A great video, it will definitely take away the uncertainty of many people who have not assembled their equipment very often. Of course I have something to add: I would recommend getting the cam bands wet before assembling them. They are made of nylon and this expands when in contact with water. This ultimately means that a tank that was well secured when dry can become loose in the water.
Thank you, it means a lot! Great tip too, I've heard this before and think it is a good idea. Some BCDs do have some mitigations for cam band slip built in too. I've seen some come with double bands with rubber stops that help prevent slippage and also sometimes there is a loop at the top of the BCD that loops on that valve to ensure the BCD sits at the top. Otherwise for single band cam bands this is an excellent idea to ensure it stays on tight! I've certainly had many instances where I did use a rental BCD and tightened that sucker down on land but slips once in water.
Happy to hear you enjoyed it! Yes, I tried to not make it specific to gear as I wanted it to help give a general way to assemble for numerous recreational diving styles from cold and warm water. I figure'd I'd do it in my cold gear as it covers some added gap that warm gear doesn't cover quite as much.
At 3:48 you talk about the tank O-ring but it's not there on a DIN connector, only Yoke. Also, get rid of the cylinder plastic bottom, there's no need for it, it hides possible corrosion (especially on steel tanks used in salt water) leading to extra wear. Your DIN connector is corroded which makes it harder to fit onto a cylnder. Get some alu-clean acid and a toothbrush, remove your O-ring and apply some alu-clean and let it sit to get rid of that corrosion. You're now able to screw in that first stage much more easily.
Thank you! Yes, I realized that while filming the video that only a Yoke tank would have the O-ring but I wanted to show it anyways to show it instead of just talking about it. I've seen plenty of those o-rings pop so its worth checking out of habit. That particular tank was a rental so its not mine to make modifications to. But good advice regardless on removing extra plastic on the tank!
@@itravelwisely so is din better because it doesn't rely on an oring? Remove one more point of failure? I've not purchased my tank yet but I'm thinking of going din on it
@itravelwisely i looked at two din regulators and tanks today at my dive shops. Both din setups had an oring on the regulator side, with none at the tank side. The yoke setups had the oring on the tank side. This being said, it should be our practice to check the oring before we attach our regulators to the tank, regardless of configuration. Personally I think the video is just fine as you show the reg at the tank valve to check it.
Sorry I missed this earlier! Totally agree to always give the o-ring a quick look after being stored for a while. It's one of the most common failures that I've seen. But generally happens early in a dive if it is going to give out often from normal wear and tear. In terms of regulator, I definitely recommend a DIN regulator and have a YOKE adapter. Your bases will be fully covered for travel. DIzn regulators fit both with the adapters, while YOKE regulators will only fit YOKE cylinders. As for the cylinders, I think it comes down to personal preference. I've heard arguments for both. I personally use DIN, but I've heard compelling arguments for YOKE, you can't go wrong for either.
@itravelwisely thank you. Its appreciated. Im just trying to ensure i make the best gear choices that I can while not outgrowing most of it, but also not investing in gear that has features/traits that ill never need as a recreational diver that will spend most of my time around 40 feet or less. One lds told me today one reason din is liked as it's streamlined and cleaner. Also cave divers claim that yoke introduces a failure point that can be hit and knocked off vs din that would have to knock the entire valve off the tank. He said he's seen the din to yoke adapter leak. That when he travels he takes a yoke reg setup.
Haha, took me a moment to get context from this but I suspect your mentioning how I wear the mask (facing backwards) while preparing. This is a nice way to ensure you don't forget your mask, especially for situations like liveaboards where to take a small boat away from the main boat after donning the gear. Alternative ways that work is to wear it on the neck or put it on your arm. You can also attach it if you have a double ender clip on your BCD. I figure anything that is not attached has risk of being forgotten!
Ah yes, and I've seen this happen a few times and happened to me earlier on in my diving experience. A buddy can help remount it, at least, but it can be quite a challenge to move it and retighten it at depth!
