Got it #2!

[sambolino44]

So we're just about done putting together my wife's new DSS BP/W! I was supposed to be just watching and offering tips, but of course I couldn't keep my hands off! Boy, that new webbing is stiff! I can see how much mine has relaxed over time. Not too much, but you can tell the difference. She's gone for the crossed shoulder straps; even though that's not in the instructions, it wasn't too hard to figure out. Now we can't wait to try it for the first time. Tomorrow we should have answers to a bunch of questions, like:

Will she be able to find the lower dump cord without a knob? (I can on mine)

Will the inflator/corrugated hose be too short for comfort? (I replaced mine with longer units)

Will the wing be sized correctly? (I'll bet it will; Tobin helped us pick out both of ours, and mine is just right)

And probably most important, will we be able to get it all adjusted to fit her in her suit before we both overheat or go crazy? (the outlook is positive: cool, cloudy, and rainy tomorrow)

Oh, and: Will she feel obligated to give me her new knife to replace mine that she broke in the underwater pumpkin carving contest?!? (unlikely)

 

[cool_hardware52]

So we're just about done putting together my wife's new DSS BP/W! I was supposed to be just watching and offering tips, but of course I couldn't keep my hands off! Boy, that new webbing is stiff! I can see how much mine has relaxed over time. Not too much, but you can tell the difference. She's gone for the crossed shoulder straps; even though that's not in the instructions, it wasn't too hard to figure out. Now we can't wait to try it for the first time. Tomorrow we should have answers to a bunch of questions, like:

Will she be able to find the lower dump cord without a knob? (I can on mine)

The cord we have been furnishing on the NEW DSS OPV is larger than before, this alone should make it easier to find and use.

Will the inflator/corrugated hose be too short for comfort?

The vast majority of our users find the hose length furnished to be spot on. It may take a few dives to adapt, don't jump to any premature conclusions.

Will the wing be sized correctly? (I'll bet it will; Tobin helped us pick out both of ours, and mine is just right)

Gee I hope so. If the info provided was accurate it should be optimized for the application

And probably most important, will we be able to get it all adjusted to fit her in her suit before we both overheat or go crazy? (the outlook is positive: cool, cloudy, and rainy tomorrow)

If possible jump in with just your exposure suits to cool off, then get out and fit the gear, or bring a gallon jug of water to pour over yourselves.

Good luck, enjoy the new gear.

Tobin

 

[TSandM]

bring a gallon jug of water to pour over yourselves.

I think Nature's likely to do that for them this weekend

As I said last Saturday, don't get hasty on the short inflator hose. It won't be where you're USED to having it, but you will quickly figure out where it IS.

 

[FishOutUvH2O]

Will she be able to find the lower dump cord without a knob? (I can on mine)

Finding it is only half the battle. Remind her that to use it (in a horizontal trim) that she needs to do a slight roll to the right and pull the dump cord up and to the right. If she simply pulls down on the cord not a whole lot is going to happen.

 

[sambolino44]

Well, we just got back from Langley marina, our first dive with her new gear. I'll let her go into the details; I mean after all, it is her stuff, not mine. But I do have a few humble observations.

From what I can tell, this rig is a lot better than any of the other BCs we tried, and we tried several. It holds everything on your body a lot more securely, and it doesn't have a lot of "features" that do nothing but get in the way. It's way adjustable and upgradeable. But then, you probably knew all that.

I don't care what anybody says, I don't see how anybody can find that length of corrugated hose optimal. The problem is not finding it, she has the same problem I had, which is operating it. You can get your hand on it, but you cannot grasp it in such a way that the buttons are under your fingers. When I had my short hose, I had to resort to trapping the inflator valve on top of my head just so I could reach the purge button. Watching her struggle with it today, I could see that she was going through the same kinds of motions I had been doing, trying to get the buttons where you can operate them.

What I don't understand is, why is everybody so keen on this short hose? What's the big deal? What advantage does that hose have over one that's two inches longer? I don't get it.

Other than that, it was great to watch her under water. She really moves well, and I think this BP/W has a lot to do with that. Not only that, but the marina at Langley today was incredible! I've never seen so many fish, and so many types. And a sea blubber, and a bunch of neat dorids.

By the way, before we explored the reef, we first did a weight check, and then spent about a half hour practicing skills, including air sharing both ways. Getting that long hose around that snorkel is a bit clunky, but it got smoother every time. We're both convinced that the long hose makes air sharing a lot easier.

 

[Soakedlontra]

I don't know how you guys are able to use that bloody short hose without developing any cramps in your neck!

