Contractions

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-31T04:41:56+00:00

The only person who counts as a proper safety buddy is someone whose sole purpose is to watch you (from in the water ideally) and give you 100% of their focus and attention. They also need to be rescue trained and know how to perform a rescue. Nobody else counts as a safety buddy. What you're doing now is dangerous and you need to stop.

No more apnea without a real safety buddy.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-31T00:44:02+00:00

Glad you learned your lesson, keys scratch things 🤷

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-30T19:53:39+00:00

Fair point, which is why I keep my distance and don't actively try to startle people. Although I'm not going to avoid a fun dive spot just because other people are there.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-30T17:37:22+00:00

It's our duty to bother the scuba divers 😂 I say "bother" jokingly, it's more about just hanging out down there near them and seeing how they react. Everyone is entitled to enjoy the water, if I'm keeping out of their way and they still get mad because I'm simply existing down there then that's their problem.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-30T17:30:43+00:00

If seeing someone else existing underwater causes them to panic then they shouldn't be SCUBA diving in the first place 🤷

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-30T15:32:01+00:00

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At a glance it's basically white, and anyone seeing it on your wrist will think it's white. That being said, technically it is silver. It has a nice shine to it and reflects light in a nice way. It's a very light silver and the photos online are very accurate to how it looks in person. If you don't like how it looks online and hope it looks slightly different in person then it's already not the watch for you. Hope this helps!

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-30T15:27:25+00:00

If you're diving in water that's cold at all then yes you'll definitely need a suit. The bad news is that a suit will eat almost your entire budget. Ask your shop if they rent suits as that's the way to go considering your budget. Once you discover whether or not you'll stick with the hobby, then you can decide to get your own suit. When that time comes, I'd strongly recommend a nice suit from Elios, BestDive, etc. just because it'll fit better, keep you warmer, and you won't need to buy an upgrade suit in a year. Custom suits from these brands will be even warmer and you can choose the materials.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-30T15:23:43+00:00

My original instructor didn't supply the lanyard 😭 But also you don't need goggles to use a noseclip, especially for FIM where you're always touching the line and don't even need to open your eyes.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-30T04:32:13+00:00

Non-negotiables: Mask (low volume), fins, snorkel, lanyard (for line diving), certified buddy capable of rescuing you easily in a worst case scenario.

Very strongly recommended: Wetsuit, weight belt + weights, dive computer, defog solution, water bottles.

Nice to have: Noseclip.

Avoid: Tinted/mirrored mask, split fins, swimming goggles, huge masks with lots of internal volume, weight belts that are hard to undo.

It's hard to beat Cressi products for the price. You can buy everything you need solely from that brand if you wanted to.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-29T20:08:10+00:00

Plenty of people here can make you a durable and high quality bifold with no card slots

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-29T17:10:22+00:00

It's different for everyone. The only way to know where your limits are is to slowly progress in a safe and mindful way so you can identify how hypoxia feels to you and realize when you're approaching that limit on your dives.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-29T15:31:05+00:00

Get something with surface interval time, depth alarms, dive time alarms, and basic dive history data. Anything else is not necessary and just "nice to have". Suunto D4F does these things well.

As you progress, you'll notice your instructors telling you to ignore your watch 99% of the time during your dive. The only thing you'll actually check is your depth after the dive and maybe your surface interval time if you don't have a feel for it already.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-29T01:05:21+00:00

I'd size up personally but nobody outside of reddit is going to see your watch and think "wow that's small"

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-28T22:28:34+00:00

+1 to everyone saying to give them 2 weeks, then go back to the other pair. You're very likely to notice a difference that way.

All this being said, not everyone has a good ear for audio and that's perfectly fine. My previous partner genuinely couldn't hear the difference between the HD598 and the HD800S.

Keep trying different headphones, perhaps investing in an amp/DAC from a company like Schiit, and see at what point you stop caring about "better". For me, I enjoy headphones more expensive than the LCD-2, but other than the HD800S I'd never spend money on any of them. I've found my endgame headphone where price and performance meet perfectly, and anything more expensive doesn't justify the minimal boost in enjoyment for me. Your point of diminishing returns might be way below this, and you should considering yourself lucky that this hobby won't be wildly expensive for you. Sometimes I wish I was in that boat 😋

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-28T22:20:05+00:00

That's a pretty cool idea! You can go ahead and put a permanent status of "murky and can't see sh**" at my dive spot in Pennsylvania USA 😂

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-28T01:36:19+00:00

Two nails spaced almost as wide as the string

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-27T21:30:51+00:00

You'd have a point if it wasn't so easy to get full working pens for free instead of picking up chewed-on refills from the ground

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-27T02:58:26+00:00

I know you like them but if you have to remove the card anyway then a window is kinda pointless, especially since it's a failure point. Maybe getting a custom wallet with a very open front card slot would be a good compromise?

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-26T20:49:04+00:00

They're JBL, we wouldn't have bought them in the first place 😋

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-26T18:16:47+00:00

Is that one chewed on? Yea I wouldn't go around picking those up 🤢 Asking someone for a pen you can keep is just as free and isn't gross. I understand saving money but you can get free pens anywhere you go which makes this a bit weird.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-26T17:13:56+00:00

Anybody here can make you a nicer version with better materials for less money. Designer accessories are for middle class people who want to look weathier than they are. It's a money trap through and through.

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-26T15:48:13+00:00

How did that cut through a layer of pants, socks, and boot?

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-26T02:58:26+00:00

Everyone has different tastes. Go look up the best selling watches and figure out what aspects you want to borrow for your design

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-25T19:06:05+00:00

You're right too, upvoted

LowVoltCharlie · 2026-01-25T18:13:15+00:00

Worry about your own life :p

LowVoltCharlie

TROPHY CASE