I don't want to go tropical. Staying in Michigan is much better time wise than dealing with Canada. I have reasons for Alpena that go beyond the diving.

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Yep, love bonaire.  31 days until boarding to go back!

Oddly, the lakes are on my list too. Most locals here think I'm nuts. But, wrecks.

I'm a Michigan native (below the bridge troll). I was a reporter on the Alpena paper in 1991-92 and I've not been back since I left. I want to visit some of my old haunts. There are lots of shallow wrecks (20-50') that are perfect for novices. I want to dive the Nordmeer, that went aground on Thunder Bay Shoal in 1966. She was a German freighter loaded with steel (salvaged). When I was a reporter up there, I interviewed a tug captain that had taken supplies out to the crew while they were stranded on the shoal. When they had to abandon the ship when she began to break up, he was given personal effects from the crew they couldn't take with them, including a painting of the ship.

Nordmeer

Link to more wrecks in the area.

Or you could go to FL, and still avoid all that icky saltwater.

https://www.google.com/search?q=florida+springs&biw=1523&bih=734&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwi4_oD3q4bQAhXMRyYKHTEgACIQ_AUICCgD

Why is everyone so hell bent on getting me to Florida? Diving the Great Lakes is just fine with me since I dislike heat and humidity. I get enough of that up here in the summer.

The springs aren't hot and humid in the winter, and the water temps are stable year round. And the diving is amazing.  

I'm looking at putting together a dive trip to Alpena next summer as I've found you have to have 4-6 people and fill a boat. Can't go by myself. My instructors are putting word out, as well as a couple of local diving friends. Given my experience with the friend expecting me to dive beyond my training or comfort level, I'm going to make sure this trip is very novice-friendly. Period. That is a non-negotiable.

I'm really looking forward to this.

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My dive shop is going to advertise the trip and help fill the boat.

I just have to get all the info together.

Oh, fuck.

I soaked my regs last night from Sunday's dives. Left them in all night (6-8 hours) accidentally. When I pulled them out to hang them up this morning, I realized I'd not screwed down the knob on the first stage enough and the dust cap was off.

How bad is this? I need to take my regs set into the shop, don't I?

I soak mine for a few hours every night after I'm done diving in salt water.  Blow em out, no worries.

I have nothing to blow them out with. Don't have tanks. I'll run them into the shop.

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DO NOT blow them out.
Your first stage is flooded
It will need to be disassembled, dried, relubed and assembled

Its possible to blow out a conventional piston (remove hp hose)
I wouldn't do it with diaphragm reg

ETA
was in a hurry earlier
If you blow it out wet, the water will get pushed through all your lines.  Regs should clear ok but your spg and or transmitter will get soaked.
Your inflator hose will buildup water as it needs to be connected to vent.
This is on top of the fact that your first stage issues as mentioned above.
At least it was tap water so contamination not a real issue here
Take it in.

My daughter dunked hers in surf once w/o dust cover right after I serviced it

It's because Florida is awesome. There are hundreds of wrecks and reefs within a 20 minute drive of my house and I live in the ghetto. Beach dives galore. Winter time vis in excess of 100 feet. You can hate the heat and humidity, but under water it never matters.

I'm running them to the shop tomorrow night.

I got lucky - no water in my first stage. Reg guy blew it out just to be on the safe side. I have the Aqualung Legend LX. Turns out the first stage has an "Auto Closure Device" that closes when not hooked to a tank. No cost,

AquaLung Legend LX

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I'm about to be diving legends at my new job.  I hear good things.

I really like it. First stage is heavy and built like a tank.

Good to hear.
I have an older Legend, non ACD.  Can't go wrong with Aqualung.
Just a side note on these...there have been a handful of cases where these devices shut off during a dive.  I believe this is related to tech not assembling correctly.  Either way, something I would avoid...kinda like magazine safeties.
I don't have a schematic of one, so cannot confirm how this is possible.

My busy week finally came to an end. I'm having a very enjoyable time looking at Thunder Bay wrecks online and making a list of possible wrecks for my Alpena trip next summer.

Map

This is the mooring map of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Besides my bucket list wreck of the Nordmeer (40'), the Monohansett (18'), the DM Wilson (48'), the Lucinda Van Valkenburg (60'), and the Montana (63') all look to be good options. Just sent an email off to Thunder Bay Divers, the local shop, about the trip. The Nordmeer is huge, about 500'. That would be a double dipper, for sure.



