This is how I roll (make that dive)

Here's my gear:



My Primary Regulator



My Secondary



My Tank (Free advertising for my local dive shop) I did end up using the flash in these pictures, so the tank actually is a darker shade of blue. I completely intend on strapping a smaller pony tank on this one as a extra safety measure down the road and that tank is going to be maze ;) So yes, I'll be U of M underwater as well as above!



My BC from the left



My BC from the Right



My 1st stage, note the small knob on the right



My sweet computer! The knob in the previous picture is really the transmitter to this wrist mounted computer. Very cool to eliminate a hose, not to mention the features this computer has.

There's also lots of stuff not pictured: 7mm semidry wetsuit, hood, weights, underwater lights, and a small writing board...for telling Becca no, we aren't bringing that junk back with us!

The hardest part was deciding on the BC. In the end I decided to go with the Seaquest Pro QD with i3 Technology. It was difficult because I also liked Scubapro's Knighthawk. I'm sure I would be happy with either one, but in the end it came down to the pockets. For some reason (past history) I expect to be carrying all of Becca's stuff, so it makes the most sense. The i3 Technology is interesting, unlike any other BC out there, the inflation is done by the lever on the left side of the vest. If I do one thing, it's lots of research before any major purchase. There are people that like this and there are people that hate it. Divers seem like an interesting group, there are those that embrace technology changes and there are those that think anything new is bad. I say interesting because it seems like a thermocline split, it's one way or the other. Anyway, the major gripe seems to be in a emergency situation, somebody not familiar with the BC, may not know how to inflate or deflate it. The cool thing about my setup, because I don't have a traditional octopus secondary, my secondary works just as you would expect (or like every other BC out there). So, really I have three ways to inflate my BC, i3 lever, power inflator on my secondary, and finally I could manually inflate off my secondary if I had to.

My special treat is my computer. I did have to spend some extra time deciding on this as well. Just like everything I do, logic dictated my decision. Okay, well, maybe some personal want crept in the decision process as well. For the cost of a normal dive computer connected with a cable, it was easy to subtract that cost off this computer and make the price not seem as bad. I won't even lie, there's no doubt in my mind this computer is way more advanced then I'll probably ever be. But, that's the point. I want to grow into it, instead of the opposite of getting a cheaper computer and in two years be kicking myself for not getting this one. The one feature that I think will be awesome is I can get a second transmitter and put it on Becca's tank. Then it's possible for me to keep an eye on her air as well. I think we all know that once she sees a turtle, checking her air will be the last thing on her mind!

Oh, forgot to say why all the gear was needed, especially with summer almost over. It just makes sense to take the advanced class next and I can squeeze it in this summer. This class is shorter in duration then the beginning class and it takes place in the middle of August. It continues to improve the fundamentals, but it also will allow me to dive deeper. For that, instead of diving in the shallow Gull Lake, we end up going to a quarry for this class. Figured it just made sense to have my own gear so I didn't have to rent, plus with taking the class the dive shop really gives a great package deal. Plus, if you haven't noticed, I'm geeked about getting out there and exploring! I'm already predicting that next year will be lots of shipwreck diving.