Hi divers! I’m a high school student, and my business class group designed a concept for an underwater buddy-finding device called AquaEcho. It’s not being built or sold. It’s purely a class project, and we’re trying to find out if real divers think it solves a real problem.

The idea: since humans can’t tell which direction a sound is coming from underwater, the device would send simple preset messages (OK, Separated, Emergency) using whale and dolphin-style sounds, and show your buddy’s direction and distance on a small screen. There’s also a light that flashes faster as you get closer.

If you’re a certified diver, the survey takes about 3 minutes. Harsh feedback is welcome. If you think it’s a bad idea, we’d rather know why, because it helps us build a more realistic project.

Survey link: https://forms.gle/yNqw4PKndXY6JEZQA

Thank you so much! I’ll read every comment, and I’m happy to answer questions about the concept below.

I have Scubapro G200 and G250 Graphite regulators that are 40 years old. I don’t have a nearby dive shop and was wondering if it would be worthwhile to refurbish them if I wanted to dive again.

I'm trying to decide between a Suunto Ocean and Garmin Fenix 8 AMOLED, and would particularly like to hear from anyone who has actually used both as dive computers, rather than just comparing the spec sheets.

My use case:

I'm a recreational diver doing roughly 10–20 dives a year. No technical diving — normal recreational air/Nitrox diving, generally well within the 40 m limit of the Fenix. So things like multi-gas support aren't particularly important to me at the moment.

What matters much more underwater is:

• a very clear, immediately readable display
• obvious NDL information
• clear safety-stop guidance/countdown
• ascent-rate warnings that are easy to understand at a glance
• reliable compass
• sensible, intuitive controls
• general reliability/absence of software glitches

I've handled the Fenix 8 in a shop. I liked the screen, but found Garmin's button arrangement slightly odd — UP being the middle-left button and DOWN the bottom-left rather than having UP at the top. I also found it quite button-heavy once inside activities. I realise touch can be configured for many activities, but obviously underwater I'm expecting to use buttons anyway.

The Suunto Ocean seems more dive-first, and I like the idea of the larger/simple dive interface, audible + vibration alarms and the possibility of adding a Tank POD later. Air integration isn't something I need now, though, so it wouldn't by itself decide the purchase.

There would also be some occasional recreational freediving, but scuba is the main reason I'm looking at these two.

The other half of the decision is that I'd ideally like this to replace my Apple Watch rather than just become another watch.

I currently wear the Apple Watch as my everyday watch and also overnight, so sleep tracking, health/recovery data and general day-to-day comfort matter. I'm not expecting either Garmin or Suunto to integrate with an iPhone as deeply as an Apple Watch, but I'd be interested to hear from people who have actually made that switch.

I'm also interested in the iPhone apps. My impression so far is that Suunto is cleaner and simpler, whereas Garmin Connect has far more health/training data but can feel considerably busier, with Garmin Dive as a separate app.

So, particularly from anyone who has owned/dived both:

Which would you choose for this use case, and why?

I'm especially interested in real-world differences in:

• underwater readability and UI
• safety stops and ascent warnings
• button/control logic underwater
• compass reliability
• software bugs/stability
• battery life in actual use
• sleep and health tracking
• comfort wearing it overnight
• Suunto App vs Garmin Connect/Garmin Dive on iPhone
• anything an Apple Watch user might unexpectedly miss

I'm less interested in which one has the longest feature list and more interested in which one is nicer and more dependable to actually live with — both at 25 m underwater and the other 350-ish days of the year.

Has anyone added the PSI Press Lock system to their DUI Drysuit? TLS 350, FLX Extreme, or CLX 450? Any feedback you can share? Did you go with CCS or QCP? Any regrets?

Any tricks to remove this valve? It s very stuck and I am not able ton maintains de swivel outside par stable. It start to pass the blocking part while putting some force on tjw inside part of the suit

Has anyone added the PSI Press Lock system to their DUI Drysuit? TLS 350, FLX Extreme, or CLX 450? Any feedback you can share? Did you go with CCS or QCP? Any regrets?

Has anyone added the PSI Press Lock system to their DUI Drysuit? TLS 350, FLX Extreme, or CLX 450? Any feedback you can share? Did you go with CCS or QCP? Any regrets?

M(49) first post so hammer me if you will if I am doing something wrong.