ETA: Have to work on my nitrox online bookwork. Class is the 15th.

If anyone is interested in the Alpena trip, let me know. It would be in late July.

My knees have seen better days myself.

A suggestion you should probably look into, and that would be good to practice in the pool as well is learning some alternate kicks other than the flutter kick.  Specifically the frog kick.  If done properly it takes almost all of that stress off your knees, and at the very least you can alternate styles so that you're not using the same muscles in exactly the same motion the entire time.  It's good to have options, especially if you find yourself making a much longer swim than expected with dive gear.  One caveat, if you have really floppy fins you may need something stiffer to take advantage of that.

Stair climbers are really good, as well as general conditioning.  Swimming is great though and low impact.  I'd recommend doing it after your weight training and other exercises because the lap pool is usually cooler and it also really seems to help stretch things back out nicely.

Flexibility is something else you may want to work on, it always comes in handy.  Especially when you're trying to reach those fins all geared up.

Something else to consider, and that may be a motivator, is that the more fit you are the more you can reduce your potential susceptibility to DCS.  And of course hydration, hit it 24 hours before and after.

Oh, yes, I'm definitely going to work on learning the frog kick this winter. I tried to do it on my Gilboa dives. I was told I was doing something more akin to a dolphin kick, but whatever it was, felt far better on my knees and sciatica! The flutter kick, properly done, hurts like hell. I have fairly stiff fins for my drysuit - Apex RK3 Rocket. My pool fins are Hollis F2. My shop has had a lot of requests for open pool time for certified divers wanting to keep the rust off over the winter, so they're getting that scheduled. I'll be in the water for a few hours at least once a month. I'm also planning on a private session or two with my instructor.

Stair machines are do not make my knees happy. I gave myself this weekend off as I was very sore. A vigorous Chinese massage last night helped a lot, though. I'm doing lots of stretches. I'm going to get an annual pass at one of the local park district indoor pools, so I can do laps with my fins and a kick board. I'm doing weights at home for my arms.

Good suggestions, thanks.

I just bought this camera. Intova Nova HD, cheaper GoPro type. Pretty small. I've seen several people with this kind of camera, who have some sort of cord attached to it, and a bolt snap on the end, which they clip to a D ring. Hole for wrist strap does not look big enough to use paracord. Use some cord off a diving reel? And which specific knots to keep it secure? It came with one of those floating wrist straps.

I got the camera now to have it during pool work this winter, to hand off to buddies, so I can see how I'm doing over time and what I need to work on.

Speaking of pool work, I found a local diving shop that has an inground pool on site. You can get in the pool for $10/hour, including tank rental. A buddy and I have reserved pool time for two hours next Saturday. I'm very glad to get in the water again. My gills are drying out!

Thread a stainless steel key ring in the hole and then you can use para-cord or other lanyard.

Use a bowline knot whenever tying something off.

I was at DRIS tonight to have the leaning left thing on my new Halcyon rig checked out. Seems to be gone. I had switched out the regular STA for the one with the 6 lb insert and that may have done the trick. We put my rig on a tank and then I walked around a bit with it on. I didn't feel it leaning left at all and the shop manager didn't see it either.

Got thicker Fourth Element undies for my dives at Gilboa the first weekend of December. That was just scheduled today.

Had my new camera with me and looked for a split circle/key ring. They didn't have any, but I got a small bolt snap and 2 feet of cave line. Bolt snap is now very tightly tied to camera. It works.

Never be afraid to make your own rigging. SB has a good DIY section.   And the mark up on rigging is so high that my dive shop won't sell it to me.  They just taught me how to make it.

Manager at DRIS showed me how to do it. Said it's how he does his own gear (tech diver, does rebreather and learning to cave dive). I'm spoiled. The shop really takes care of me. If I don't know how to do something, they show me. He spent about an hour with me last night. Pretty quiet in the shop and lots of chatting anyway. :)

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Good.  I have the same thing finally and love it.  It's how to keep divers diving.

Someone just posted these pics on FB from the Midwest regional dive group gathering about a month ago. These were my first post cert dives. You can see the water in my mask (Oceanic Shadow) leaking from the bottom due to the smile lines in my face. Those chubby cheeks make me laugh!

Off to the shop again today to take back the Oceanic Shadow mask you see in the above pics and try to find something else that might fit. A $50 Hog tech mask, meant to be a backup is my best fit so far. A little leaking, but not nearly as bad as the others. Taking my snorkel with me to try fit that way.

