combination jacket and backmount bcd

[cooper]

What are the advantages of a combination jacket and backmount BCD?
I would appeciate your comments. I am a new diver.

I have not seen to many on the market.

I recently bought one that was made by aeris "aeris plesio" It is not on their webpage. I have contacted them for more information.
I bought the BC in South Korea Where I live and work.

I have dived with the BCD several times and found it to have a unique effect when descending.

The BC is constructed with a single bladder with a jacket style in the front and a back style wich surrounds the back of the tank.

Upon descending and relaeasing air from the bcd hose I begin to descend slowly and my body is pitched forward. As if I am descending in a slightly forward position causing me to look downward while descending. If I release the dump valve on the back mount part of the BC my ascent becomes much faster and stabilizes to however I shift my body.

Is this good or bad?

My original BCD, was a Tusa Evolution Platina and did not do this.
PS: the TUSA Bcd was defective. The back plastic flap which holds the belt across your torso (the main belt that clips in front )kept comming unsloted under pressure from filling the bladder. Therefore I exchanged it for the aeris I have now.

Drivers, I am new at diving and have trained in what I call extreme conditions. S. Korean waters are cold and visiblity at its best is 5 meters. Most of the time 1 -3 meters.


I hope this is the kind of questions and info you pros are looking for.

Many Thanks

[SubMariner]

I have the North American version of this BC. Here it's called the Aeris XT.

Upon descending and relaeasing air from the bcd hose I begin to descend slowly and my body is pitched forward. As if I am descending in a slightly forward position causing me to look downward while descending.

I don't experience this problem at all. I think your problem may be where you are placing your weights. Might I suggest you put them further back?

~SubMariner~

[RICHinNC]

I had a similar problem with with the first bc i ever tried. No matter what i did...just could not go straight down in a good heads up vertical position. I tried moving weights all over the place. Still a no go.

Tried...and eventually purchased....a different bc and it made all the difference in the world. Now i have total control...feel very comfy....and thats even tho i wear a pony bottle on the back and to one side...

Try many before you buy....every time i dont...i regret it.

[kitbuga]

try the sites for Beuchat, Technisub and Cressi-sub. i think they have BCs that have straps that allow you to shunt air to and from the side of the bag and the rear. i don't necessarily endorse these and have not tried them.

K

[Scubaroo]

I'm not sure that descending in a "good heads up vertical position" is advantageous.

A safer (and more controllable) method of descent is a horizontal descent.

• You can look below as you descend, avoiding hitting other divers, or the bottom
• You can "flare" your arms and legs like a skydiver to slow your descent, and level out
• Descending horizontally, your knees will be bent, and your fins will be streamlined and pointing up - descending vertically will have your fins parallel to the bottom, and they act like a pair of airbrakes, and can force you into a bum-first descent, hitting either the bottom or another diver with your bum or your tank

So if the BC is "pushing" you into a horizontal position while underwater, it's probably a design feature - descending horizontally is safer and less clumsy, and swimming horizontally is more efficient.

[SubMariner]

You can look below as you descend, avoiding hitting other divers, or the bottom

You can also look down when descending feet first. In fact, you should ALWAYS be looking down when descending, regardless of body position in the water.

You can "flare" your arms and legs like a skydiver to slow your descent, and level out

Again, this can also be done in a vertical position. In either case you can also add small amounts of air to your BC to slow/control the descent. Frankly, if a diver "drops like a rock" they are probably over-weighted.

Descending horizontally, your knees will be bent, and your fins will be streamlined and pointing up - descending vertically will have your fins parallel to the bottom, and they act like a pair of airbrakes, and can force you into a bum-first descent, hitting either the bottom or another diver with your bum or your tank

I can't even BEGIN to answer this one without laughing.

The whole issue is CONTROL. A diver should always be aware of their spatial location in all 3 dimesions and be able to contol themselves no matter what way they are oriented.

DSDO,

~SubMariner~

[RICHinNC]

Back from the road at last....man i need another job....

I agree with you 100% scubaroo....on 99% of my dives i will go down head first....but....to check weight balance...practice hovering...and the like...heads up verticle suits ME the best. And, in a drift dive i prefer to be in a verticle position and just observe as i drift along.....from time to time i will go horizontal and check something out...but for me it is cooler to be verticle and just go with the flow.

My bc does not push me in any particular position...and the more i use it the more i control it versus it controls me....

And. Submariner makes a couple of good points. I think the whole thing is what are YOU....the southern you....meaning everyone....but what are you more comfy with. For some they are taught to descend in a heads up position no matter how ....??????.....goofy that would be in the ocean off a boat. But, I have dived off a boat and seen some divers with their left arms up releasing air and slowly descending....i dont judge them...thats what they were taught....and i watch them look around as other divers scream past them in a heads down position.....in time they will learn there are other options.

Often i think the more experience divers get a little to judgemental on new divers and dont have the patience needed to make the newbie a better diver. Yep it can be frustrating...and it can even be dangerous...but we were all newbies and while my daughter never believed i remember what it was like to be a teenager...i remember also what it was like to be a new diver..