Halcyon: A mythical bird, said to breed at sea in a floating nest during the winter solstice, during which it charms the wind and waves into calm. Also Calm, Peaceful and Tranquil according to Wikipedia. I think this is a perfect start to a description of what I just received. Seven Seas Scuba made the decision to carry Halcyon Dive Systems and I took the opportunity to buy a new gear set-up. Long associated with DIR diving principles Halcyon has a solid engineering background of quality gear. Have you wanted to get into a set-up that’s clean, comfortable, built solid and no-nonsense? This is the stuff for you!
As soon as I picked up my gear I tinkered with it into the night. Playing with different configurations and seeing how everything fit together, I couldn’t be happier. Let’s start from the ground up, the backplate and harness. The backplate is a solid constructed stainless steel plate with holes cut for webbing, attachment points and of course your single tank adapter or bolts. The bottom of the plate has the corners bent away from the body to avoid the digging feeling some people feel. Webbing is run through the plate, in the continuous weave manner. One d-ring on each shoulder to eliminate clutter, and it also comes with bicycle tubing pre-cut and placed for storage of lights and other accessories. Here’s where things start to get interesting… Halcyon has patented a “cinch” backplate that allows you to tighten down your backplate or loosen it up, making this one size fits most, very easily. Also making it easier to get into and out of for those divers that would like to dive a continuous weave set-up. The harness has another d-ring on the left side to secure your pressure gauge. Talk about no non-sense! The crotch strap consists of 2-inch webbing with a loop and d-ring sewn in and another d-ring placed much closer to the backplate, the crotch strap is easily adjustable.
I ordered two wings, one 60-lb donut style and one 40-lb donut style. The 60-lb wing fits perfectly around my doubles, cradling them just right while the 40-lb wing looks great with a single tank inside the single tank adapter. No frills here either, just solid construction. Donut wings work to eliminate the “air bubble” that many people have experienced in a horseshoe type wing. The two cam straps have large grip pads for your tank to prevent slipping. The inflator hose comes standard as corrugated tubing and not too long to get in the way but not too short to not be accessible. Remember that bicycle tubing I was talking about? It’s here too, to retain your inflator hose and reduce drag! The word perfect is coming to mind.
On to accessories, I’ve replaced a few items of my dive collection with new halcyon products, looking for a nice reel but don’t want to pay too much? Try halcyons 400’ primary reel; the price point is awesome under $200 and it fits great in your hand as a side-winder. Halcyon makes a full line of lights from back-up to primary. The scout or mini-scout works great as a back-up light, operating on C-cell batteries and LED bulbs they are bright enough to look into nooks and crannies but small enough to tuck away when not in use. They also sell knives, these are a great accessory for recreational divers or tech divers! Placed on your waist they are easy to deploy with either hand and close to the body making them more streamlined. Tech divers are able to tuck a long hose underneath them if you’re carrying a SCULA instead of having a light canister, again keeping the set-up nice and clean.
I couldn’t be more pleased with my new toys, the cinch harness is a breeze being able to loosen and tighten but not worrying about a snap coming loose! I’m really looking forward to going diving again and trying out both new wings… I’m looking forward to a long lasting relationship with my new gear. Thinking about getting quality gear built to last? Think Halcyon. I did.
Click here to view the Halcyon Product Guide.