Thank you for the feedback! It's definitely a balance between being too stiff and too active, still trying to fine-tune it, haha. Getting the right balance is harder than one might think!
Ah your right, would have been good to mention or show in this video. I did go over it more in my Nirtrox video but would have been good to show it here too.
@arthur1670 you can use a nitrox tank with air, we fill our air at a dive shop and measure it on pick up. This one already has our measurement written on it.
Turning the Tank valve a quarter back after opening isn't necessary anymore with modern valves, but that procedure DID NEVER come from regulators might not handle full presure , obviously they will always have to hold full tank pressure even if the tank is opened only partially. Actually it's about the tank valves and it's outdated information because modern valves do not get damaged from being completely turned open and left that way. That's been an issue decades ago (valves locking in open position or seats getting damaged) but somehow it's still frequently taught that way.
Yes, you are right, I've met several folks that told me they turn it back, so it is still very prevalent. I do know to not also overturn it as it can be a pain to turn off after the dive, so I usually advise to turn it lightly until you hit resistance and then leave it alone. Thank you for adding this.
Wouldn't it be wise to open the valve fully, then back it off a touch, not 1/4, just to ensure it's not opened too hard, thereby saving unnecessary wear on the valve. This is what we've done in aviation and it's a 30 year habit for me.
@MysticalDragon73 this is actually what I do. It's not a quarter turn, just a full open and a tiny bit back. I've had valves get stuck on me if cranked or fully open. A slight turn back helps, but the key is it shouldn't be much and the concern is not for air flow during the dive.
@@itravelwisely perfect. Another reason we did it is so that we knew we were going the correct direction. If seen people trying to close a valve, when in fact they were cranking it open harder. One actually got jammed and had to be replaced. By giving that slight movement we knew to go the other direction.
Whew! That's a long story, but the shorter version is I ultimately pursued engineering as it was well paying and ultimately could open doors for me to pursue an adventurous lifestyle. It definitely took a long windy road to get to where I am but nowadays, I am able to travel quite frequently and have decent work/life balance. I do stay very busy and find it difficult at times to balance everything, but I somehow usually pull it off still. My primary inspiration is truly trying to live a well lived life, but also, I do want to try and make some positive impact on this world which ultimately lead me to starting this TH-cam channel. I do hope to see it open new doors someday to advancing those inspirations forward. I am also the type of person who needs to be challenged in order for me to enjoy something, growth in things I commit time to is important and a lot of these more technical things from mountaineering, skiing, and scuba diving have very steep climbs for growth. I've definitely gravitated more to Scuba Diving recently and looking to take things more to the next level for my own scuba diving journey as I start approaching more technical diving as ultimately, I'd like to start to move to wreck diving in the future.
Yes! I was renting a Halcyon unit from Eight Dive (great shop) because I was thinking of buying one and also was taking a GUE course (so needed one anyways). I ultimately did like it, its not a huge upgrade over the Hydros Pro but I like the simplicity of it and able to swap parts out. Both my wife and I ended up buying the Halycons, pretty colorful ones too likely see in future videos haha. Super appreciate Eight Diving though, a bit far of a drive for us but they've been super to work with. Been renting cylinders at different shops too, looking to buy my own soon here when I can find a good deal.
Great question! This is called a long hose configuration, and the primary reason for it is to make it easier to share air if someone is out. The idea behind it is, if someone is out of air, I can take it right out of my mouth and donate immediately, to a perhaps panicking diver and have plenty of space for them to calm down. The long hose gives them a lot of clearance. Also, my octo is on the necklace, so I can grab that with my left hand and start using it immediately.
This one was a steel HP 100, I prefer steel for cold water as I almost need no extra weight, haha, beyond the back plate and integrated weight for my tank adapter.
