east side underground
climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Jan 26, 2013 - 10:59am PT
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sorry folks , I'm a moron who only knows how to post one photo at a time. :)
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Jan 26, 2013 - 11:02am PT
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Just press the photo button again eastside. Each time you do it generates a new code for the photo you pick.
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froodish
Social climber
Portland, Oregon
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Jan 26, 2013 - 11:12am PT
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Uhhhh, Froodish, Don't you mean, Cosmic?
Doh!, yes, sorry, reading too fast.
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east side underground
climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Jan 26, 2013 - 11:18am PT
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thanks, big mike. I hope we get into winter mode again soon. way to warm here[photoid=286556]
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Big Mike
Trad climber
BC
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Jan 26, 2013 - 11:48am PT
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Me too. You almost got it! Just make sure the photoid's are separate!
Hey! That's Sproatt right?
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east side underground
climber
Hilton crk,ca
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Jan 26, 2013 - 11:52am PT
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I have no idea mike, but it's your hood.... which rocks!!!!
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this just in
climber
north fork
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Jan 26, 2013 - 12:02pm PT
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I have the Concept II which has been discontinued. The ranger looks similar and seems like a good deal. If you ever get down to the south pacific, New Zealand and Fiji are incredible dive spots and though I haven't been to Australia, The great barrier reef.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 26, 2013 - 12:14pm PT
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I was thinking the Ranger as well. hmm....
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 26, 2013 - 12:20pm PT
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so what's the latest and greatest these days.
I strongly recommend that you look in the Hogarthian configuration. As a climber, you will appreciate the harness and simplicity. Steer away from the old-school jacket BCs.
The Hogarthian configuration is also known as the backplate & wing (BP/W) configuration. It was named after Bill Hogarth, who revised the "standard" scuba configuration into something much more simplistic, modular and clean. The Hogarthian configuration works for both recreational and technical diving.
Underwater you are suspended from the harness so you don't even feel the backplate. The plate and harness together are like a climber's harness - very secure.
In another decade, the BP/W will be the standard for recreational scuba. Right now, the BP/W is THE standard for all technical diving.
Basically the BP/W is just a metal plate rigged with a harness that attaches to you tank. Here is an example of a backplate with double steel 130s (the wing is omitted):
The "wing" is a bladder that is sandwiched between the BP and tank. You can buy different size wings for different situations. I have a wing with 27 pounds of lift for single-tank recreational diving, a 40# wing for aluminum doubles and a 55# wing for steel doubles. Here is another photos showing the BP/W with doubles:
Finally, here is a photo of me with a single tank with a BP/W. You can see how it's all very clean and streamlined.
Here is a front view of one of my cave diving buddies - you can see how clean you are in front. You don't have all that clutter up front like you do with a jacket BC. Your "octopus" is suspended on a bungee necklace right under your chin, where you can always find it. (The Hogarthian philosophy is to donate the regulator in your mouth to an out-of-air diver, and then you go to your backup regulator on the necklace.)
We use a "long hose" (the yellow hose in the photo below) for the primary regulator - the extra length makes sharing air a lot easier. In cave diving you have to have a long hose so that you can pass single-file through tight restrictions while still sharing air.
About cumputers - Nowadays a lot of dive boats require the use of a computer for "safety." Just get something simple that also has a Nitrox function. I like Suuntos because I prefer Sunnto's Reduced Gradient Bubble Model (RGBM) for the computations. Gives you Haldane calculations when you're shawllow and RGBM model calculations when you're deep. Best of both worlds.
I do not use a computer for technical and decompression diving - I use the old Navy tables. Plan your dive, dive your plan.
Viva la Scuba!
Souces for BP/W gear:
h^^ps://www.deepseasupply.com/
My favorite is Halcyon
Halcyon, the "Patagucci" of technical scuba
http://www.halcyon.net/
I have a full dive shop/compressor in my garage. I can mix any kind of dive gas (Nitrox and Trimix), and I inspect and maintain all of my own gear/tanks. Any other questions? Just send me an e-mail.
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locker
Social climber
state of Kumbaya...
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Jan 26, 2013 - 12:24pm PT
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^^^
pretty COOL...
;-)
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Anastasia
climber
InLOVEwithAris.
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Jan 26, 2013 - 01:15pm PT
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That's awesome! Your own compressor that can make any mix simply blows the mind! I know of guys that have compressors on boats but they all do regular air.
