OMS has their SmartStream system which is similar in concept but uses extra straps at the waist that allows you to hang accessory pockets and also keep a 1 piece harness. It’s quite good and I’ve been using the system for a few years now.
@@ScubaDiverMagazine luckily when I first discovered them I was able to find them there so I stocked up. Built 3 back plates for friends with them and they work amazingly!
@@ScubaDiverMagazine First I was worried they would rare and then cause I built / rebuilt BP/Ws for a few of my dive buddies so I like having them on hand
#askmark Hello again Mark. I want to thank you again for all of the amazing work and time you put into these valuable podcasts and videos. I have a question regarding cambands. I am looking to purchase a new #Xdeep Zen I quite like the bands, however, that come with the #Atomic BC2. Would it be possible, or even practical, to change them?
Interesting, I'm not sure if you can remove the CamLok cambands or buy them separately from Atomic. I'll ask... If not I like the Scubapro Cinch and Apeks GripLock cam bands over a 'traditional' cam band.
Is there a budget friendly complete DIR set to buy? I can only find single sets. BP, wing and Harness, first stages, second stages with hoses and finnimeter and some bolt snaps.
DIR is usually the cheapest harness to set up. You can buy 2" webbing by the meter and a bunch of 2" D-Rings. Cost of sets depend on where you are in the world as European brands will be more expensive in the US etc. For a complete set, the XDEEP Zeos is a traditional setup for a fair price. That's a strong foundation for singles or twins.
You should do a video comparing the XDeep Zen to the Zdeep Zeos 13kg. Wondering the wing size difference between the two. Also the Advantages/disadvantages of buying one over the other. #askmark
The Zen is a bit larger with 19kg of lift. The main differences are the shape of the backplate. The Zeos is a standard backplate shape while the Zen is an enlarged X. The Zen also has a Y-shaped crotch strap for an extra D-Ring and more comfort.
#askmark Hi Mark, I'm looking to buy a new pair of fins and decided to take a look at those shorter tech fins, like the Apeks RK3, Hollis F1 or, of course, the Scubapro jetfin. Now I've come to realize, that there are even waaaaayyyyy more fins of this type, but to me, they look all more or less similar. Could you give a quick overview about their differences and maybe a little recommendation which of those you would prefer to dive? Greetings!
It mainly comes down to the buoyancy and stiffness. Some fins like the RK3 and EX1 fin come in different stiffnesses so you can have a hard fin for max power but, you need strong legs for longer dives or a soft blade for less power. Most fins are a mid-stiffness unless stated otherwise. The buoyancy can help with floaty feet or shoulders. Some like the new Scubapro STek you can change the buoyancy with little metal plates. Otherwise, they're all fairly similar. You may find some are better at back kick or have other performance benefits. But most of these are small differences in performance, all fins will get you where you need to go. I use RK3 HDs for most of my diving now, they're a solid fin that come in a range of colours, not just black. Scubapro are always a strong brand to choose and the Fourth Element Tech fins are a nice eco option
Hi Mark, what brand of backplate is that? I have the same one that i got second hand off Facebook marketplace, but never seen another one of them before! Cheers.
Some diver's love them, I've tried them in the past and found it tight on my teeth and quite a hard material. That could just have been the one that I tried... Some divers find that they reduce jaw fatigue because they don't need to bite as firmly to hold the 2nd stage in place. The mouthpieces do come in different sizes so do double check that the one you choose will fit on your 2nd stage, the section the mouthpiece fits onto isn't a universal size.