Good eye, I did get this gear because I was taking a course with GUE but I also wanted to start cold water diving so I needed a new set of gear for colder water anyways. After trying some different equipment and talking to folk, I do agree Halcyon is expensive. It is very good quality though, I made the leap!
@@itravelwisely FYI, halcyon is IMO just rebranded gear from other manufacturers. Not weather it is though. But xDeep, Apeks, Hollis, Dive rite and even Mares offer similar quality for less money.
@@Provuk as long as your happy with it. And it's from your own money who are you to judge it. I'm a recreational diver. Still my setup is gue-ish. Long hose wing tec fins everything tight and close around me. I feel a lot more confident this way
@@Provuk True that, Halcyon regulators are simply rebranded Scubarpro MK25s. Their wings and backplates are good quality, the rest is up for debate if you ask me.
@josephdracula7487 definitely try to live by example of being safe as I can be and teaching everything I know forward on safety! Diving is a lot of fun, and the safer we can do it, the better!
A great video, it will definitely take away the uncertainty of many people who have not assembled their equipment very often. Of course I have something to add: I would recommend getting the cam bands wet before assembling them. They are made of nylon and this expands when in contact with water. This ultimately means that a tank that was well secured when dry can become loose in the water.
Thank you, it means a lot! Great tip too, I've heard this before and think it is a good idea. Some BCDs do have some mitigations for cam band slip built in too. I've seen some come with double bands with rubber stops that help prevent slippage and also sometimes there is a loop at the top of the BCD that loops on that valve to ensure the BCD sits at the top. Otherwise for single band cam bands this is an excellent idea to ensure it stays on tight!
I've certainly had many instances where I did use a rental BCD and tightened that sucker down on land but slips once in water.
Yes - the double ender for the mask is another great idea
Thank you for posting this video , I don't care about what gear you use . Glad you willing to share your experience
Happy to hear you enjoyed it! Yes, I tried to not make it specific to gear as I wanted it to help give a general way to assemble for numerous recreational diving styles from cold and warm water. I figure'd I'd do it in my cold gear as it covers some added gap that warm gear doesn't cover quite as much.
@@itravelwisely don't pay attention to the haters you are doing just fine. Your money your gear .
At 3:48 you talk about the tank O-ring but it's not there on a DIN connector, only Yoke. Also, get rid of the cylinder plastic bottom, there's no need for it, it hides possible corrosion (especially on steel tanks used in salt water) leading to extra wear.
Your DIN connector is corroded which makes it harder to fit onto a cylnder. Get some alu-clean acid and a toothbrush, remove your O-ring and apply some alu-clean and let it sit to get rid of that corrosion. You're now able to screw in that first stage much more easily.
Thank you! Yes, I realized that while filming the video that only a Yoke tank would have the O-ring but I wanted to show it anyways to show it instead of just talking about it. I've seen plenty of those o-rings pop so its worth checking out of habit.
That particular tank was a rental so its not mine to make modifications to. But good advice regardless on removing extra plastic on the tank!
@@itravelwisely so is din better because it doesn't rely on an oring? Remove one more point of failure?
I've not purchased my tank yet but I'm thinking of going din on it
@itravelwisely i looked at two din regulators and tanks today at my dive shops. Both din setups had an oring on the regulator side, with none at the tank side. The yoke setups had the oring on the tank side.
This being said, it should be our practice to check the oring before we attach our regulators to the tank, regardless of configuration.
Personally I think the video is just fine as you show the reg at the tank valve to check it.
Sorry I missed this earlier! Totally agree to always give the o-ring a quick look after being stored for a while. It's one of the most common failures that I've seen. But generally happens early in a dive if it is going to give out often from normal wear and tear.
In terms of regulator, I definitely recommend a DIN regulator and have a YOKE adapter. Your bases will be fully covered for travel. DIzn regulators fit both with the adapters, while YOKE regulators will only fit YOKE cylinders.
