Any special skills needed for bp/wings?

[scubamickey]

My AOW instructor made another comment today about me purchasing "advanced" gear too soon--he seems to think tradional BCs are easier to learn in. From my point of veiw, the BP/W is a non-issue. I'm still trying to get the dry suit dialed in, however...

Do you ask him *why* he thought this? It makes no sense to me. Especially in a dry suit, a bp/w is much more comfortable and easier to handle than a jacket BC.

I bet he doesn't he doesn't sell bp/w.

 

[rongoodman]

No, I just smiled and nodded. He never bothered me about my snorkel living in my drysuit pocket, so I wasn't going to argue with him about my BP/W.

 

[lamont]

My AOW instructor made another comment today about me purchasing "advanced" gear too soon--he seems to think traditional BCs are easier to learn in. From my point of veiw, the BP/W is a non-issue. I'm still trying to get the dry suit dialed in, however...

yeah, the drysuit has a learning curve, everything else in a tech/hog/dir single tank rig is just not a big deal...

 

[Izu]

I've been thinking about trying either a back inflate bc or a bp/wings setup. My full jacket bc seems to get a lot of air trapped in it and I have to contort quite a bit to get it all out. I would switch in a heartbeat if another style would give me a better bouyancy control.

(Now that doesn't mean my control is bad. In the Caymans I had it down cold but last week in SoCal in a 7mm I was Mr Elevator Man.)

I know that a good diver can have excellent bouyancy control in a jacket bc but I am beginning to wonder why I went with the one I got anyway. Can't be a bad idea to try out other configurations, right?

Buy a BP/W. You will see Jesus, have a better love life, and will be able to breathe underwater without the need for those pesky tank thingys .
At the very least, you will lose lots of weight and will streamline the hell out of your rig. Fly underwater. I just returned from a week of diving/tweaking my new BP/W/Hog and will never go back to a BC. Assimilation is complete.

Having said that, if you have buoyancy issues in a BC, you will prolly have them in a BP/W as well.

 

[Jason Ooi]

BCD and Bp/W is consider same for your " Buoyancy" under water, but used in different water skills.

Thats not the question I asked... let me rephrase my question... How is a BP/W not a BCD?

 

[fishb0y]

BCD and Bp/W is consider same for your " Buoyancy" under water, but used in different water skills.

How? A BC is a BP/W is a BC. There are NO different skills needed to use a BP/W. I'm getting mt 12 year old a BP/W. All it is is a stripped down BC. You can throw pockets and weight pouches on it. What different skills are needed? I hate throwing this out but it seems like the "Ol' Guard" of scuba not only wants to keep people out of AOW classes, but keep them out of "techy" BCs as well.

I will go out on a limb here and say there are NO different skills required to use a BP/W as there would be for a Jacket BCD.

 

[Jason Ooi]

You are good teacher. You can teach any method you like.
Different culture got different mentality
I only teach OW used BCD after be more experience than switch to BP/W....BP/W setup is more expensive than BCD.
I would like to say start from the basic.

How? A BC is a BP/W is a BC. There are NO different skills needed to use a BP/W. I'm getting mt 12 year old a BP/W. All it is is a stripped down BC. You can throw pockets and weight pouches on it. What different skills are needed? I hate throwing this out but it seems like the "Ol' Guard" of scuba not only wants to keep people out of AOW classes, but keep them out of "techy" BCs as well.

I will go out on a limb here and say there are NO different skills required to use a BP/W as there would be for a Jacket BCD.

 

[djanni]

How? A BC is a BP/W is a BC. There are NO different skills needed to use a BP/W. I'm getting mt 12 year old a BP/W. All it is is a stripped down BC. You can throw pockets and weight pouches on it. What different skills are needed? I hate throwing this out but it seems like the "Ol' Guard" of scuba not only wants to keep people out of AOW classes, but keep them out of "techy" BCs as well.

I will go out on a limb here and say there are NO different skills required to use a BP/W as there would be for a Jacket BCD.

If we're talking single tanks..... I'll climb out on that limb with you. BP/w's are extremely simple and even simplier to use. Crotch straps and weight belts not considered. Once one starts to add accessories they can get more complicated than a typical BC.

In their most basic form there's nothing to them and nothing to diving them - Easy as Pie.

 

[Jason Ooi]

I got the same direction

Crotch straps and weight belts not considered.

Good answered

Once one starts to add accessories they can get more complicated than a typical BC.

Good comment

In their most basic form there's nothing to them and nothing to diving them - Easy as Pie.

 

[Valadian]

Could somebody go into more detail on how exactly the whole weight setup is on a BPW? You guys have me intrigued and when I finally get rid of my OP5K I might get myself a BPW. Do you have to wear a weight belt with one? How does the whole ditching weight thing work with it? I like the idea of being able to make myself less bulky and more streamlined.