I came home with a $40 HOG mask today. Stealth 2 frameless. I must have tried on 10 masks today. Took my snorkel and had it in my mouth while trying masks on. Made a difference. DRIS sent me home with a small container of silicone grease to try, as well, just to see if it makes a difference. I'll try mask out in pool next Saturday

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It was great to be in the pool (on site at local dive shop) for about 90 minutes this morning with two dive buddies. Pool is kept at 90F, so I was a wee bit warm in my FE Xerotherm under my dry suit. Got really wet for the first time as I thought my zipper was done all the way up, but discovered it wasn't when I was in about 5 feet of water. Did it up really quick, but my left side was wet and my left sock was really wet. Well, better in a very warm pool than in a cold quarry.

New mask leaks some. Seems when I go to equalize I get water in. Forgot to try the silicone grease.

My kick and buoyancy need work. A lot. I've contacted one of my instructors for some private sessions over the winter. A properly done flutter kick hurts my left hip (sciatica). I need to learn how to frog kick properly. I've tried it on my own and I'm not getting it.

Don't be surprised if the frog kick hurts your hips as well. Not saying it will, not saying it won't but there is some hip motion with the frog kick. Another kick that you might want to think about learning is the modified frog kick which predominately uses your calf and ankles, very little motion in the hips. Something to think about; hope it helps.

Thanks for the tip. I'll mention that. My instructor loves motivated students, so she's going to work with me in the pool at her gym (with a kick board) to get my kicks down and only then will we add diving gear. I'm thinking it's probably a good idea to cancel the quarry trip in a few weeks. Get my stuff figured out over the winter and then I can go full bore next season.

Don't afraid to look into taking an intro to tech course either if you're so inclined. They're generally over several days and will teach you the various kicks such as the frog, modified frog, modified flutter, helicopter and back finning. In addition they will help you work on your buoyancy and trim. The kicks, good buoyancy, and trim are the foundation to good technical diving, but they'll really help you in your recreation diving as they'll only make you a better, capable, and more confident diver.

Think of it as a buoyancy course on steroids. Fear not the dark side. Hope it helps.

If the "dark side" is tech, it doesn't scare me. Heck, my gear choices so far unintentionally lean tend towards the tech side. The thought of me slinging doubles/sidemount is enough to make a cat laugh, though, as I have a hard enough time now wrestling a single cylinder. But I might eventually go tech. Some of the wrecks I'd like to dive are beyond recreational limits.

I just checked out the standards for the SDI Intro to Tech course and 25 logged dives are required. I've got 9, but the 2 pumpkin carving dives probably shouldn't count. You've piqued my interest enough to order the SDI Intro to Tech textbook.

I'm already planning on taking the buoyancy course early next season, as it can only help, and it would be part of my SDI AOW.

Instructor and I will be getting in the pool on Sunday. No scuba gear, just fins, mask, snorkel, and kick board.

My friend/dive buddy has been talking up ponies with me. Recommends I get one and train with it before my Lake Huron trip next summer. Says she did the same thing last summer when she did some 100' wrecks on the Great Lakes. She dives with a 30 pony which seems on the large size from my research, but she says she was just super conservative in wanting emergency gas. She's also had some bad insta buddy experiences which played into her pony size decision.

What do you guys think? 19 seems to be a more standard size, plus it seems a more manageable size for me, especially with my knee issues. I wasn't planning on wrecks deeper than 60' or so. I don't know my SAC yet as I've not had a normal enough dive to determine it yet (that will have to wait until the spring). I'm at least going to ask instructor to bring her pony (looks like it might be a 19) to one of our pool sessions this winter so I can actually try one on for size. I'm coming across a number of local folk who seem to carry one on dives deeper than 50' or so.

ETA: doing AOW next year seems to be a foregone conclusion. I've got two buddies to do it with, although they won't be doing wreck with me, as neither shares my shipwreck passion. I'm not sure how PADI does it, but for SDI it's 4 separate specialties you pick from. I've also got a leg up on both buddies as I already have dry suit, which neither have. I'll do wreck, uw nav, deep, and night/low viz.

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I have a Spare Air AND a 19 pony. I carry the Spare Air always and use the pony whenever I go solo or on a cattle boat with an insta-buddy.

