"Things they don't teach you" thread in "TRC Divers"
Guys, thanks for all your comments, this is really quite interesting. Obviously I'm all a bit wide-eyed and excited about it all, so grown up ...

Guys, thanks for all your comments, this is really quite interesting. Obviously I'm all a bit wide-eyed and excited about it all, so grown up answers is great. I've just had a bit of a look over a large scuba shop online, and the costs seem to be something like this:

Fins, boots, gloves=£60
BCD, 1st stage, second+buddy stages = £400
Mask and snorkel = £40
Drysuit and bag = £500
Semidry Wetsuit 7mm = £100
Knife = £10
Tank = £150.

Balbas - uncontrolled ascent in a drysuit.. opening the neck seal is going to be great - as long as you're the right way up..

Druid - we're at the paddling around in a pool stage at the moment, no suits of any kind. When we get to stony cove at the end of this month - I dunno.. I was assuming wetsuits, but not so sure now.

As to the buying of kit on Ebay - is there anything you wouldn't buy second hand..? I'm assuming fins and stuff is okay, but for some of the more critical stuff I'd be feeling a bit nervous I guess..

As ever, thanks for your comments

This happens is because:

a) most divers are taught to use the suit for buoyancy, rather than the bcd

b) new divers tend to be overweighted, so need more air in the suit to compensate. It's hard to manage a large bubble of air sloshing around inside a drysuit, and it only needs some of it to escape up a leg and begin an ascent, and before you know it you're hanging from the surface with your boots and fins in the air.

I put just enough air in the suit for comfort, and use the bc for buoyancy.

A decent 7mm two piece is going to cost £200-£250.

My next drysuit will be a Seaskin made to measure suit at £430. You'll need to add the price of an undersuit to that, but a base layer and thermals such as you might wear under your leathers will be fine in the summer/autumn.

---

A biker is someone who rides through choice. Not because it is the most comfortable way to transport a body but because it can be the most magical way to carry a soul - Dave Gurman

If you're going feet first you curl in a ball and open yourself back up the right way - hance the need to do a course or at the very least go in the pool and practise practise practise

I'd spend more than £60 on fins if I were you. Similary A mask that doesn't fit properly will ruin your diving and cheap fins may give your cramp or may make things harder - two things I just wouldn't compromise on

Regs / cylinders ok to buy second hand, make sure you see service certs

Wetsuit / drysuit you couldn't give me a second hand one, but that's personal

7mm wetsuits are a waste of time, much better getting a 5 + 3mm sustem as previously described

Makes and models would be useful to give you more relevant feedback. The Regs/bcd package looks cheap, there's usually a reason for that. SDS are currently selling Apeks DS4/ATX40 regs for £125, but you have to phone and ask for them - 01142 488 688

See my previous post for drysuit recommendation

Shears or a Z knife are probably better than a divers knife. If you must have a knife then you can have the one I bought 11 years ago and haven't used for 10 years

Rent tanks

There's not much to go wrong with a bcd, suit*, fins. Computers can be a good buy, even if they need batteries replacing. By the time you add servicing costs, regs and cylinders are not much of a bargain. Masks need to fit properly, so you need to try them on before buying




*Old drysuits often develop pinhole leaks which are difficult to seal properly. If you do seal the hole, they usually develop another leak somewhere else.

---

A biker is someone who rides through choice. Not because it is the most comfortable way to transport a body but because it can be the most magical way to carry a soul - Dave Gurman

Don't buy a mask online. Try loads on and make sure you get one that fits. As for a snorkel, I can't remember the last time I took mine out. Great for snorkelling, just a waste of time for diving IMO.

What she said. Practice sorting yourself out from unusual angles. Don't forget to wear ankle weights as well, they help.
Which agency are you with. Talking to a BSAC fella the other day, they're switching to training in drysuits, cos realistically that's what people wear when they qualify.

I bought my drysuit on ebay. £200 for a suit that had done 8 dives. £30 of alterations later and it was like having a brand new £600 drysuit that had been made to measure. OK I was lucky, but it's possible to get some real bargains.


Better, don't rely on other people's service certs and bargain on getting them serviced yourself as soon as you get them.

Why's that Taz? The smell of wee put you off?

---

MC011

The costings I picked were about one third of the way up the range I could see in the offers page. Was only so I could get a very rough ballpark figure.

some more newbie questions, sorry :
1/ So does anybody apart from schools use consoles with individual gauges in them? Or is a computer really the way to go..? and..

2/ More than 60 quid on fins? arn't they just big flappy things that go on your feet? Is there really that much technology in them? What's with the split fins? I was assuming it was just fashion / bling / this seasons thang.

So much to learn.. seriously, tell me to shut up.. this thread could go on forever.

My dive club/shop did me a deal for £99 I got decent fins mask and snorkel after I did the OW with them. Might be worth asking about.

Consoles - personal choice, I have a computer for depth and time, and a console for air gauge and compass.

Flash gits have senders on their tanks and air contents on their computers too, and most nitroxy types tend to wear two computers. I dived for ages without a computer, you don't need it, so long as you have a depth gauge and a watch. Computer is better, but something like the Suunto Gekko Computer at Deep Blue Dive Gekko is reasonably cheap and will do air and Nitrox, there's no need to spend megabucks.

---

MC011

Absofekkinlutely! And also the reason I'd never hire!

You usually use a computer in addition to guages, I would ALWAYS have a back up air guage as well as my computers and I would recommend a back up depth guage although I have to admit I never use mine (but then I do wear 2 computers) And one of which is a flash git sender unit

Ok this is my opinion only and Druid et all may disagree

Fins are VERY personal, I have one manufacturer only I can wear without getting horrific cramps, they are Oceanic V12s, I have Oceanic V8s for travel but they're not as good but I don't get horrific cramps, just not as bad!. Power (I'm a lazy diver!) is also great with splits.

There is defo an element of bling with fins but you do need to find a reasonable one - Mares avanti are very popular I believe (but were shit for me)

Ask away dude, the more you learn out of the water the less troubles you'll have in...

No, I agree. Fins are personal, so I suggest that KtC tries on as many different examples as he can before spending his money. I use Avanti Quattros, but the Plana Avantis are almost as good and cost less than £50. I've tried Jetfins (too heavy), Scubapro split fins (lack power, esp finning against the current) and Force Fins (feel strange but work ok, very expensive). These are just my observations though, YMMV.

Re computers & gauges, I use an air integrated computer (or two) but I also have a pressure gauge as backup

---

A biker is someone who rides through choice. Not because it is the most comfortable way to transport a body but because it can be the most magical way to carry a soul - Dave Gurman

I have some 12 year old Cressi Frogs that work perfectly

My wife uses the Technisub Ideas that she bought 10 years ago, but she hasn't tried any other fins. Agree with you about drysuits though

---

A biker is someone who rides through choice. Not because it is the most comfortable way to transport a body but because it can be the most magical way to carry a soul - Dave Gurman