Badly fitting BCD/New diver figuring out what questions to ask

[jowe]

In the realm of "in case it helps someone else"/"I made this mistake so you don't have to"...

I've just started PADI OW and had 1st pool session today. I was not having a happy time with buoyancy and control. Felt like I was being "pulled" to the left and was just constantly unbalanced. Super distracting, it made everything harder than it needed to be and does nothing for calm after a while. Checked main weights plus trim weights were the same each side. Cinched all the straps extra tight, nothing was obviously wrong... until the instructor's 3rd attempt to help me - he noted he could get his clenched fist between my back and the BCD. My BCD was too large. (Yes, I have a smaller one now).

This was after being fitted for gear at the shop and getting a "looks great". Lesson learned - I should have asked him to come over and check the straps and position of everything, asked how tight things should feel and just engaged him more. I'm reading as much as I can, but I don't yet know exactly how things should feel or what questions to ask. Having no experience puts me in the dangerous position of trusting people I don't know. So, my next step will be to scour this board and try to figure out what I should be asking, but I'd love any pointers. If nothing else I can try, "What should I be asking you, to help me stay out of trouble?" or "What things typically go wrong or do people miss when doing this?" ("this" usefully applying to anything I'm not sure of). Of course my mileage will vary depending on who I'm asking, but it's a start.

 

[Green Frog]

After a four year layoff due to both personal illness and the pandemic. The XL Sherwood Silhouette that fit me nicely when I was 40 pounds heavier can no longer be cinched down enough to fit the new, slimmer me. After a trip to Nassau where I swam around inside my BCD, even on the boat, the first thing I did was go to the dive shop and bought a BPW that we adjusted snugly while still in the shop. Mask, fins, and BC must fit if you are going to be comfortable diving!
Froggie

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

What style/brand is the BCD you were having problems with.
Just FYI, there will be several regulars here that will bomb this thread with “Should have gotten a Back Plate & Wing” (BP/W), so be ready.

 

[jowe]

What style/brand is the BCD you were having problems with.
Just FYI, there will be several regulars here that will bomb this thread with “Should have gotten a Back Plate & Wing” (BP/W), so be ready.

Ha! Thanks for the fair warning It's a rental Aqualung Pro HD - comes with the course and I'm not sure they rent back plate and wing.

I just went and picked up some heavier trim weights, might help along with the BCD actually fitting me when I'm back in the pool tomorrow.

 

[Ducpilot]

IMHO, for some there is a thought process that makes them want to ”account” for BC inflation and don’t want to get squeezed. Reality is of course you need to fit the bc relatively close to your body uninflated as that is how you’ll dive in it. Little air and it will compress anyways. Too loose is a battle with a shifting tank.

 

[Ducpilot]

And not everyone is a fan of rear inflation back plate and wing. Personal comfort and preference.

 

[lexvil]

Well I’ll make Eric happy, but with a delay, use what the give you, try to make sure you aren’t overweighted to much and finish the course, buy a backplate and wing when you are ready to buy gear, there is nothing wrong with a good b/c but there is more right with a bp/w.

 

[johndiver999]

Not a big deal, you got a lesson in the consequences of a sloppy bc. If you had 100 more dives, you would be better able to balance a sloppy bc, but I find them maddening. So get a smaller bc and see how it goes.

 

[dlofting]

As far as learning what questions to ask you're starting off right. Follow the threads that interest you and you'll start to figure out what you need to know. Don't be afraid to ask questions when they come up. The vast majority of people here are very helpful.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Well @jowe, you probably ran right into the biggest complaint about standard Jacket BCD’s and why so many jacket users dump them and eventually go to a BP/W system, Sloppiness.
Just get through the class with the rental gear and after that start doing some research.
Note* for your class, you actually might be better off using a jacket that is slightly too small over one that is too big and slops around. A sloppy BCD with that tank swinging all over is absolutely no fun. But either way IMO they are a sucky design and are optimized for ease of fitting and convenience in the dive shop but in actual diving they are bulky, overstuffed, have too much inherent buoyancy needing additional weight to offset their own buoyancy, and most do not fit well. They also cause a lot of drag with their bulkiness.
It’s been so long since I’ve used a jacket (OW in 1998) that I can’t really remember the details, but I know I didn’t like them at all.
My first BC was a back inflate which was also sucky with the cumber bun and bulkiness, then I got an OMS BP/W system and it was worlds better but still not optimal IMO, so then I designed and made my own BP/W (the plate part) and that’s what I still use today.