You should practice with a pony rig in a pool, especially at your current skill and experience level. The extra regulator and SPG could cause some initial confusion and you need to come up with a securing solution that is easily accessible, but not in the way; on my pony rig, there is no SPG because I ain't gonna stick around underwater long enough to need to reference it.

My pony strap is one that I made and uses 3 stainless steel band clamps and a piece of aluminum bar.

Would definitely be practicing with pony in pool.

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Truth be told if you're going to go with a pony you're better off in this day going side mount, in long long run it'll be simpler and easier. You can side mount a pair of LP-50's for about the same amount of weight, aggravation, and grief that it takes to back mount a single Al80. A pony is going to require an additional tank, regulator, and HP gauge just like side mount would. However, you've got to figure out the mounting issue. Most people eventually end up slinging it like a stage bottle and shortly after that they just start leaving the darn thing at home.

If you run the LP-50's at their normal pressures of 2640psi you've got 100 cubic feet of breathing gas and on a cave fill at 3600 psi you've got 72 cubic feet of gas per tank for a total of 144 cubic feet of breathing gas. LP-50's are super easy to manage on land and in the water, they're very light weight and have decent buoyancy characteristics. An AL 80 only holds around 78 cubic feet of gas. Plus you've got the option of scaling up or down any size tank and it's a system that travels easily.

If you absolutely, positively must have a pony bottle though then you're best bet is to go with a 40 cubic foot. For starters it's more air, you have a variety for pre-made stage bottle kits for that size and it's not that much bulkier than a 30. Lastly, when you get sick  and tired of lugging it around it will sell faster than a smaller size.




Hope it helps

not to mention in sidemount you don't have to carry around the 2 tanks on you back, put them on in the water

I actually just got home a little bit from my LDS (DRIS). I spent a fruitful 45-60 minutes with one of the guys who is a tech diver himself. Talked to him about ponies, saw the different sizes, talked about regs for pony and side mount, side mount BP/W, and tanks (I'm looking at buying 2 tanks for single BM next year). The shop has a 40 that's a "rental deco" that I'm welcome to try out whenever I like. I was surprised that the 30 really isn't that much larger than a 19. Anyone, I'm going to try the ponies of various people I know and make the decision well before my Lake Huron shipwreck diving trip next July.

It was the head reg repair guy who answered my questions. He suggested the Apeks XTX50 with either the DST or DS4 first stage.

I'm wary of buying used regs as I don't really know what to look for and if I'm going to be hit with repair costs, I might as well buy new. At least you've got the warranty. I'm OK with buying a used tank.I actually just got home a little bit from my LDS (DRIS). I spent a fruitful 45-60 minutes with one of the guys who is a tech diver himself. Talked to him about ponies, saw the different sizes, talked about regs for pony and side mount, side mount BP/W, and tanks (I'm looking at buying 2 tanks for single BM next year). The shop has a 40 that's a "rental deco" that I'm welcome to try out whenever I like. I was surprised that the 30 really isn't that much larger than a 19. Anyone, I'm going to try the ponies of various people I know and make the decision well before my Lake Huron shipwreck diving trip next July.

It was the head reg repair guy who answered my questions. He suggested the Apeks XTX50 with either the DST or DS4 first stage.

I'm wary of buying used regs as I don't really know what to look for and if I'm going to be hit with repair costs, I might as well buy new. At least you've got the warranty. I'm OK with buying a used tank.

It's funny you mentioned side mount. The gal who is my friend/dive buddy is learning side mount this next year. She was talking up side mount to me as there is no freaking way I would be able to handle doubles with my knees. I want to dive wrecks deeper than recreational limits, which means tech. I got the TDI Intro to Tech book today and it's very interesting reading so far. But that's beyond 2017.

A 19 or 13 will do depending on your consumption rate given the depth you specified.
Bigger bailouts tend to get left at home.
I replied to your SB thread as well; I use a slung 13 for local boat dives (50-85').
You'll hear a lot how a 13 doesn't sling well......BS
As far as regs for a bailout, remember if you are using it, your dive is done and you're on your way up.  No need to go $$$, balanced, etc.  
A basic piston setup like a Scubapro Mkll and 190 second is fine. Maintenance is easy on these.
I would be less apprehensive about buying used regs in your AO than here (FW vs SW).

Half her threads there are just arfcommers saying the same things we say here.

I know who Dan Gray is over there, but not sure about anyone else. ;-)

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Mysterious gonna mystify