BP/W Configurations

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Ikaboy

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I think it's about time to replace my circa '92 Oceanic Ovation 800. I have no idea how many dives I have in this and it has been around with world with me. People are always amazed when I break it out but frankly I take outstanding care of my gear and I have only had to replace the hose on this once. But frankly it's a medium and I'm not very medium anymore and decided to get something different. (I will still be using my Tusa fins, they're not even split!).

I've always been a minimalist and I've seen a number of people with the BP/W systems and really always thought they were to 'complicated' to deal with and frankly my Ovation was work well enough. However now I'm itching to replace it so thought I would check into some BP/W configurations.

I've read a number of threads which turn into BC vs BP so I would stop reading. If there's a guide somewhere or a book I could pick up I'm all for it. I go to Hawaii about every 3 months but outside of that a majority of my diving is muddiving around the Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico area.

Any help would be appreciated! Oh I'm fine with a weightbelt, wouldn't mind integrated weights, other than that I use a compass and a knife and that's it.

Sorry I meant this to be in the BC section. I'm not very forum savy, more of a reader than a poster.
 
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Call Tobin at Deep Sea Supply.

He'll do you right.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
+1 for calling Tobin at DSS He is great and will hook you up with what you "NEED" not what you think you want. Plus his stuff is made in house and is some of the best quality I have seen and the price you can not beat.

I like my BP/W because the steel BP will never break and my one-piece HOG harness will never break so I dont have to worry about replacing anything.
 
I was the same way. I had the same BC since 1993. I guess from all of the repeat dips in the water, it shrunk and I couldn't fit in it anymore. I decided to go bp/w and have never been happier. It's made a huge difference in my diving. I've been interested in cavern/cave for years, but have never pursued it. Getting into the bp/w has reawakened my interest, and I'm moving forward with it.

You will get a million opinions on what bp/w to get. Many people will say a basic HOG harness, others are fans of the more elaborate setups. What I decided on was a Halcyon setup. Yes it's more expensive than a HOG harness, but it's what I liked. I dive on boats alot, and I'm always stuck between two bench hogs with no room to maneuver in and out of my gear. I liked the cinch system on the Halcyon which simply makes my life a little easier when getting in and out of it. Also I'm one of those people that's micro adjusting my BC for my comfort. With the cinch system if I want everything a little looser or a little tighter, it's simple.

So again, you'll get a million opinions, but remember everybody's different with what they want or need. So try some bp's out if you can. But the one thing I do know is that you'll be happy once you've converted over. I don't know why the hell I wasn't certified in a bp/w years ago. It would have changed my diving.
 
In your post, I don't think you stated one compelling reason for making the transition to a BP/W...other than curiosity.
Perhaps you'd be better off just getting a replacement jacket-style BCD. You're familiar with it. You're used to the way the air distributes in the bladder. It sounds like you got your money's worth out of the Ovation. Heck, I bet you could get a used one in a larger size for $50 or less.

Before making a BCD purchase, try out at least one BP/W (correctly adjusted, most of them feel virtually the same in the water) and one rear-inflate BCD. Then compare it in your mind to how comfortable the conventional jacket BCD was/is in the water. Choose the BCD style that agrees with your diving style best.
 
I've always been a minimalist....

That's about the only reason why I decided to look into it, well that and that I want to replace my current BC.

Thanks for the feedback though, the DSS site has quite a bit of information on it.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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