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Maybe, a better approach, than trying to reassure you that a crotch strap is OK / great / not noticeable, etc, is to ask you: What is your particular concern about a crotch strap, that would make it a 'deal breaker'? I am not suggesting you shouldn't have one, or that your concern is unimportant, instead I would like to know what the concern might be.
Any 'ranking', or list of 'Who's who', would be very subjective. And, all that any subjective ranking would do is add to what you have already lamented, as 'information overload'. There are few 'bad' companies out there. So, you could be quite comfortable getting a BP/W from a) Dive Rite, b) Oxycheq, c) Hollis, d) Apeks, e) Halcyon, f) Scubapro, g) HOG, h) . . . imagine a list of 10 others and put them here. I taught for a number of years through a LDS where Halcyon was 'top of the line' - if the owner was talking to you - but Zeagle was 'top of the line' - if the Manager was talking to you. I now teach through a shop where Apeks is 'top of the line', but I also use the pool at another shop where Scubapro is 'top of the line'. Who is 'top of the line' has very much to do with what shop you visit, and what product lines they carry, and who you are talking to and what their personal preferences are. Don't get hung up on that, it is a needlessly frustrating, and counter-productive, endeavor.Ready4Launch:
Efficiency? Streamlining? Drag? The problem is, it doesn't fill up - the bladder is larger than the volume of air needed for buoyancy. Trying to swim through water with a big bag floating above your back creates drag, for which the diver then has to compensate through more vigorous finning, which increases air consumption, reduces dive time, etc. (and, trying to maintain good trim, when you have a small air bubble freely moving around in a big bag, also decreases efficiency). A related question - do most airliners take off with a full load of fuel every time, or do they take on what they need for the planned trip (distance, altitude, speed, forecast winds aloft, etc., etc.), with reserve, based on passenger and cargo load (weight), etc? To carry more fuel than necessary is inefficient and increases fuel consumption. To have a wing bigger than necessary is inefficient and increases air consumption.Ready4Launch:
Oh, boy, you have opened the cover of Pandora's Box with that one - and raised issues about what your instructor - possibly, the one that put you in 22 lbs of lead - actually taught you in OW. I suggest you close that one for now.Ready4Launch:
Although AL plates have been previously used as the lightweight approach - for divers who want to minimize luggage weight, or who are inherently negatively buoyant and don't need any added weight when diving a 1mm wetsuit in 80 degree tropical waters, several manufacturers (e.g. Dive Rite) have moved away from AL plates altogether and gone with lighter SS plates that offer the weight equivalent to AL. In reality, many people can use only a SS plate for recreational, single cylinder diving and be just fine - I am one of those, as an example, and always need to add some weight - even in the 80+ degree waters of Bonaire, I add 2 lbs when diving my SS BP. In your case, given where MOST of your diving is likely to occur, and the amount of weight that you have been using, I would seriously consider a 5-6 lb SS plate.Ready4Launch:
Yes, I will echo one that several people have already made, given where you are:Ready4Launch:
TSandM:
I am not suggesting that he stands alone at the top of some hypothetical 'Who's who' list, or is the 'top of the line' - there are many others who can provide good assistance, some of whom post here on SB. But, Tobin is a GREAT resource, and if he is local to you, use him and Deep Sea Supply to help get you where you want to go.cb5150:
