New Halcyon BB and 36# wing just came in today. Up till now I have dived with a Seaquest Balance, back inflated, weight integrated BC. Its not that I dont like it, its just that I want some adjustability and more stability. It seems like all dive gear is made for skinny people. Im 5 11 and 205 pounds, Ive never been called fat, or phat for that matter, but Im certainly not skinny nor have I ever been. So anyway, I have a large BC where the straps fit well but this places the d-rings almost on top of my shoulders.
I was just certified in April but have taken AOW, Rescue, Nitrox and half of wreck (two of the dives were blown out). I dive every weekend that I can blackmail, cajole, threaten, beg, or otherwise convince someone else to go. I love the ocean but the quarry is closer and ten times better than not diving at all. Im not DIR and probably never will be. I like to think for myself and enjoy trying out new equipment rather than being called names if my equipment doesnt conform to someone elses expectations. I believe that dive computers, shunned by DIR are the biggest advance in diving since the two stage, single hose regulator. With that said, I am adopting more and more of the DIR equipment configuration, not because its DIR but because I tried it and liked it. I can not understand anyone doing OOA drills with a swim to an up line, with both a long hose and a traditional octopus, not switching to a long hose, but I digress.
So I have invested $700 dollars, what are my expectations for this new and wondrous BB&W?
I dont expect any miraculous improvement in buoyancy control, I firmly believe that you can achieve exquisite buoyancy control with rocks duct taped to your body and three ply trash bags for a bladder - if you understand the concepts and practice, practice, practice. In fact I expect to have to work to get back to the point I am now.
I do expect to be more firmly attached to the tank and that it will not be able to move around as it does sometimes now.
I do expect to be able to adjust the d-rings to wherever I want them rather than where the were comfortable for the skinny SeaQuest model.
I do expect that the doughnut shaped bladder will allow me to dump air without having to go vertical or risk air getting trapped on one side.
I do expect to be able to store my surface marker in the storage pack rather than storing it in a pocket.
I do expect to have a butt ring that I dont have now, to attach my reel to.
Ill let you know if my expectations are met as I go along.
I started adjusting the harness with the help of the great instructions at http://www.baue.org/faq/backplate_sizing.html recommended by roakey. Whoever said that they assembled and adjusted theirs in 15 minutes had a serious case of nitrogen narcosis or lives in a time warp. Not that Im complaining, one of the biggest reasons I went with the BB&W is the adjustability, I really like the idea of being able to adjust the d-rings. But I can see why some people would get frustrated based on the expectations set by this board, so let me make it clear there is some assembly required. It is at least a two person job to set up well and is going to take a lot longer than 15 minutes just to adjust the harness which does not include attaching the wings, tank bands. or storage pack.
Unfortunately the ACB is on back order so it looks my first foray to the quarry will be with a weight belt two steps forward one step back.
Wish me luck. Ill keep you posted.
Mike
I was just certified in April but have taken AOW, Rescue, Nitrox and half of wreck (two of the dives were blown out). I dive every weekend that I can blackmail, cajole, threaten, beg, or otherwise convince someone else to go. I love the ocean but the quarry is closer and ten times better than not diving at all. Im not DIR and probably never will be. I like to think for myself and enjoy trying out new equipment rather than being called names if my equipment doesnt conform to someone elses expectations. I believe that dive computers, shunned by DIR are the biggest advance in diving since the two stage, single hose regulator. With that said, I am adopting more and more of the DIR equipment configuration, not because its DIR but because I tried it and liked it. I can not understand anyone doing OOA drills with a swim to an up line, with both a long hose and a traditional octopus, not switching to a long hose, but I digress.
So I have invested $700 dollars, what are my expectations for this new and wondrous BB&W?
I dont expect any miraculous improvement in buoyancy control, I firmly believe that you can achieve exquisite buoyancy control with rocks duct taped to your body and three ply trash bags for a bladder - if you understand the concepts and practice, practice, practice. In fact I expect to have to work to get back to the point I am now.
I do expect to be more firmly attached to the tank and that it will not be able to move around as it does sometimes now.
I do expect to be able to adjust the d-rings to wherever I want them rather than where the were comfortable for the skinny SeaQuest model.
I do expect that the doughnut shaped bladder will allow me to dump air without having to go vertical or risk air getting trapped on one side.
I do expect to be able to store my surface marker in the storage pack rather than storing it in a pocket.
I do expect to have a butt ring that I dont have now, to attach my reel to.
Ill let you know if my expectations are met as I go along.
I started adjusting the harness with the help of the great instructions at http://www.baue.org/faq/backplate_sizing.html recommended by roakey. Whoever said that they assembled and adjusted theirs in 15 minutes had a serious case of nitrogen narcosis or lives in a time warp. Not that Im complaining, one of the biggest reasons I went with the BB&W is the adjustability, I really like the idea of being able to adjust the d-rings. But I can see why some people would get frustrated based on the expectations set by this board, so let me make it clear there is some assembly required. It is at least a two person job to set up well and is going to take a lot longer than 15 minutes just to adjust the harness which does not include attaching the wings, tank bands. or storage pack.
Unfortunately the ACB is on back order so it looks my first foray to the quarry will be with a weight belt two steps forward one step back.
Wish me luck. Ill keep you posted.
Mike
