Dream BCD With Superiour Weight System. Is it out there?

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BrokenSailor

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I'm a Fish!
I am looking to upgrade my BCD to a Wing but I would like to be able to take off my BC and Tank underwater while still breathing on my reg.
Is my dream Wind BCD out there?
Is there a better weight system than the belt without involving the BC?

I want enough weight still on my body to stay down if BCD is removed.
I also want the weight to be quickly dumped for safety.
I would like to have better distribution of my weight
Can I have everything I want in a weight system?

Anyone have a recommended solution to my issue?
TAT
 
If you're using a bp/w there's a good chance of converting to a 5-7 foot hose , which is what a lot of people using that setup have. That should give you plenty of hose length to take off your rig while still breathing from your reg.

Edit - a quick search on hogarthian or DIR will give you more than you'd ever want to know about this subject.


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I should word the problem better...

If all the weight is now in my BC... if I have to take it off to squirm through a cave, I have no weight on my waist to keep me on the bottom...
Maybe the answer is a cross between using a Dive Rite Weight Harness with a Back plate and wing BC, keeping some weight on my waist with a nice rubber weight belt?
 
Honestly I can't answer that for you. I've been out of the water for a few years now and am in the process of transitioning to a DIR setup while trying to get back into it. My guess would be to ask this to your instructor. They should be able to answer that for you. And I'm sure many others will be by to answer as well.


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The solution to you swim through situation is bpw and DRY SUIT or jacket bcd with redistributed weights between bcd and dry suit. Why I am capitalising dry suit? Because you can control buoyancy. You can not do that in wet suit.

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I should word the problem better...

If all the weight is now in my BC... if I have to take it off to squirm through a cave, I have no weight on my waist to keep me on the bottom...
Maybe the answer is a cross between using a Dive Rite Weight Harness with a Back plate and wing BC, keeping some weight on my waist with a nice rubber weight belt?

Sounds like a job for a sidemount setup.

Though the fact that you're asking about the proper rig to "squirm through a cave" but are not familiar with appropriate options to do so might suggest that you shouldn't be squirming through caves.
 
Though the fact that you're asking about the proper rig to "squirm through a cave" but are not familiar with appropriate options to do so might suggest that you shouldn't be squirming through caves.

Yep. But aside from the nutty idea of removing your rig in a restriction so you can get into an even tighter spot without the requisite years of training and practice, what you're looking for is to split up the weight between your body and the BC so that both your rig and you are somewhat neutral. That's sometimes called diving a 'balanced rig'. An example might be a diver who has a weightbelt with just enough to compensate for the wetsuit and a steel backplate/AL tank. In warm water it's easy, cold water a bit more work but maybe more important, too.

Don't buy a drysuit unless you need one for temperature exposure. Diving in one for the sole reason of having an additional air bubble to control buoyancy makes no sense at all.
 
It's a good question you are asking, and yes, the solution is to divide your weight so that part of it is on your rig, and part of it is on your body. And yes, that is easy to do with a properly chosen backplate system.

I'm not sure why you are worried that you won't be able to take off a backplate and harness rig while still breathing your regulator. I can assure you it is quite possible, whether you use a traditional hose setup or a primary donate configuration.
 
When you get ready to start squirming through caves, you'll probably be in sidemount and just taking the tanks off, with the weight staying put on your harness.
 
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OK... so I was in a cave in Fiji diving at the University of Fiji off of Truvuni about 12 years back and I went in a nice size cave with my buddy. Problem was there was a big nurse shark (15 ft) in there. Well he couldn't get out with us between him and his exit so he went up and hit the ceiling of the cave, and a bunch of rock came down. He made it past us, but now, we could not get out of the cave with our rigs on. So we had to ditch our BCDs, move some rock, and pull them behind us to get out. I was using a weight belt so it was no issue then.

So the question is asked from experience not from ignorance, but you would not know that so no harm. I dove professionally before that in the military. I haven't hit blue water in years, just some spear fishing and collecting some gulf stream spin outs from gyres out where I am on the island now.

I was looking at upgrading to a wing BCD and buying right the first time for my son who I am just starting out. I am trying to learn the new gear and upgrade my old school ways for his sake, but I am not forsaking safety for comfort. BCDs with pocket weights clipped in like the Scuba Pro are just plain stupid IMO.

So I am looking at a Zeagle Ranger with an Air2 on it for my son, and an Zeagle Tech for me. Do you think these are good choices for what I want in a weight system????

Please tell me if you think I am making a mistake here, cause I have to pay for them tomorrow????
Right now they are just set aside for me. Both are gently used and the price is right. I could wait for a different wing if I needed to. Especially on the XL Tech.

These Zeagles are plate compatible????, but unless I am taking a two tank dive, do I really want a 6 pound SS plate to distribute my weight?
How about to travel with.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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