Scuba Gear (Slightly off topic)

[jon_bailey]

I know there is some diving expertise swimming about on this forum.

I am looking for some second-hand scuba gear so that I can clean off the boat and capture the occasional lobster, crab or scallop. Did my SSI Open Water Diver a couple of years so I realise that I will need a refresher but looking for advice as to whether the following kit sounds ok:

Buddy Commando Stab Jacket
12 and 10 lt steel tanks out of test but visually fine.
Psiedon Cyclon DV
No Octopus (not used!)
Gauges
Fins
Knife
Gloves
7 mm Beaver Semi-dry

Most of the kit is about 5 years years old and regularly used and serviced. Is very reasoanbly priced and do not want to buy new because I'm saving up for a new boat!

Any advice?


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[longjohnsilver]

Depending on price it all looks fine, cylinders will cost about £20 or so for a test, also make sure the wet suit is a good fit otherwise you'll freeze yer nuts off!!

Unless you know the right places to go, be prepared to be disappointed when food hunting, lobsters and scallops can be difficult to find, crabs a little less so.

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[penfold]

First things first; make sure the refresher course is the first thing you do. Diving is dangerous enough without taking unnecessary risks, like diving while out of practice.

Make sure you get the cylinders tested; the consequences of 232 bar of air pressure liberating itself explosively are not to be contemplated.

Other than that, make sure that whoever you get to service the gear can get bits for the regulator and DV; I was equipment officer of the Glasgow Uni dive club, and our older Poseidons were expensive to service and hard to get bits for.

cheers,
david

<hr width=100% size=1>What in the wide, wide world of sports is goin' on here?

 

[Guest]

Can you not just practice holding your breath for a bit longer. It'll definately be a lot cheaper.

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[PhilF]

never dive alone and dont hold your breath

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[longjohnsilver]

I always dive alone, have done for 20 odd years, maybe not recommended tho for a novice!

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[Blue_Blazes]

Sounds better than my crappy old gear! When you say reasonably priced, How much? Why is the bloke selling? Does the Buddy Commando jacket have an Auto-Air fitted? If so you don't need an Octopus. Best bet if you do buy the kit is to get the reg serviced and the bottles tested, if the jacket's fitted with Auto-air get that looked at by a competant person too. They are fairly simple bits of kit but can get rid of your air V. QUICKLY if they do go wrong. I know this from experience, luckily in only 9 metres of water.

Bill



<hr width=100% size=1>One of these days I'll have a boat that WORKS

 

[mainshiptom]

In the shop just under Charring cross station (I can never remember the name of the shop? is it ocean.....) they sell a bag, which you put on your back!

It includes a small tank about 5 liters a regulator a depth and pressure meter, it is very neat and does not take much room!

Ideal for diving under boat for a quick check

399 bargain


Tom


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[duncan]

is 5ltr's enough air to clean an 8 metre boat mid season?

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[mainshiptom]

Duncan

Probably not!

What about a second one for SWMBO!

Tom

P.s. still very neat and tidy.


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[ParaHandy]

You could compare that lot with Northampton SC second-hand prices ...
onlinescuba.co.uk
Some, not all, of the kit is 6 months old (ex dive school). I bought some gear recently and am well pleased

ps if your a/f colour is black ........ v. v. difficult!!


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[longjohnsilver]

Altho 5 litres is probably enuf to scrub off a boat, I don't think £399 is a bargain, you don't need a depth guage for diving maybe 1 - 2 meters, lost touch with prices but for a regulator and bottle of say 12 litres I'd expect to pay maybe £300ish new and maybe £30 for a decent depth guage and the same for a contents guage. Probably half that for reasonable second hand gear.

This sounds like a bit of a gimmick.

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[jon_bailey]

Not convinced this is much of a bargain, I was expecting to get the whole lot for a lot less than that!

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[jon_bailey]

How does auto air work? Was not aware that this was an option for the Buddy Commando or is it available for all stab jackets?



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[Blue_Blazes]

Auto-Air is a combined inflator/second stage. My Buddy Commando Slimline has one, it was an optional extra. You can breathe directly off the bottle with it, so you don't need an octopus rig. in the event that your first stage packs up it switches to breathing the contents of the jacket, theoretically allowing you to make a reasonable ascent whilst doing so. The Buddy jacket also has a small air cylinder which can be used to inflate it, so again, theoretically as you breathe off the jacket you can top it up from the cylinder. I don't think I'd like to do it in practice though!

Bill.

<hr width=100% size=1>One of these days I'll have a boat that WORKS

 

[duncan]

mine in Scuba gear - not a chance ; early August was the first tiem she got in the sea from the boat, ever!

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[jon_bailey]

How well does this work in practice?

Surely if your first stage has packed up then breathing air from the jacket is a very short term affair - better than nothing tho'.

I'll check to see if this jacket has a separate air cylinder although surely a pony set-up is a better option?

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[longjohnsilver]

In theory it sounds good, in practice, forget it, you're more likely to drown trying to use it, better to get to the surface. How often does a regulator fail and even if it does it should fail open ie supplying air.

I've got one and the first thing I did was to take the bottle off. It would never get used and from experience will only corrode so will eventually be chucked away.

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[Blue_Blazes]

I don't use my little bottle any more either, for exactly the reasons you've outlined. I don't dive deeper than 30 metres, so I'd rather risk a bend through bolting to the surface than die on the bottom farting around behind my back trying to work the valve on the back-up bottle. That's why I used the word "Theoretically" in my reply to Jon.

Bill.

<hr width=100% size=1>One of these days I'll have a boat that WORKS

 

[wishbone]

If diving alone, even just around the boat make sure you use a diver down flag, I have an inflatable one with is own shot line. not every one knows what it is but it gives you a better chance of not getting run down. if Im only doing a shallow dive say 6mtrs I pull it around with me. I use a posidon very good DV's. I never dive without my 15ltr tank 3ltr pony, stab and own air bottle. having reached the ripe age of 51 I am still belt and braces, and a bit of string type of guy!

Good luck, prices dont seem too bad to me
Wishbone

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