calvert@ut-sally.UUCP (Ken Calvert) (05/10/85)
On the subject of equipment buying, here's another plug for "horse collar" BCs. I bought most of my stuff when I lived in the San Francisco area, with the intent of going abalone diving. You can't take abalone on scuba in northern California, so that basically means no integrated-backpack BCs. The point is, if you think you ever might want to do some non-tank diving with a wetsuit, the horse collar is the way to go. Besides, they're cheaper. I also second the motion that comfort - and that includes getting into and out of the stuff, on a rolling boat, sandy beach, or wherever - is the most important factor. The fewer hoses I have to connect, the sooner I'm ready to go diving. By the way, ab diving at Salt Point state park, north of Point Reyes, was one of the most fun and exciting things I've done as a diver. You can camp nearby, there's an underwater preserve that's beautiful, and you can go around the point (out of the preserve) and free dive for abalone (at least, you could five years ago). I highly recommend it. Any other ab divers out there? Ken Calvert University of Texas CS Dept. ...ihnp4!ut-sally!calvert