Exposure Suits
|
|
wetsuit
- open cell neoprene inside, nylon outside
- jacket with attached hood, farmer johns
- no zippers
- skin-in seals at wrists, ankles, face
- Pros: form-fitting, streamlined, flexible, relatively
low cost
- Cons: you're wet which draws alot of heat away from
your body, will only last about 300 dives until the
neoprene looses too much insulating power
|
drysuit
- Latex neck and wrist seals or neoprene seals
- self donning or shoulder entry zipper
- Rock boot system or attached hardsole boots
- Crushed neoprene or Tri-lam
- auto exhaust valve
- power inflate valve
- Pros: you're dry, you can dive longer because the
water isn't pulling very much heat from your body, dry
suits can last for over a thousand dives with proper
maintance and care, you can adjust the amount of
insulation to match the water temp
- Cons: less streamlined than wetsuits, 2 to 5 times
the cost of a wetsuit, more maintance than a wetsuit:
seals, valves, waterproof zipper
|
Booties
|
|
5mm or 7mm w/zipper and hard sole
- used with open heel scuba diving fins
- can walk in them without damaging them
|
2mm, 3mm, 5mm neoprene sock
- used with full-foot freediving fins
- must wear sandals or old tennis shoes when walking to
the dive site _or_ you'll damage the neoprene socks
|
Gloves
|
|
3mm & 5mm five fingers
- good dexterity
- descent warmth
|
7mm three fingered mitts
- moderate dexterity
- excellent warmth (the thumb and index finger are
separate, the other three fingers are in a single pocket
for additional warmth)
|
Hoods
|
|
attached hood
- a good feature for wetsuits (it prevents water from
flowing down your back)
- you'll never forget your hood
- some drysuits have attached hoods (but, I've gotten
mixed reviews about their convience on a drysuit: too
much trouble with the neck seal)
|
standard hood
- can be used for wetsuits or drysuits
- get your buddy to tuck the hood's skirt into your
wetsuit
- some drysuits have a neoprene collar that holds the
hood's skirt to the base of your neck (a good
feature)
|
|
hooded vest
- prevents water from flowing down your back
- add extra insulation on your torso
|
|
Masks
|
|
what fits your face?
- Fit is the most important attribute of a mask.
- The mask strap is only there to hold it on your face,
not to create the seal.
|
black or clear silicone skirt?
- black will cut down on glare while on the surface or
taking UW photos.
- clear gives the user a little more peripheral
vision
|
|
purge or no purge?
In the old days, there were only a few masks on the
market and many of those masks didn't fit well; therefore,
they were constantly filling with water (flooding). So,
manufacturers added purges to some models to ease clearing
the mask.
There are hundreds of different masks on the market
today. You should be able to find one that fits your face. A
well fitted mask will virtually eliminate the flooding
problems of a poorly fitted mask. (unless your buddy is
constantly making you laugh underwater which creates laugh
lines and floods your mask.)
|
high, medium, or low volume?
(the real questions is: "how much can you see out of the
mask?")
- low volume masks
- put the glass closer to your eyes. (meaning you
can usually see just as much thru a low volume than as
a medium or high volume mask)
- are more streamlined than the bigger masks
- are easier to clear when flooded
- are easier to equalize when descending
|
Snorkels
|
|
purge or no purge?
- it's personal preference (purges will make it easier
to clear a snorkel using the blast method; but, sometimes
they can get stuck open rendering the snorkel useless and
they can make the displacement method of snorkel clearing
much less effiecent.)
|
Characteristics of a good snorkel
- large bore (won't restrict breathing)
- short barrel (less dead air space)
- closely follows the contour of your head
(streamlining)
- comfortable mouth piece
|
Fins
|
|
scuba
(normally open heel with separate replacable fin strap)
- vented or non-vented (paddle type)
- split fins (nature's wing)
Most new divers and many experienced scuba divers are now
using this type of fin because it offers a 30% gain in
effiecency compared to the paddle-type fins.
|
freediving
(fullfoot, non-vented, long, flexible, very efficient)
|
|
|
snorkeling
(fullfoot, non-vented, smaller than scuba fins, easy to
kick, for warm water only)
|
Weight Belts / weight systems
|
|
Weight Belts
- coated lead or shot bags?
- rubber or nylon belt?
- wire, spring-loaded, or standard stainless steel
buckle?
|
Weight Systems
- BC integrated weight system
- Weight & Trim system
|
Buoyancy Compensators
|
|
jacket type
- Pros: don't trap air when rotating in any direction
in the water
- Cons: less streamlined than the wing-type
|
wing type
- Pros: steamlined, very adjustable harness, modular
system
- Cons: can trap air when rotating in the water causing
the user to feel resistance to the rotation they are
attempting to make
|
Regulators
|
|
1st stage
- piston or diaphragm
- balanced
|
2nd stage
|
|
Octopus or power inflator integrated octopus?
|
|
Tanks
|
|
Steel
- (pos) usually negative when empty (you wear less lead
on your belt)
- high or low pressure?
- galvanized and/or painted?
- DIN or yoke valve
|
Aluminum
- (pos) self limiting corrosion
- (pos) cheaper (approx. half of what steel costs)
- (neg) tend to be positive when empty (you have to
wear more lead on your weight belt)
|
Pressure Gauge & Depth Gauge
|
|
air filled
- Pros: can compensate for altitude
- Cons: non-linear scale
|
oil filled
- Pros: linear scale
- Cons: cannot compensate for altitude
|
Dive Computers
|
- Air integrated or non-air integrated
- Hoseless or console
- Nitrox (can be used with air, just set the O2 to 21%)
or air
|
|
Compasses
|
|
Card, Needle, or Digital?
|
Hose mount, wrist mount, console mount, or mounted on
small slate with extended lubber line?
|
Knife or shears
|
- blunt or sharp tip?
- what size knife? (rambo, medium, or small)
- stainless steel or titanium?
|
Required characteristics:
- line cutter
- serrated edge
|
Dive Lights
|
|
marker lights
|
4 C-cell lights
|
|
4 D-cell lights
|
Rechargeable cell lights
|
|
8 D-cell lights
|
8 C-cell lights
|
Surface Support (Boogie Board, Ab Tube, Dive Kayak)
|
|
|
|