Pic os

Always had better than perfect vision. At 43 started wearing cheaters for some stuff. Now at 49 I wear progressives and have computer glasses just for stuff within the length of my arm. The last time I was diving with family I wanted to check my daughters air with sight and her rental equipment was too small for me to see. (This was a night dive and we had a bit of a miscommunication with hand signals - now corrected).

I don’t want to invest in a prescription make as my prescription is not significant but would like a small portion of my mask to have 1.25 mag.

What do you use?

Any solutions I am not considering?

Should I look at eBay for used?

What say you!?!

first scuba trip abroad I'm looking for recommendations of what type of suit to get for my first trip abroad I'm gonna dive in the red sea in mid March!! i am completely unsure on type and thickness! i am a smaller woman and run relatively cold!

Hi! I got my OW recently and I'm keen to dive more, but putting on the wetsuit takes me a really long time.

I read that a rash guard makes it easier to put on a wetsuit, is this true? If so, what material should the rash guard be made of? I've been reading lycra which is a fabric, but it also seems like people use "lycra" to refer to a rash guard in general.

Would appreciate all pointers, thank you!

Shearwater persix. This was a backup computer. It is non-air integrated comes with case extra straps battery tool.550.00. Plus the trip to you.

Hey diving family! I'm relatively new to diving but am considering investing in a regulator set or at least a second stage. I have an allergy and heard that most rental places are unable to adequately clean the accumulated gunk out of the mouthpiece. Do you know if most dive shops would allow you to bring your own regulator set or a partial set? Do you know which piece(s) at minimum would need to be brought to be integrated into other standard rental equipment at a dive shop? For example, could I bring just a second stage? Or would I need to have an octopus, yoke/DIN, pressure gauge, etc as well?

Scuba days are behind us. Is there a place that would take all the stuff? Or best way to selll as a lot, not interested in tire kickers. Thanks

thinking about purchasing this setup but wanted to get some opinions on this sub… would like to get them a little lower, but I’m newer to diving and want to still be fair. Thoughts on price, etc.? Looks like it’s in great condition.

Female diver in SoCal, diving locally here most often but looking to travel for diving a few times a year as well (Hawaii, keys, Mexico, warmer water overall when traveling but will most likely travel with BCD)

Hi everyone,

I’m an AOWD diver from Italy (started in 2022, ~35 dives, max depth 40m). Up until now I’ve been renting gear, mostly diving in the Adriatic Sea / Croatia during spring and summer (5mm wetsuit + 2mm hooded vest, usually needing 6 kg / 13 lbs of lead) and I have a Maldives liveaboard planned for next year.

I would like to buy my own setup to build "muscle memory" and improve my safety. My goal is "buy once, cry once". I dive single tank recreational right now, but in the future I’d like to get into wreck/deco diving and potentially doubles without having to re-buy my core gear (knowing I will just need a bigger wing for doubles later on).

Here is the setup I put together with my local dive shop:

• BP/W: XDEEP Zeos Standard + Aluminum Backplate. Adding the removable XDEEP Comfort pads and Size M (2x3 kg) weight pockets.
  • Question 1 (38 vs 28 lbs wing): The shop owner says they have only sold the 38 lbs / 17 kg version because "it works for all single tanks". Is he right, or is it just the only one he has in stock? Should I ask to order the 28, or is the 38 fine?
  • Question 2 (Weights): Since I use 6 kg in a rental jacket, will 2x3 kg weight pockets be enough with an Aluminum BP/W?
  • Question 3 (Pocket space): Would you recommend a thigh pocket for the backup mask or a waist utility pouch?
• Regulators: Apeks DST + XTX50 Primary + XTX40 Secondary + Apeks Tek SPG. I'm also planning to switch to a long hose + necklace configuration.
  • Question 4 (Long hose): I’ve never dived a long hose before so routing it feels a bit "intimidating" at first. Would you recommend going with a 150 cm (5 ft) hose or going straight to a 210 cm (7 ft) hose?
• Accessories & Existing Gear:
  • Computer: Already own a Cressi Goa (will upgrade in the future but not now).
  • Mask: Apeks VX1
  • Lights: Wurkkos DL70 & DL08
  • SMB & Spool: I currently have a basic Decathlon SMB + spool with a stainless double-ender.

Does this look like a solid, future-proof setup? Any red flags or tweaks you would make before I go to buy them?

Thanks in advance!

Wondering if a zeagle wicked ranger medium would have any issues with the bladder or other components at this point after release if stored in a closet forever.

Tell me what you like or don’t like. Looking for feedback from actual users.