Do you practice yoga 5 days a week?

Do you stretch your neck with a series of 'neck-rings' during the night when nobody is looking?

What is your secret?

I am wondering if there is something missing in my anatomy...

It was a real struggle to orally inflating the wing with that hose. After trying it underwater I did not even bother to try it on the surface. I can see that with some more practice I can use those buttons better but I don't think I will be able to twist my mouth in such a way that it will allow me to actually blow some air into the wing. However despite the difficulty this hose was better than the AIR2 hose that I had tried a while ago.

I have to agree with Sambolino44 on this one, though!

The rest of the gear worked fine. One little problem was the weight belt. The weights kept digging into my hip bone. I am reluctant to add back plate weights because, as it happened, I ended up with a lot of weight on my back and not enough on my belt or anywhere else and my trim was all over the place.

Anyway I was a bit heavy so I reckon that if I take some weight off the belt next time it may feel more comfortable.

Other than that, it was great to watch her under water. She really moves well, and I think this BP/W has a lot to do with that. Not only that, but the marina at Langley today was incredible! I've never seen so many fish, and so many types. And a sea blubber, and a bunch of neat dorids.

I did not struggle with my usual 'funky' buoyancy and it was a relief.

The sea bladder looked huge from a distance. We kept clear of its path and did not entangled ourself on its long invisible tentacles (what a lucky day!). On top of all the fish we saw, we encountered two Lewis's moonsnail in full view (never seen them there before) and countless of other critters small and super-small. The visibility was really crappy in shallow water and got better at 20 feet... Above the water the stormy sky was pretty dramatic (rainbow, shower and sunshine like in Scotland!) but we did not have to deal with the south wind that blew in other parts of the island messing up the surface with white-horses-caps...Anyway this is another story for a different thread...better shut up!

Good night

 

[sambolino44]

One more thing. Once she decided on a BP/W type of BC, we looked and looked and looked for a wing with the features she wanted, and kept coming back to DSS. The way you can remove the wing from the plate so easily, and it having the built in tank stabilizer, just put DSS way over all the other brands we looked at. Also, we both really like the plastic grommets on the plate.

 

[evil_xander]

I don't know how you guys are able to use that bloody short hose without developing any cramps in your neck!

Do you practice yoga 5 days a week?

Do you stretch your neck with a series of 'neck-rings' during the night when nobody is looking?

What is your secret?

You cannot reach this little hose?

Only thing I can think of as possible help without yoga or replacing it is adjusting the wing position or checking that your BP & harness are properly setup, you can have a look here how to do it:
DIR-diver.com - Adjust the backplate

 

[sambolino44]

Thanks for the advice and photo. I don't want to seem argumentative, but you seem to be missing the point(s). It's not that we cannot reach the valve. I was able to reach it and grasp it easily, but no matter how I tried to turn it, arrange it, manipulate it, whatever, it was always difficult to get the buttons positioned in relation to my fingers so that it was easy to operate. And my wife finds it unsettling to be required to crane your neck and pull the hose to it's limit in order to orally inflate the wing.

Look at the photo you provided. Now imagine your left hand moving up in a natural motion to grasp the valve. It seems to me that the most natural way to move your hand would end up with the inflator valve under your fingers. Great! Now try to push the purge button; it's sticking out of the bottom of your fist, nowhere near any fingers. No problem! If you release air, you have to move the valve anyway. You want to move the valve up over your shoulder (assuming you are prone) so that it's up high where the bubble is. So when you do that you can rotate your hand around the valve to position your fingers over the purge valve. OK, so now you have to move your thumb around to the other side of the hose/valve. Oops! You dropped it. Or maybe not, so now you have the hose extending back toward the wing from the bottom of your fist, and the exhaust button is under your forefinger. It's this very manuever that I found so difficult and frustrating.

My new corrugated hose is 4 inches longer than my old hose. Now I can make the move described above without dropping the valve. Or I can easily hold the valve so that one button's under my thumb and one's under a finger, and I can comfortably hold it like that for a long time, if I want to.

It never catches or knocks on anything. It never gets in the way any more than the short one did. It's a hell of a lot easier to retreive if it falls behind me, and I don't have to rely on a strap, which holds it down, or a bungee to hold it in place.

It makes me happy. It works for me.

What I have not heard yet, though, is an argument why the 4" shorter hose is better?

 

[sambolino44]

P.S. Thanks for the link to the setup instructions. That's pretty much how we did it, so the adjustment of the harness probably isn't the root cause of the problem.