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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 26, 2013 - 03:20pm 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:
https://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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Anastasia
climber
InLOVEwithAris.
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Jan 26, 2013 - 04:15pm 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 - 04:22pm 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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John Duffield
Mountain climber
New York
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Jan 26, 2013 - 05:00pm 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 - 07:17pm 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 - 07:44pm 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 - 08:08pm PT
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Nature's gunna be fishin' for sushi. . .
hee hee hee. . .
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Dr.Sprock
Boulder climber
I'm James Brown, Bi-atch!
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Jan 27, 2013 - 12:46am PT
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computer is just the dive shop squeezing money from people who put the gear in their closet for 20 years, which is 90 percent of the class.
hard to get into trouble with a 80 cu ft tank unless you do a bounce dive to 300 ft at monestary beach and get narced out.
i like scubapro jet fins and dacor big barrel snorkels,
regular back-pac
had a 400 dollar zeagle but someone stole it,
too much prep to dive with that thing,
like old school bac pac and may west with standardf weight belt,
shot belts are a pain, so skip those. they rust.
charlie brown was the instructor from divers dock sunnyvale.
ken down in mt view was the comp with the indoor pool.
charlie hid behind a rock while free diving and stuck a ling cod with his knife as it passed his view.
also drank coors underwater. great example for safety.
we used to take shrooms and lay on the bottom at carmel river beach.
just watch the fish swim overhead and the kelp weaver back and forth with the tide, tank lasts way long when you don't move,
we drove to cannery row in our wetsuits in a GTO convertible to get free refills, with the top down of course, people were gawkin, we were lit up,
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Phil_B
Social climber
Hercules, CA
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Jan 27, 2013 - 01:31am PT
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Ha,
Looks like there are lots of folks out there who dive more technical than me. I'm just a guy who started diving again because we were in SE Asia. Hell, if you don't dive in the Philippines, you're missing a great opportunity.
I'm only a Nitrox Advanced diver. Would like to get a cert that allows me to pierce wrecks in places other than the Philippines.
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John Duffield
Mountain climber
New York
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Jan 27, 2013 - 05:20am PT
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+ 1 to Philippines. Lots of wildlife, lots of wrecks. Even a Spanish-American War vintage US Battleship. The USS NEW YORK.
I particularly like the wrecks of vintage 1860 - 1880. It's early mechanical, the old guys were still sorting out how to do arrange engines and propulsion machinery. Really incredible. I saw one, the engine was forward, the shaft was nearly the length of the ship.
Though my best wreck was a German WWII destroyer North of Scotland. That was amazing.
Here's part of one I lensed off Bermuda. The MARIE CELESTE sunk around 1864. A Paddle Wheel Blockade Runner.
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couchmaster
climber
pdx
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Jan 27, 2013 - 11:32am PT
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Holy crap, that's an amazing contribution Sierra Ledge Rat, thanks for sharing it.
I've been nibbling on the idea of gearing up for some shallow, short dives, off the Oregon Coast, but am torn on doing it, as I'd probably be doing it solo. Any thoughts?
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Jan 27, 2013 - 11:50am PT
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Hell, if you don't dive in the Philippines, you're missing a great opportunity.
And Philippino chicks are awesome..... for other opportunities as well... (:
...as I'd probably be doing it solo. Any thoughts?
Most of my rec/tech dives are solo.
Soloing is not something that you want to get into right away. You've got to have a firm grasp on your solo strategy first. You can have redundant everything except for your brain.
You've also got to be well-versed in managing all of your emergencies solo. Emergency procedures need to be second-nature if you are going below the waves alone.
I have a checklist of emergency drills, and I start every solo dive with a run through my drills. If the drills go poorly, then I just stay at 20 feet and drill. If the drills go well, then I proceed with my dive.
Drills:
1. Flooded mask - remove, replace, clear
2. Lost mask - find and don replacement mask
3. Lost regulator - sweep recovery and neck-touch recovery
4. Valve drills - if I am in doubles then I go through a full valve drill (left/right/isolator). If I am using only a single only my back, then I go through the drill with my stage cylinder, including turning on the valve, deployment of the regulator, then shutting down the stage and stowing the reg. I also make sure that I can reach the valve on my back.
5. Stuck drysuit inflator - quick disconnect of the inflator, and roll recovery (for too much air in the feet)
6. Stuck BC inflator - quick disconnect and dump
If I were to solo in Oregon's cold water, here is what I would do:
-Assume shore diving with a bit of walk to the water, so I would use a single steel cylinder on my back and carry an AL40 stage for back-up, rigged with a redundant 1st and 2nd stage regulator (as opposed to carrying twin steel cylinders on my back)
-Dry suit, which also gives me redundant buoyancy
-Carry a spare mask in my pocket
-Two computer or depth gauges
-Two bottom timers
-Two compasses
-Two cutting devices
-When I am soloing I also use a carbon monoxide meter to check my breathing gas for CO before I go head wet
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John Duffield
Mountain climber
New York
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Jan 27, 2013 - 12:08pm PT
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Your first Galapagos trip should prolly be snorkeling and hiking. More general. But it is amazing. Aren't many places you can swim with penguins.
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nature
climber
Boulder, CO
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Topic Author's Reply - Jan 27, 2013 - 03:48pm PT
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Maybe the comps have gotten better
Ya think?
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AP
Trad climber
Calgary
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Feb 22, 2013 - 04:19am PT
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Am in North Sulawesi right now. Did 14 dives at Bunaken last week. F**ing awesome but could have used a magnifying glass for the small stuff.
Hope to get off to Lembeh Island in a few days for some muck diving.
If you ever want to dive Indonesia is the place to be. Already dreaming of a trip to Raja Ampat next year.
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healyje
Trad climber
Portland, Oregon
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Feb 22, 2013 - 04:54am PT
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Most of my diving has been in the Pacific - Hawaii, Okinawa, Philippines, Thailand, Australia, and Indonesia. Diving from shore sites like those in North Sulawesi are great, but there's still a lot of dynamiting and other destructive activities going on (or at least there was when I was there). If I were to get back into it I'd only be doing it at really remote sites on live aboards or with uncommon travel arrangements to shore sites where there just isn't a lot of human activity.
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RJNelson
climber
A few different places
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Feb 23, 2013 - 09:56pm PT
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I'm an avid climber and diver. If your looking for advice on equipment, definitely go for a weight intergrated BC. The convenience of having the weights in the BC is that it balances out your setup, and makes putting on/off much easier. Also more aerodynamic in the water so it's easier kicking, not to mention safer to drop in an emergency. As far as regulator goes. Upgrade 1st and 2nd at the same time. Sounds like your gear is old? Go with a balanced 1st and matching 2nd. They breath easier at any depth or PSI. I use the Atomic B2, kinda pricy, but balanced is well worth it. PM me if you have any other questions
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mdavid
Big Wall climber
High Springs, FL
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Feb 23, 2013 - 10:20pm PT
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I'd second going with a Halcyon back plate and wing. I'm cave diving three times a week and find their gear is awesome.
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