As for the cylinders, I think it comes down to personal preference. I've heard arguments for both. I personally use DIN, but I've heard compelling arguments for YOKE, you can't go wrong for either.
@itravelwisely thank you. Its appreciated. Im just trying to ensure i make the best gear choices that I can while not outgrowing most of it, but also not investing in gear that has features/traits that ill never need as a recreational diver that will spend most of my time around 40 feet or less.
One lds told me today one reason din is liked as it's streamlined and cleaner. Also cave divers claim that yoke introduces a failure point that can be hit and knocked off vs din that would have to knock the entire valve off the tank. He said he's seen the din to yoke adapter leak. That when he travels he takes a yoke reg setup.
I love the way you put the mask on backwards when preparing. I will do that next time
Haha, took me a moment to get context from this but I suspect your mentioning how I wear the mask (facing backwards) while preparing. This is a nice way to ensure you don't forget your mask, especially for situations like liveaboards where to take a small boat away from the main boat after donning the gear.
Alternative ways that work is to wear it on the neck or put it on your arm. You can also attach it if you have a double ender clip on your BCD. I figure anything that is not attached has risk of being forgotten!
A great video. Thank you
Thank you, and I'm glad you liked it!
Once while diving at 25 M my tank got loose from the bcd ,,that was wild 😂
Ah yes, and I've seen this happen a few times and happened to me earlier on in my diving experience. A buddy can help remount it, at least, but it can be quite a challenge to move it and retighten it at depth!
I always have a bug about consoles, octos, hanging loose. I’ve seen divers getting hung up on rocks, coral, wrecks, or just dragging on the bottom.
Exactly, and it can be a real entanglement hazard as ypu noted or more likely than not smack animals or coral, sometimes unknowingly!
@ at my local dive shop I was having a conversation with the tech. He was repairing an octo that was full of zebra mussels.
Sadness, haha
Seriously, you have some of the best content on TH-cam.
Well done ! A+
Thank you for this warming comment and glad you enjoy it!
@@anthonytreece5066 yea I like this info channel too. Although most I should know.. Still fun to watch and always good to refresh your knowledge
Excellent reminders, thanks. A minor optics suggestion: cut way down on the hand gestures. They become a distraction from your message.
Thank you for the feedback! It's definitely a balance between being too stiff and too active, still trying to fine-tune it, haha. Getting the right balance is harder than one might think!
Bring your own o rings and tools with you so you don't need to abort the dive and return home.
Definitely, a save a dive kit can be truly a saver for your own gear!
0:57 you missed gas test
Ah your right, would have been good to mention or show in this video. I did go over it more in my Nirtrox video but would have been good to show it here too.
@ did you just not have 20.9% gas cylinder around ?
@arthur1670 you can use a nitrox tank with air, we fill our air at a dive shop and measure it on pick up. This one already has our measurement written on it.
Love this! Thank you! 🤿
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Turning the Tank valve a quarter back after opening isn't necessary anymore with modern valves, but that procedure DID NEVER come from
regulators might not handle full presure , obviously they will always have to hold full tank pressure even if the tank is opened only partially.
Actually it's about the tank valves and it's outdated information because modern valves do not get damaged from being completely turned open and left that way. That's been an issue decades ago (valves locking in open position or seats getting damaged) but somehow it's still frequently taught that way.
Yes, you are right, I've met several folks that told me they turn it back, so it is still very prevalent. I do know to not also overturn it as it can be a pain to turn off after the dive, so I usually advise to turn it lightly until you hit resistance and then leave it alone. Thank you for adding this.
Wouldn't it be wise to open the valve fully, then back it off a touch, not 1/4, just to ensure it's not opened too hard, thereby saving unnecessary wear on the valve.
This is what we've done in aviation and it's a 30 year habit for me.
@MysticalDragon73 this is actually what I do. It's not a quarter turn, just a full open and a tiny bit back. I've had valves get stuck on me if cranked or fully open. A slight turn back helps, but the key is it shouldn't be much and the concern is not for air flow during the dive.
