First OW dives with BP/W

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SelkieDVM

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I just got back from the Keys where I used my new DSS rig (SS plate, Hog harness, Torus 26 wing) for the first time in OW. I must say I am very pleased that I decided to go the BP/W route and just wanted to give some newbie impressions.

My checked bag weight was roughly the same as with my old jacket style BC. Granted this was for three days of diving rather than six like the last time I traveled with the jacket but I don't think it will make a huge difference for future trips. It did pack down more compactly as expected which was nice. No more struggling to get those bag zippers zipped. Oddly enough my bag was not searched by TSA (that I know of) going either way when I usually had been before.

I find the harness actually easier to don and doff than with the jacket. I did on one occasion not notice that my thigh pocket had slipped off the belt before I buckled it and jumped in the water. I never felt like I was being pushed face down when at the surface, even with a lot of air the wing. Trim felt good, at least from my perspective. I found it is better for me to wear weight on the belt rather than the cam bands as there is a tendency for me to go head down otherwise. Actually there was still a very slight tendency for this to happen even with the weights lower (time for Jet fins?).

I have gotten used to the shorter inflator hose. With the inflator hose inner tubed to the shoulder strap and the corrugated bungied at the D ring it place the inflator right the on my chest - it's easy to find and doesn't flop around. I had at one point been wearing my octo on a Manta necklace but switched back to attaching it to the right should D ring (no long hose yet). I had found it to be a little annoying necklaced and it was easier to demo donation with it on the D ring (I'm a DMC and was down there with an instructor and some students).

I'm still trying to figure out how to keep my head from hitting the first stage. The upper cam bands are as high on the tank as I can get them. I'll try tightening the crotch strap and loosening the shoulder straps just a bit but I don't want to do too much as I know I can reach valve as it is now. I had one pool session where I was not hitting my head but I can't for the life of me figure out why. I don't think I changed anything.

I was the only recreational diver I saw down there with a BP/W but I really didn't get any extra scrutiny from anyone (except the students understandably). In fact I think some people might assume you to be more experienced than you are when they see you with it - maybe not a good thing. I suppose this would be vary regionally. Most of the diving I did was shallow reef stuff which was fine but I did get in two dives on the Spiegel Grove.

In the whole, I'm liking this thing. A lot. Another instructor I know who moved down to the Keys last year said I looked very comfortable in the water, and I felt it too. So, Tobin's got yet another satisfied customer and here's one more diver who's taken one more baby step toward the dark side.
:D
 
Glad you had a good trip!

You may be able to secure that pocket by putting a triglide or buckle on the right waist strap after you put the pocket on. That's what we do to keep the can lights from sliding off.

I agree with you wholeheartedly . . . If you are going to donate your octo, it shouldn't be on a short hose and it shouldn't be necklaced. Those of us who necklace our backups donate the primary reg.
 
Glad to hear you liked it!

I've noticed that my head likes to hit the first stage as well. I'm 6'1'', and I was using an aluminum 80 the second-to-last time I was in the water with my kit. I think the shoulder straps were a bit loose, I know the crotch strap was about perfect though. Don't over-tighten that bad boy or you'll be in for a whole different type of 'squeeze.'

I think it's a matter of my height, and the way the kit is set up. Tightening the shoulder straps may help a bit, but with 'taller' tanks (like AL 80's) I think it's going to happen. The BP/W will not sag on you like a normal BCD will, and the tank is much more solid (in my opinion). With a LP 95 (much shorter tank), I did not notice the same thing as with an AL 80.

Danny

Edit: I too used to notice people with BP set ups, and now I'm the one getting the funny looks!
 
Glad to hear you liked it!
Don't over-tighten that bad boy or you'll be in for a whole different type of 'squeeze.'

With a name like Lilla I don't think "squeeze" will be such a big issue, haha. What's worse is the first time you clip on to a scooter... I learnt that lesson quickly!

Congrats on the new wing. An extra webbing keeper might keep stuff from sliding around too. Or you can slide some inner tube over the belt slot and snug it up to the webbing to keep it from moving around.

As for the tank banging head the head problem I put the top strap around right where the tank starts to taper in. Solved the problem for me, but that depends on your body type and how high the backplate is on you.

Happy diving.
 
It sounds familiar. Hahaha.

I always miss diving in a BP/Wing system when I wasn't (while teaching PADI courses and stuffs).

Enjoy, enjoy!!!
 
Thanks everyone for the comments and good wishes. I'll try the triglide/buckle/tubing suggestions for the pocket. I too was placing the top cam band just below the neck of the tanks. There is some room to adjust the crotch strap, there was about 3" of excess when I pulled up on it. I'll make some small adjustments in that and the shoulder straps and see how it goes. Being short I might just have to live with some head banging when using longer tanks, otherwise they feel like they're hanging down around my knees.

Thanks again!
 
Lilla,

Banging my head and touching my head on the valves are two different things. I don't mind a little valve head-touching. Most BC divers I see have their tanks too low. They adjust their BC/tank while looking at them face on, and don't see how far the tank really drops down to their butt while they're wearing them. So then when they get the tank in the correct position and lift their head way up and feel the valve with the back of their head, they think that the tank is too far up. When really, I find that if I can't lift my head back and touch the tank, that means it's too low.

You might give it another dive and see if this really is a problem.

Also, yes, the heavier fins may help with you trim. I use Turtles - which makes me one of those hypocrites who post venomously against ankle weights, and then wear big negative fins. :wink:
 
I'm still trying to figure out how to keep my head from hitting the first stage. The upper cam bands are as high on the tank as I can get them. I'll try tightening the crotch strap and loosening the shoulder straps just a bit but I don't want to do too much as I know I can reach valve as it is now. I had one pool session where I was not hitting my head but I can't for the life of me figure out why. I don't think I changed anything.

This is a common problem, especially with turret regs like SP MK25, atomic, etc. Try turning the turret down, try turning the tank a little so the reg is offset, or you can do what I do, which is turn the tank completely around so the turret is on the other side of the valve, pointing down. It works great, better hose routing, and with a yoke it's actually less of an entanglement, because the yoke knob is on the inside and the hoses tend to shield the turret. The only difference is the tank valve is on the left, so you have to get used to that. It's easy.
 
It sounds familiar. Hahaha.

I always miss diving in a BP/Wing system when I wasn't (while teaching PADI courses and stuffs).

Enjoy, enjoy!!!

Not to detract from the thread but why don't you teach in the BP/wing? I don't know of any PADI rule against it. Then again that could be my ignorance.
 
Great news and write up Lilla!

Thanks for sharing. I sure love my back plate and wing setup for singles.

One tip, move your tank down to prevent it from hitting your head. It'll also improve that head down moment you're experiencing. You might need longer hoses but you need them anyway.

One tip on hoses. I'd suggest the 7 footer. A guy I dove with the other day used a 5 footer with his BP/W and had a difficult time when we did air share drills.

Again, thanks for the write up!!
 

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