advice please feel free. However as for my doughter I am take a back set let her do her thing and supporting her as she find her way in diving

try side mount. a pair of lp 50's for you and your daughter would be the perfect sidemount recreational set up

[wellzy]

Side mounts! Ya thats some good advice.

I have a full set of gear less a set of wings and a few other paces. We live Cleveland Ohio so use a set of doubles in a quarry/or lake open water dive is. Of that big of deal. So if you felt as though we were heading to the Eagles Nest for check out dives you would be sadly mistaken. More over I came on this forum to get back into cave diveing. Not drag my doughter into cave or to pentatrate a wrek.

[CaveMD]

Side mounts! Ya thats some good advice.

I have a full set of gear less a set of wings and a few other paces. We live Cleveland Ohio so use a set of doubles in a quarry/or lake open water dive is. Of that big of deal. So if you felt as though we were heading to the Eagles Nest for check out dives you would be sadly mistaken. More over I came on this forum to get back into cave diveing. Not drag my doughter into cave or to pentatrate a wrek.

I know plenty of people that side mount in open water that have no interest in cave diving or any technical diving simply because it's more comfortable. I didn't know how much gear you still had left. The only gear changes you need from back mount doubles is a side mount harness, plugs for the manifold, and different length hoses for wing inflation and gauge hoses

[wellzy]

Sorry no disrespect was intended. I have never sceen any one side mount for open water, then again I have been out of the game for more the 15 years. Back then side mounts were only dove when you need to pass a restriction or in a tight cave, not a daly dive set up. I never gave it much thought because I never felt a need to dive in something that tight. One needs to no there limits.

So what do you recamend for a set of wings? I have a stainless back plate, that at the moment is flat, getting it bent into shape is not a big deal. Webing and d rings are pretty easy to sorse and cheep. When done the harness/back plate would be set up much like I had back in the day. Is this set up still more or less the stander or is there something better?

[cavewoman]

Sorry no disrespect was intended. I have never sceen any one side mount for open water, then again I have been out of the game for more the 15 years. Back then side mounts were only dove when you need to pass a restriction or in a tight cave, not a daly dive set up. I never gave it much thought because I never felt a need to dive in something that tight. One needs to no there limits.

It's gotten really popular. You see it among divers just about anywhere now. A big advantage to you if you have any problems with aches and pains. You can carry your gear down seperate and do your diving vice carrying back mounted doubles all over. I haven't been bitten by the sidemount bug yet...but I can see it's advantages.

[AB8CD]

Try some searches on this forum and others. You will find that a few hours, over a matter of days/weeks with a notebook to jot down ideas will serve you well. As a Grandfather of four who struggles with my weight, I find that sidemount is a great approach to diving. It's nice to carry each tank to the water, slip in, clip on and slide into the dive! Unless you are interested in wearing the latest/greatest you might try wrapping some bungee around your present wing to keep it in a better profile, experiment with hose routing and you will be pretty much set. Some of the Dive Rite and Hog 2nds are really inexpensive and discussed in great detail on the forums. Do a Google search and you will find other discussions as well.

I am presently cave diving in Tulum but will be side mounting in open water later this month in Cozumel. It really is a nice system to consider.

Good luck!

[sandy]

If it helps, I have side mounted in OW. In AL 80s, it was not a big deal. With steels ascending to a boat tied into the wreck(reef), it was fine. However, my only complaint was on the surface after a drift deco with steels. The weight and positioning of the steels kept my face in the water. At the end of the dive, I just prefer my head out of the water so I can look for the boat, talk to my buddy, etc. I know you are not doing drift decos with your daughter but just wanted to give you my experiences of being separated from the boat which can happen with a rec dive.

All of my wings are Dive Rite (my daughter uses an Oxycheq), and they have all been good wings. My other buddies use these plus Hog, Halcyon, and DeepSeaSupply, and they have been good wings as well. Some of the Cave Country (Florida) shops you may want to contact (in alpha order) are Amigos Dive Center, Cave Adventurers, Cave Country Dive Shop, Cave Excursions, Cave Excursions East, Dayo Scuba, Dive Outpost, and Extreme Exposure (Probably left someone out.) All of these have websites with more information. Also, check out the links section on this website.

Congrats on getting back into diving and with your daughter. I dove for 10 years, took off 10 years, and have been back in it for about 10 years. My oldest daughter has been my main OW buddy (and occasional cavern buddy) for the last 8 years. FWIW, I put my daughter in a BPW 5 years ago, and she liked it so much better than the jacket. With that said, it you want her to use a jacket, I have an XS Seaquest that I'll sell you.

Have fun and enjoy the time with your daughter. I know I do not have to tell you how fast they grow up

[skip]

I'd ignore most of the advice. Don't Sidemount. Get some simple open water singles gear, put your daughter in an AL63 or other smallish light weight tank, and try to match her gear as much as you can (but you do the AL80). Remember this is primarily so the two of you can enjoy scuba together. You need to be configured similarly in the kind of stuff you are most likely to encounter as rental gear. Don't be getting into sidemount and different rigging styles, etc. Leave the cave diver's forum and go over to scubaboard.com. Engage your daughter in the fun of scuba, not the technical side of scuba. as sandy implied, spend a few years in standard stab jacket BC. I prefer to dive in the same/similar gear as my daughters when we travel. We can share gear as needed, they are comfortable knowing that my gear is configured like theirs (one reg system, octo), and we practice basic skills. I think trying to get sidemount dialed in while learning to scuba makes for less fun, more work, and neither you or your daughter would be as connected or find it as enjoyable if you were to try that.

skip

[sskasser]

....The weight and positioning of the steels kept my face in the water. At the end of the dive, I just prefer my head out of the water so I can look for the boat, talk to my buddy, etc. ...

Sandy,
What works for me is to lean back and end up in a recliner-type position, almost completely on my back. I let the harness support me like a sling. I cannot sit straight up without fighting it, but find I can recline on the surface all day.

Have fun and enjoy the time with your daughter. I know I do not have to tell you how fast they grow up

Ain't that the truth! Enjoy!