Scubapro Seahawk and Knighthawk

[Jungho Kim]

That's interesting... There is another related thread in the "Going Pro" section precisely about teaching with a BP&W... At least, that is what the thread has now morphed into... Which type of BC for DM/Instructor?

Question. Do you add a lot of trim weights to the Seahawk so you don't tip forward when the BC is fully inflated? Sometime, I find you need to be able to raise yourself quite high out of the water...

I like my SeaHawk. I bought it to teach class in as my BP/W was getting too many questions from the students. I would not use this with a bunch of ornaments hanging off of it and certainly not for wreck diving.

The vents are well placed, the bunjied back inflate wing takes a little getting used to and I sometimes have to shift trim to be able to fully deflate it.

I would recommend it, as a good intermediate step to the BP/W and it will accept doubles (with kit). It seems well built, but will see how it holds up this year.

I dont like the Air2.

[Wayne at DiveSeekers]

I have No Issues teaching in my Bp/W, in fact my whole staff are in them. But as far as your question goes, there are (5lbs) trim weight pockets in the back of the BC on either side. I would start by putting weight (5lbs Ea.) there and then any other required weight up front. I have found that you don't need to fully inflate this BC at the surface to get positively buoyant. If you feel like you are going forward then let a little air out.

[mahjong]

Haven't seen the new SH, but have dove the KH and LH. Of course well made. Extremely comfortable harness systems. Solid Scubapro single supercinch cam band locks down the tank securely.

The only caveat with the KH and LH is the bungied bladders. I have experienced, and seen customers walk into my LDS complaining about, the bladder inflating unevenly. I only rented LH once and the bladder on one side would blow up larger than the other, and I felt this underwater. The bungies trim the overlarge bladders nicely and allow for fast venting but they seem to develop this problem of uneven inflation. Haven't seen the SH and so don't know if the design corrects for this problem or not.

[BDSC]

Do what Wayne said and put weights in those back trim pockets. I do that and have no real problem at the surface but I don't know that you will ever find a back inflate or BP/W that is going to match a jacket for ease and comfort at the surface. I also have the Scubapro Classic Plus and if I thought I'd be spending a significant amount of time at the surface then I'd wear that.

[lowviz]

...//.... Hadn't used a back-inflate BC previously. I adjusted to it quickly and preferred it to the jacket style. ...//.... It is built more like a BP/W than a jacket style BC. It is like an intermediate step between the two. ...//...

I agree. Own a Knighthawk, took OW in a Classic. Now dive BP/W (and once in a while, my Knighthawk)

....//.... I don't know that you will ever find a back inflate or BP/W that is going to match a jacket for ease and comfort at the surface. ....//....

Agree again. But still prefer back inflate for below the surface.

Bottom line: try a Seahawk and a Classic. You should notice a difference on the surface and underwater. I see a huge difference on the surface (Knighthawk vs. Classic, never tried a Seahawk) and a definite difference underwater. Pick the one that suits you.

[Jungho Kim]

I picked up the Seahawk from Leisurepro at a ridiculously good price! 50% off! I just tried it in the pool with 2 x 2lbs in the trim pockets, I wear a 3mm full suit in the pool, and voila! no tipping forward, even if I over-inflate...

[kneptoon]

The Knighthawk would be a lot better BCD with a crotch strap. It would also be better with a cable instead of the plastic ribbon (too rigid) that controls the dump on the inflator hose.I have this BCD. Its great on a dive but sucks at the surface. I no longer use the integrated weight system except for the top pockets and have gone back to a weight belt. As the previous post suggested, it does have a problem pocketing air. You may think you have dumped all the air, but it sometimes takes additional dumps and body position to exhaust the remaining pockets.

[scubasam1212]

I personally use the seahawk I have one with the old cam lock design. Really the only thing scubapro changed on them is the cam lock from last year to a different design. Theres a few left of the old design if you look around (www.thescubaprostore.com) The bladders are identical on the knighthawk and seahawk. The big difference is the seahawk has bigger pockets and the knighthawk has dropdown pockets. I liked the bigger pockets so I went with the seahawk. Mine also has an air2 works great and breaths better than some primary regulators out there form other brands. I like it becasue i get one less hose and with my air integrated computer Im down to just two hoses.

Vote Seahawk w/Air2