@@itravelwisely perfect. Another reason we did it is so that we knew we were going the correct direction. If seen people trying to close a valve, when in fact they were cranking it open harder. One actually got jammed and had to be replaced. By giving that slight movement we knew to go the other direction.
Could you talk about your inspirations? Why did you came up with engineering and these hobbies
Cheers!
Whew! That's a long story, but the shorter version is I ultimately pursued engineering as it was well paying and ultimately could open doors for me to pursue an adventurous lifestyle. It definitely took a long windy road to get to where I am but nowadays, I am able to travel quite frequently and have decent work/life balance. I do stay very busy and find it difficult at times to balance everything, but I somehow usually pull it off still.
My primary inspiration is truly trying to live a well lived life, but also, I do want to try and make some positive impact on this world which ultimately lead me to starting this TH-cam channel. I do hope to see it open new doors someday to advancing those inspirations forward.
I am also the type of person who needs to be challenged in order for me to enjoy something, growth in things I commit time to is important and a lot of these more technical things from mountaineering, skiing, and scuba diving have very steep climbs for growth.
I've definitely gravitated more to Scuba Diving recently and looking to take things more to the next level for my own scuba diving journey as I start approaching more technical diving as ultimately, I'd like to start to move to wreck diving in the future.
Eight!
Yes! I was renting a Halcyon unit from Eight Dive (great shop) because I was thinking of buying one and also was taking a GUE course (so needed one anyways). I ultimately did like it, its not a huge upgrade over the Hydros Pro but I like the simplicity of it and able to swap parts out. Both my wife and I ended up buying the Halycons, pretty colorful ones too likely see in future videos haha.
Super appreciate Eight Diving though, a bit far of a drive for us but they've been super to work with. Been renting cylinders at different shops too, looking to buy my own soon here when I can find a good deal.
@@itravelwisely I finally bought my own tank a couple weeks ago, really going to enjoy not having to worry about dive shop schedules as much.
why is your reg hose so long? thats crazy how long it is.
Great question! This is called a long hose configuration, and the primary reason for it is to make it easier to share air if someone is out. The idea behind it is, if someone is out of air, I can take it right out of my mouth and donate immediately, to a perhaps panicking diver and have plenty of space for them to calm down.
The long hose gives them a lot of clearance. Also, my octo is on the necklace, so I can grab that with my left hand and start using it immediately.
That nitrox tank at the start wasn’t steel? It had oxidisation next to the boot like an ally tank
This one was a steel HP 100, I prefer steel for cold water as I almost need no extra weight, haha, beyond the back plate and integrated weight for my tank adapter.
So much overpriced Halcyon gear. That looks very much like GUE
Good eye, I did get this gear because I was taking a course with GUE but I also wanted to start cold water diving so I needed a new set of gear for colder water anyways. After trying some different equipment and talking to folk, I do agree Halcyon is expensive. It is very good quality though, I made the leap!
@@itravelwisely FYI, halcyon is IMO just rebranded gear from other manufacturers. Not weather it is though. But xDeep, Apeks, Hollis, Dive rite and even Mares offer similar quality for less money.
@@Provuk I support budget dive gear !!!
@@Provuk as long as your happy with it. And it's from your own money who are you to judge it. I'm a recreational diver. Still my setup is gue-ish. Long hose wing tec fins everything tight and close around me. I feel a lot more confident this way
@@Provuk True that, Halcyon regulators are simply rebranded Scubarpro MK25s. Their wings and backplates are good quality, the rest is up for debate if you ask me.
👍🇵🇭😎🤿! Really appreciate your concern about safety in driving 👍!
@josephdracula7487 definitely try to live by example of being safe as I can be and teaching everything I know forward on safety! Diving is a lot of fun, and the safer we can do it, the better!