If you're sure then that's fine. Steve Martin of Sidemounting.com has a RK3 test video on youtube where you can see how much the fin flexes in water.

Any specific features you need?

Puck Pro is about RM600ish new these days. If you can live with a single button it'll do the job. For slightly more you can get a Crest CR4 that is a poor rec diver's Shearwater Teric knockoff xD

secondhand there have been quite a number of people selling off their Suuntos on fb recently

This post has been edited by thesnugbug: Aug 24 2020, 01:16 PM

Scubaboard has a long but handy thread about the mission one here: https://www.scubaboard.com/community/thread...ion-one.590552/

The best mask is the one that fits.

Never used the Magellan personally but I'm not a fan of any design that has elastics to pull in the wing. The shoulder bits are quite narrow though which is nice and it's supposed to be foldable (good for travel). Looking at the description on the Mares site however there are only two sizes, S/M and L/XL. If you're small-sized this may not be ideal... but the only way to find out for sure is try it on.

If you're in KL and want to try an actual donut (aka backplate/wing) you're welcome to try mine out in the pool




Not all jackets come with this dual buckle design.

This post has been edited by thesnugbug: Sep 1 2020, 04:51 PM

I go to PJ Palms or the Bkt Kiara club pool.

Battery replacement is not really an issue (it's not difficult to do it yourself). Generally cheap computers like Zoop or Puck (Pro) are reliable for years.

But if you're sure you want the other features like GPS etc etc then I suppose something like the Garmin makes sense so you don't have to own 2 things.

This post has been edited by thesnugbug: Sep 8 2020, 03:30 PM

Yes it's the same pod.

Eon is easy to read. It does have the same penalty lockout as the other Suuntos, so if that has ever been a problem for you then it's something to consider.

This post has been edited by thesnugbug: Sep 9 2020, 12:45 PM

Well legal documents are exactly for that, what can you do? It's also part of why certifications exist.

Very rarely are dive incident reports published, and even if people do come out to say anything, it can be hard to get an accurate story. People don't always remember things accurately in an emergency, or may just have had a different perception at the time. But also yes no one wants to be THAT person who takes all the blame. Just look at dive groups on FB and how people comment -- is it really surprising that anyone is reluctant to speak up?

Cultivating a culture that encourages people to do so without jumping at their throats is one way we can progress toward better incident reports. At the moment everyone just wants to look for that one scapegoat to blame, but incidents are most often a result of a chain of actions rather than one single action.

This post has been edited by thesnugbug: Sep 24 2020, 06:16 AM

It is also important to note that things aren't always what they seem, and UW communication can often be misinterpreted. It's easy to say in hindsight "I did this, this and this!" but in reality the the other person may have had a completely different experience. I say this because I have been on dives where I communicated things to my buddy that I thought were clear, but when debriefing it was evident that we totally misunderstood each other...

I can't speak for the DM, but having been separated before on dives the lesson I learned was to carry my own SMB and be confident with ascending on my own, but most importantly to be more aware of what's happening on the dive to avoid getting separated.

This post has been edited by thesnugbug: Sep 24 2020, 07:08 AM

Generally yes, but a diver who is distracted or breathing very hard might miss the sound. I'm so used to signalling with the boltsnap that I get hypersensitive and the reef sounds make me look up xD

I suggest finding a good instructor in whatever city you're based in, and tell him/her you'd like to do your OW in Redang. Rather than taking chances with an instructor you may not meet until the day of your OW.

Some shops might be having Christmas sales, you can check on FB. As I've only worn 2 wetsuits in my life I can't really give you an informed suggestion lol... brands that I most commonly see on other divers are Bare, Seapro, Scubapro, Sharkskin.

You could also try the other suggestion of wearing a rashguard (and tights/leggings) on your next dive and see if that helps. If it works then great no need to splurge on wetsuit just yet!

This post has been edited by thesnugbug: Dec 17 2020, 06:38 PM

A 4.5m pool is certainly deep enough to train in and suss out issues with technique and buoyancy. You may even find that shallow water is less forgiving than an open water dive.

ahhh you were one of those lucky buggers!

I didn't see the whaleshark(s) but it was a lot fishier than I expected And the white coral was super pretty

Are you already actively tech diving? If not tech instructor is quite the aim... after a hundred or so dives I think you'll know if you're cut out for the dive pro life.

While I am not pro, I encourage you to not think about the test from a "how to get points" angle; rather, realise that being a professional means other divers will be in your care. I hope that will motivate you to aspire to the highest standards

This post has been edited by thesnugbug: Jan 18 2021, 03:14 PM

Just be aware that there are Go and Go Sport, which look identical but Go (sometimes called Go Rental) is apparently made for bare feet even though it also has an open heel design. Not sure how much Go is but Go Sport retails for around 450-500 at most places in KL. Sometimes shops have end of year promos.

If your dive log software shows start/end pressure (or even better, pressure throughout the dive) it can be a nice thing to have, to calculate your SAC or just to see how your breathing changes in response to specific events during a dive.

Other than that, it's for people who are too lazy to look at SPG

This post has been edited by thesnugbug: Dec 31 2021, 04:56 PM

Probably Crest or Atmos since they use Buhlmann algorithm.

Mares and Suunto use RGBM (bubble model) which isn't great for a number of reasons which google can tell you about, but for most rec diving the main issue is simply that it gives you less NDL. Both also impose deco lock if you break your deco ceiling, Suunto's is 48 hrs (and will keep resetting to 48 hrs if you dive while it's in a locked state) and Mares is 24 hrs (you can use it in bottom timer/gauge mode, the lock countdown won't reset).

Also a note about size — unless you plan to wear your dive comp as a daily watch, this honestly is no big deal. What's more important is the backlight and whether the screen is easy for you to read. Some models like Puck Pro don't have continuous backlight, you actually have to hold the button for the backlight to come on, then it goes off after like 5 secs. It's VERY annoying on night dives... speaking from experience, I am a former Puck Pro user 😆 (but I don't regret getting it la, got it for RM550 in 2017 and it served me well for 3+ yrs)

This post has been edited by thesnugbug: May 26 2022, 09:01 PM

Try Flightconnections or flightradar24

For day dives I like at least 1500 lm for signalling, especially in milky water. For night time ~800 is ok since you don't want to blind fish and other divers.

I use Divepro S40 which I think puts out 4000 / 2000 / 400 (high / mid / low) and a DGX600 as my backup. DGX makes great lights but have to buy from the US.

Another thing to note is if you use crappy batteries that will affect the output as well, so get good batteries from a reputable shop.