New diver having trouble with the back plate wing BCD my instructor sold me.

[eelnoraa]

I can't believe anyone who have used bp/w, or has a little knowledge about it can say it is more complicated. There is one dump, one inflator, one way/position to attach a tank, d-rings are always at the same spot, no complicated quick release weight pockets (which you never know if they really work) .. anyone who is using one setup can borrow a setup from someone, make harness adjustment and feel at home. Can't say the say about jackets.

As with everything, there is a learning curve. Jackets have learning curve. In fact, each brand/mode has a learning curve. They appear to be simpler because jackets are taught in OW class, and you hardly see bp/w. Imagine bp/w is taught in OW ... What you don't know always seems complicated!!!

 

[phoenix31tt]

Done backward rolls from 12 feet also.

what the heck!! lol...


I second that doing any maneuver with a crotch strap is no different than without it (unless that strap is way to tight).

also mid water removal and rep

 

[KevinNM]

Where is the learning curve for a BP/W? Threading the harness? Maybe, but either get the instructor who sold it to you or come here or YouTube. Mounting the wing? Same.

The only issues I saw was how tight the straps should be, where the chest d-rings go and how they are attached. Pretty minor and the kind of things that someone selling these should be able to learn and easily fix on the people buying them.

 

[redacted]

And folks wonder why fish are so stupid they just keep rising to a feather wrapped around a hook. You just have to know how to wrap that feather.

 

[cool_hardware52]

We sell BP&W's worldwide. The majority of our buyers are new to scuba, and quite often have never seen or used a BP&W.

Somehow the vast majority manage to:

1) Assemble the gear

2) Adjust it sufficiently well to enjoy using the gear.

I can't discount the possibility that those drawn to DSS gear are inherently more capable, but very few report problems and even fewer fail to make the gear work satisfactorily .

This leads me to suspect that a BP&W really isn't all that complicated............


Tobin

 

[ronscuba]

So your point is that a jacket BCD is simpler than a BP/W for nondivers? Nondivers who's total dive training consists of a sheet of paper and a youtube link? Ooh boy...

If you handed those same non-divers a jacket BCD, a reg set, and a tank I'd bet they'd have just as much trouble.

All of this hypothetical stuff is interesting - to some, I suppose - but the reality is that even if someone doesn't want to accept that a BP/W might be simpler, they are certainly no more complicated than a traditional BCD. ...

OK. Point taken. So now instead of non-divers, take 10 newly certified divers. Show them jacket BCD's on the wall sizes small medium large and an un assembled BP/W. Which do you think they could get an adequate fit in a short time frame ?

I am a BP/W diver. The BP/W is definitely simpler overall, but from the point of view of getting an quick adequate fit, a jacket BCD could be considered simpler because you don't have to assemble it. I think that is the point some of the other posters were suggesting.

Simpler can mean different things depending on your point of view. If you owned a recreational dive shop and needed to stock rental BCD's. What would you choose ? I would choose jacket BCD's because they are simpler to achieve an adequate fit by the user without assistance.

What do I recommend for a good friend to buy ? A BP/W and I would help them assemble it.

I know plenty of people that cannot assemble Ikea furniture. They either can't do it, don't want to do it or they get someone to do it for them. These same people would choose a jacket BCD. I prefer a BP/W, but I don't consider jacket BCD's to be evil.

 

[doctormike]

Simpler can mean different things depending on your point of view. If you owned a recreational dive shop and needed to stock rental BCD's. What would you choose ? I would choose jacket BCD's because they are simpler to achieve an adequate fit by the user without assistance.

What do I recommend for a good friend to buy ? A BP/W and I would help them assemble it.

This question comes up several times a week. Virtually every time it's a new diver considering buying a BC, not a shop owner trying to decide what to stock.

My feeling is that if you are a new diver, and you are about to buy your own BC, then it's good for you to know that a BP/W exists, and that's why we keep recommending them.

Not sure why "doesn't take any time to assemble" is such a big plus of a jacket BC when considering a purchase. You don't need to thread the webbing every time you dive. I mean, is the main objection that people have to tailor made suits that you can't get them fitted quick enough?

 

[RJP]

OK. Point taken. So now instead of non-divers, take 10 newly certified divers. Show them jacket BCD's on the wall sizes small medium large and an un assembled BP/W. Which do you think they could get an adequate fit in a short time frame ?

You're really just making up nonsensical objections at this point.

Have you ever been in a dive shop where a diver came running in wearing a wetsuit, mask, fins, and carrying a scuba cylinder pleading with the owner "Quick - I need a BCD immediately! If I can't don it here in the store right now and get in the water within 60 seconds I'm going to die!"

---------- Post added July 7th, 2015 at 08:55 PM ----------

If you owned a recreational dive shop and needed to stock rental BCD's. What would you choose ? I would choose jacket BCD's because they are simpler to achieve an adequate fit by the user without assistance.

Huge, short-sighted mistake.

As an independent instructor I can get a perfect fit for 99% of students I might come across with FOUR Halcyon Traveler Pro rigs.

If I were dealing with traditional recreational BCDs I would need to own at least TWENTY units to ensure I had what I needed to get any four-students who might be in a class fitted properly. TWENTY FOUR would be even better
- 4 XS
- 4 S
- 4 M
- 4 L
- 4 XL
- Add 2 M/L and 2 XXL if you want to be safe

Beyond the additional training/diving benefits of BP/W this is precisely why the shop where I trained switched to BP/W for OW rentals. Rental fleet size went from 30+ units to 8.

 

[ronscuba]

Mike, you are right this is a buying thread so maybe my renting references are off base. Buying decisions should be more thought out and buying a BCD that can be adjusted to a 100% custom exact fit is the way to go...BP/W

RJP, wow, I gave some support to someone who stated jacket BCD's were simpler by stating they were simpler to adjust. Why is that made up nonsensical ?

Different opinions, I respect yours, it has many valid points. If stocking jacket BCD's for rental is a huge short sided mistake, then there are a lot of dive shops making huge short sighted mistakes. Not saying your suggestion is not better, but I don't think I've been to any dive shop that used BP/W as rental stock. I dive warm water tropical, so you know what kind of dive shops I've been to.

 

[RJP]

"...then there are a lot of dive shops making huge short sighted mistakes..."

I'll alert the media.