I have the Halcyon with cinch system, but honestly it seems a waste to me. It's essentially a plastic section the harness threads through (not as simple as the ones you show, mind you) that I guess is supposed to allow the webbing strap to have less friction and be able to be moved. In my experience it doesn't work well and while I can sometimes muscle a little movement out of it it tends to be difficult to get it just right so that it will move instead of just stick there so I just leave it all as is and never adjust it. I should probably take it completely off, TBH, to just thread everything through the backplate. The solution you show may be something to try, but I don't really have much problem getting into and out of my harness so I guess I don't feel a lot of motivation to do that. I will say the one thing I don't like about a harness is how the webbing goes under the arm. For anything long (I like to use a retractable selfie-sitck/tripod) it's a real pain to have that go under your arm and trying to find the ranger band I use to hold it in place. It would be nice if it were more in front of me or at least on my side more but I'm not sure of any really good way to do that, or at least not without turning it into two pieces off webbing instead of one continuous one. 1st world problem, for sure :D
Hi Mark, What is your body routine AFTER a dive, I mean for example eye drops/ ear drops, or other disinfecting things? Maybe there is even more to take care about except eyes and ears. I would love to see a video of this topic if there's enough to talk about. Thank you very much #askmark
Awesome question. I dry out my ears with ear beer, which is a mixture of rubbing alcohol and vinegar to kill nasties and evaporate any water. You can find plenty of preventative treatments for swimmers ear or you can make your own. Hydration is always important, I'll drink some water after a dive to rehydrate. Then I make sure that everything is dry. It's easy to get sores when your skin is wet so I make sure that I'm as dry as possible, especially in the crotch and under arms. Otherwise it's prescriptive and I'll only tend to what could become an issue. I don't tend to do anything with my eyes unless I'm diving somewhere nasty and something gets in my eyes.
@@ScubaDiverMagazine first of all thank you very much for the great answer! On the last liveabroad they also gave us electrolytes in our cabins. Would you say this is necessary when you dive frequently in a week, or would you say it's a "nice add on" to just the hydration with the water, or would you even say no need for this? Thanks again!
This made it easier for me to put on and remove my harness. No more hassle after a tiring dive.
OMS has their SmartStream system which is similar in concept but uses extra straps at the waist that allows you to hang accessory pockets and also keep a 1 piece harness. It’s quite good and I’ve been using the system for a few years now.
I use the same thing. I have bad shoulder and it helps.
I used them and love them. I bought about a dozen from Dive Gear Express
I didn't know DGX make them also, they're more common than I thought.
@@ScubaDiverMagazine luckily when I first discovered them I was able to find them there so I stocked up. Built 3 back plates for friends with them and they work amazingly!
I wondered why you would need a dozen of them...
@@ScubaDiverMagazine First I was worried they would rare and then cause I built / rebuilt BP/Ws for a few of my dive buddies so I like having them on hand
#askmark Hello again Mark. I want to thank you again for all of the amazing work and time you put into these valuable podcasts and videos.
I have a question regarding cambands. I am looking to purchase a new #Xdeep Zen I quite like the bands, however, that come with the #Atomic
BC2.
Would it be possible, or even practical, to change them?
Interesting, I'm not sure if you can remove the CamLok cambands or buy them separately from Atomic. I'll ask...
If not I like the Scubapro Cinch and Apeks GripLock cam bands over a 'traditional' cam band.
@@ScubaDiverMagazine Any news #askmark ?
Is there a budget friendly complete DIR set to buy? I can only find single sets. BP, wing and Harness, first stages, second stages with hoses and finnimeter and some bolt snaps.
DIR is usually the cheapest harness to set up. You can buy 2" webbing by the meter and a bunch of 2" D-Rings. Cost of sets depend on where you are in the world as European brands will be more expensive in the US etc.
For a complete set, the XDEEP Zeos is a traditional setup for a fair price. That's a strong foundation for singles or twins.
You should do a video comparing the XDeep Zen to the Zdeep Zeos 13kg. Wondering the wing size difference between the two. Also the Advantages/disadvantages of buying one over the other. #askmark
The Zen is a bit larger with 19kg of lift. The main differences are the shape of the backplate. The Zeos is a standard backplate shape while the Zen is an enlarged X. The Zen also has a Y-shaped crotch strap for an extra D-Ring and more comfort.
#askmark Hi Mark, I'm looking to buy a new pair of fins and decided to take a look at those shorter tech fins, like the Apeks RK3, Hollis F1 or, of course, the Scubapro jetfin. Now I've come to realize, that there are even waaaaayyyyy more fins of this type, but to me, they look all more or less similar. Could you give a quick overview about their differences and maybe a little recommendation which of those you would prefer to dive? Greetings!
