What Should I Do with a Brand New Regulator? @MrNeobuxer

[@CurtisLM]

This is spot on. I purchased a brand new reg set. First test dive it was breathing wet. Always test dive new gear. I also always try to inhale with the cap on the first stage, just to see if it is sealed.

[@gavinsmith28]

Agreed - before every dive I ensure no leaks dry breathing and I also do a few dives before major trip

[@chrisphilhower6029]

I just purchased a set of Genesis Regs from a Dive shop. They attached the Octo to the first stage. Later I bought a Sherwood Console and attached it myself to the HP port. Haven't had a chance to try them yet.

[@rancidschannel3206]

Thanks for sharing

[@adrianozoa4454]

Review tecline gears please 🙏

[@toadou8127]

After assembling a regulator, my LDS technician dons mask and test breaths seconds in dunk tank. Hint: Most LDS rent local pool time, at least once monthly, for classwork. If you ask nicely, they will usually let you dive new gear, in the corner of the pool, away from the training divers (without you having to pay $$).

[@leborde]

#askmark Hello Mark, thank you for your videos, time and dedication in helping us getting better and more knowledgeable. This is reg question. I have a Scubapro kit MK 25 Eco (1st stage), + A700 (2nd stage primary) + R195 (2nd stage secondary octo), on a "short" hose config (compared to the tech setup where the hose is around 2 meters). It is not the best in the out-of-air scenario for the reason that I've been taught to ascend facing my buddy when donating, but the hose makes an S shape from my tank to the receiver, that tends to pull on the jaw of the receiver (therefore, the best way to ascent was to lie down under the receiver on the side, which is good for looking up tho.) However, with a reg having a side exhaust (like the Poseidon ones), this problem is solved because there is no such thing as an upside/down. On top of that, the Poseidon regs are very small. Would it be an OK thing to do to keep my Scubapro reg kit and ditch the R195 in favor of a Poseidon octo?

[@ScubaDiverMagazine]

Your R195 is ambidextrous and a Scubapro technician should be able to fiddle the insides so that the hose connects to the other side and avoid the S-kink when donating face to face. Poseidon regulators are a bit of a category of their own when it comes to regulators and they don't always work very well with other brands. The Cyklon should mechanically work on a Mk25 EVO *but*, they do need a high interstage pressure which could throw off your primary. Your easiest option would be to flip your R195

[@kiprasbiel]

#askmark Hi. I saw in some older videos showcasing your twinset setup and it seamed you were using MIFLEX hoses for everything. How are they compared to regular hoses, especially the long hose? Is it harder to handle it compared to regular hose? Are they positively buoyant and if so do they get in the way? Is stowing the long hose harder? Maybe you found some pros and cons of using MIFLEX? Thanks 😊

[@ScubaDiverMagazine]

I go back and forth with Miflex hoses. Anything over 100cm does float so you need to route it properly and be careful of slack. You can save a fair amount of weight with them so, if you travel a lot they're a good choice. But if weight isn't a problem I stick with rubber hoses.

[@kiprasbiel]

Thanks for the reply 😊

[@smacinskyjr]

Whatever happened to simply scuba? Are they still a thing? Why did you leave them?

[@ScubaDiverMagazine]

It's a little complicated but the short story is that the company that owned Simply was bought by another company and I doubt we're going to see anything from Simply unless somebody buys the brand from them. I left well before this happened because the company that owned Simply didn't match my views on the brand and I didn't see a positive long-term plan for it. I was talking with Scuba Diver Mag, I had worked with them previously and we have similar mindsets so I made the decision to work with them. Luckily for me, that was the right decision

[@smacinskyjr]

@@ScubaDiverMagazine Thank you so much for the clarification. I really appreciate the insight that you just gave. So often we is viewers are just left out there wondering. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you explaining the situation. You are the best Mark!

[@OrenNoah]

#askmark Why, oh why, don't wetsuit manufacturers tell us the buoyancy of their products? Surely they have stats on the buoyancy by weight of the neoprene they use and know how much neoprene is in each size of their wetsuits. Why leave it to us to have to experiment to get the weighting right whenever we get a new wetsuit? This info would be very helpful to divers and cost the manufacturers virtually nothing.

[@ScubaDiverMagazine]

It probably comes down to liability so that the wetsuit can't be classified as a buoyancy aid. Also the buoyancy of the neoprene will change with depth and salinity so it's hard for the manufacturer to give exact numbers.

[@EddieInMuju]

#askmark I'm a new diver and I just started picking up my own gear, notably including a new exposure suit and a BP/W. Until now I've only dived rental gear. How do I know what weights to bring for my first dive with my new gear? My local shop won't let me use their pool to test anything (liability). This is for Monterey diving, so it's fairly cold. Is there any way short of just getting into the water with the new kit to know how much my weight should be adjusted by? Thanks!

[@ScubaDiverMagazine]

Your weighting probably won't shift too much unless you're changing suit thickness, cylinder type & size or water salinity. I'd stick with what you normally use and run a weight check at the end of the dive to remove any excess lead. There are a bunch of weight calculators online where you can input your details and they give you a rough amount of lead to bring. The general rule was around 10% of your body weight and then you add or remove based on wetsuit thickness, salinity and cylinders. There are too many variables when it comes to your buoyancy but, unless you're making big changes to your gear or where you're diving the amount of lead probably won't change that much.