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 26, 2013 - 01:22pm PT
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The compressor only spits out compressed air. I run the air through a serious of purifiers and filters so that it meets OC (oxygen compatibility) standards. Then I can do partial-pressure blending to mix any kind of gas.
I also have the option of titrating a small amount of oxygen into the compressor inlet to do continuous blends that contain a maximum of 40% oxygen. I have oxygen sensors at the compressor inlet to monitor the intake.
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locker
Social climber
state of Kumbaya...
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Jan 26, 2013 - 01:27pm PT
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"titrating"...
Wasn't that one of the problems with the "BOOB" thread???...
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John Duffield
Mountain climber
New York
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Jan 26, 2013 - 02:00pm PT
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wow! cool!!
I too like the setup above. I also keep my Primary on a loop around the neck and the Octo on a 2 meter hose. Many jackets have the air sharing built in, in a real situation, you;d be so close all you can go is go straight up. With a tech rig like that, you have more options. Nice, when things are coming unwrapped inside a wreck.
I will get with a backplate next time. I've rented them, you can get the doubles on, the weights get bolted in between the plate and the tank. Of course ditching a weight belt is for n00bs. lol
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Jan 26, 2013 - 04:17pm PT
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There is some high end cave diving exploration to be done up here.
Castlegard is one of the longest systems around and an 800m long sump has been dived but not till the end.
I am not into cave diving but have done cenote diving in Mexico.
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Klimmer
Mountain climber
San Diego
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Jan 26, 2013 - 04:44pm PT
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One of my all-time favorite books ...
I know diving can be really stressful, especially if you're cavern diving etc., but I find diving incredibly relaxing. Climbing and flying paragliders I'm way more amped.
I've been diving off and on since 1977 since HS, advanced NASDS openwater certified at Poway HS through The Diving Locker here in San Diego, with the Nicklin family. I miss the big Underwater Photography Society (UPS) shows they used to have at the San Diego Civic Center every year. Michael Cousteau was Master of ceremonies one year. Now I mostly free-dive just because its faster and less equipment.
However, I did take my kids 12 and 10 on a free "Discover Diving" class at the Sports Chalet recently. They loved it. They love snorkeling and free diving. Apparently you can now get certified at the very young age of 10, with parent approval and level of maturity considered.
I don't own a computer, I still use the tables. Old school. However, resort diving, the wife and I stuck to couples near our size and stature that had computers. According to the tables we would have been bent and not had as much bottom time.
I've spent week after week commercial diving surveying San Diego Bay and Mission Bay for Eelgrass beds and then replanting Eeelgrass projects while working in environmental consulting. Talk about endless bottom time. The things you'll do just to alleviate the boredom (but can't say).
Cenote diving in the Yucatan is awesome! Experienced that on my honeymoon. Love Cozumel and Hawaii.
I probably should take a refresher course and learn the computers and mixed gas diving. It would be cool. I think diving is something that a person can do well into their late years just like Cousteau did.
Again I find it really relaxing (unless a white ever comes by). Then again there is The Shark Shield. http://www.sharkshield.com/
SLR, very impressive set up you have. Incredible.
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SteveW
Trad climber
The state of confusion
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Jan 26, 2013 - 05:08pm PT
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Nature's gunna be fishin' for sushi. . .
hee hee hee. . .
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Cosmiccragsman
Trad climber
AKA Dwain, from Apple Valley, Ca. and Vegas!
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Jan 26, 2013 - 09:21pm PT
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""I'm pretty sure Locker doesn't Scuba Dive."...
Sort of true...
Sort of not...
My Cousin some many years back stuck his weight belt (he outweighed me by about 100lbs) and tank on yours truly, then pushed me off the boat...
I sunk to the bottom (about 25ft) and couldn't fuking breath through that piece of sh!t worth a fuk...
So I spit it out and then TRIED like hell to swim to the surface quickly discovering that the weight of the belt held me down...
Before I DROWNED, my cousin jumped in and pulled me to the surface with a HUGE apoplogy (I was only 14, he was in his 30's. Not the most responsible cousin... LOL!!!)...
So you see...
I DO have SOME "scuba diving" experience..."
More like DROWNING experience.
;-)
Sierra;
If you have to drop your tanks, does the BC drop with it?
Nature; I still think computers can go on the blink, and using the
Dive tables as long as you follow them, are more reliable and safe.
Maybe the comps have gotten better, but back in the 70s when they first came out, there was more decomp sickness cases for the Divers
that were using them than divers using the tables.
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