It mainly comes down to the buoyancy and stiffness. Some fins like the RK3 and EX1 fin come in different stiffnesses so you can have a hard fin for max power but, you need strong legs for longer dives or a soft blade for less power. Most fins are a mid-stiffness unless stated otherwise.
The buoyancy can help with floaty feet or shoulders. Some like the new Scubapro STek you can change the buoyancy with little metal plates.
Otherwise, they're all fairly similar. You may find some are better at back kick or have other performance benefits. But most of these are small differences in performance, all fins will get you where you need to go.
I use RK3 HDs for most of my diving now, they're a solid fin that come in a range of colours, not just black. Scubapro are always a strong brand to choose and the Fourth Element Tech fins are a nice eco option
Hi Mark, what brand of backplate is that? I have the same one that i got second hand off Facebook marketplace, but never seen another one of them before! Cheers.
I think it's a Northern Diver backplate. I've had it a while but yeah, it doesn't have any branding on it like most other backplates...
Hi Mark any point in Custom Mouthpiece for regulator's ?
Some diver's love them, I've tried them in the past and found it tight on my teeth and quite a hard material. That could just have been the one that I tried...
Some divers find that they reduce jaw fatigue because they don't need to bite as firmly to hold the 2nd stage in place. The mouthpieces do come in different sizes so do double check that the one you choose will fit on your 2nd stage, the section the mouthpiece fits onto isn't a universal size.
I have the Halcyon with cinch system, but honestly it seems a waste to me. It's essentially a plastic section the harness threads through (not as simple as the ones you show, mind you) that I guess is supposed to allow the webbing strap to have less friction and be able to be moved. In my experience it doesn't work well and while I can sometimes muscle a little movement out of it it tends to be difficult to get it just right so that it will move instead of just stick there so I just leave it all as is and never adjust it. I should probably take it completely off, TBH, to just thread everything through the backplate. The solution you show may be something to try, but I don't really have much problem getting into and out of my harness so I guess I don't feel a lot of motivation to do that.
I will say the one thing I don't like about a harness is how the webbing goes under the arm. For anything long (I like to use a retractable selfie-sitck/tripod) it's a real pain to have that go under your arm and trying to find the ranger band I use to hold it in place. It would be nice if it were more in front of me or at least on my side more but I'm not sure of any really good way to do that, or at least not without turning it into two pieces off webbing instead of one continuous one. 1st world problem, for sure :D
Interesting, I've never used the Cinch system, it looks much more complicated than these loops which have always worked for me.
Hi Mark,
What is your body routine AFTER a dive, I mean for example eye drops/ ear drops, or other disinfecting things? Maybe there is even more to take care about except eyes and ears. I would love to see a video of this topic if there's enough to talk about. Thank you very much #askmark
Awesome question. I dry out my ears with ear beer, which is a mixture of rubbing alcohol and vinegar to kill nasties and evaporate any water. You can find plenty of preventative treatments for swimmers ear or you can make your own.
Hydration is always important, I'll drink some water after a dive to rehydrate. Then I make sure that everything is dry. It's easy to get sores when your skin is wet so I make sure that I'm as dry as possible, especially in the crotch and under arms.
Otherwise it's prescriptive and I'll only tend to what could become an issue. I don't tend to do anything with my eyes unless I'm diving somewhere nasty and something gets in my eyes.
@@ScubaDiverMagazine first of all thank you very much for the great answer!
On the last liveabroad they also gave us electrolytes in our cabins. Would you say this is necessary when you dive frequently in a week, or would you say it's a "nice add on" to just the hydration with the water, or would you even say no need for this?
Thanks again!
Agir is from sweden.
I prefer the SubGravity sliders
I'm seeing a lot of good things from SubGravity, I didn't know they made a slider
They are just distributors. They slap their logo on items you can get at a fraction of the cost elsewhere.
BLAHAJ pls pet him
Why do you need a cinch or a loop?
You can thread the harness through your backplate just as it is but don't use a stopper.
It does the same thing.