👍😎🤿🇵🇭Great explanation! Thanks Mark👍

Equipment redundancy is a big consideration. If you're diving in cold water with a drysuit, doubles or sidemount, one or two stage or deco tanks you can be quite negative at the start of the dive. What if your drysuit then floods? Having a wing capable of compensating that is a good feeling for most divers. In reality you usually need less than you think. Check out Steve Martin's Sidemount videos where they purposely flood a wing at 30m depth to show a properly weighted diver doesn't need as much buoyancy compensation as one would think.

Hello Mark, I really like the q&a series - great job. I'm wondering which type of DSMB I should choose. There are different colors, sizes, open-ended, closed, etc. Is there something I should pay particular attention to? #askmark

@ScubaDiverMagazine

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The colour has meaning in _some_ circles: Red for marking a location or diver, yellow for emergency. Most divers use a standard Red or Orange dSMB. I prefer closed dSMBs as I orally inflate them and there's slim chance that they'll deflate on the surface compared to open ended buoys. A dSMB is there to be seen so choose the largest buoy you can carry. If you know that the weather will be calm and sea flat then a smaller 90cm buoy is a good compact choice. But when there's waves you want a larger buoy to be seen. Also look for seams on both sides of the buoy. If there's stitching down only one side then the folded material wears and eventually leaks...

@tomczega

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Thank you 👌

Hey Mark, Thank you for all the videos over the years - they've been a huge help. Bit of an odd situation. I travel full time with just a carryon, so *everything* I own has to fit, and both size and weight are a consideration. I dive in mostly warmer waters with a bp/w. Because I'm trying to streamline what I bring a bit, rather than my normal 3mm shorty, would a Sharkskin/Lavacore full suit be a good option to replace the combination of that and my rash guard? Thank you for everything that you do for the scuba community. #AskMark

@ScubaDiverMagazine

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Hi! neoprene alternatives like SharkSkin, Lavacore and Thermocline do have benefits over neoprene. They are lighter and will pack more easily in a smaller space. A full suit will weigh about 1kg depending on size. They're also neutrally buoyant, don't compress and a bunch of other benefits for divers. Most divers find that they are equivalent to a 1 or 2mm neoprene suit as far as warmth but, a full suit will help you feel warmer as you're all covered up so, it is a good option.

I was curious about this myself. I have a potential dive buddy that just uses a 20lb wing, while I got the 30lb wing (because that's what my LDS has in stock on the BPW set-up they sell). I figured I'd just go with that but have noticed in the pool (still need to get my OW dives in, scheduled for April!) that even doing a weight check I need to add no weights and still go down (even on a 500psi AL80 when I checked post-dive), not fast mind you, but still go down despite holding a basic inhale. (It also is a huge shout out to some of your other advice suggesting us newbies may hold a bit too much breath as on my initial training with rental equipment I had to add 14 lbs to get under, and now I'm down to just a 5lb SS backplate with no extra weight and still sinking... go figure). I don't add any air at all to my wing at 16 ft. and can hover just fine... well, I still bounce up and down a lot as I'm not quite getting my breathing right to better stay at one level but I'm neutrally buoyant at least, and I notice on the surface I've got plenty of lift even just partially inflating my BCD, so I was definitely wondering about this as 30 lbs seemed like it might be overkill when along comes this video explaining it, so thanks!

#askmark Hello, I’m looking to buy some thick sole boots but I have an issue because of my thick ankles I currently have the Mares soft soles and the neoprene is 2-3 ml and stretchy so they fit (barely). I was looking at the Mares DS Flexa and Mares Seal Skin but ’m afraid they are too narrow on the ankle and the neoprene is not so stretchy. Do you have any advice? Thanks a lot, Ana

@ScubaDiverMagazine

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One choice that might be worth looking at are the TUSA Imprex Slipper. They have a hard sole and the slipper doesn't go up your leg far past your ankle. You also have the Poseidon One Boot that has a lace system and zipper down your heel. You can also try neoprene socks and a drysuit rock boot. It's getting more expensive but, might be more comfortable for you.