I am a new diver who is looking to get my own equipment. I think I am sold on a ATX50 reg but the BCD I am not so sure about. I do not like the jacket style and want to dive a back BCD. The guy at the store recommended either a TRANSPAC or a SeaQuest Black Diamond. I have seen a lot of info on the TRANSPAC but not the Black Diamond. Any opinions out there? I need a weight integrated BCD as my weight belt hurts my waist too much. I wear a 7mm Farmer John when I dive and the water is about 52 degrees where I am. I want gear that will grow with me and will perform well to around 150ft(I realize I need more training to go this deep safely).
Bc Opinions For Oregon
- Thread starter sndt1319
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Well, everyone and their mother are going to tell you to get a backplate and wings, so I'll beat them to the punch.....
Get a backplate and wings!!!!!
It's the only real BC that will grow with your diving needs.
Get a backplate and wings!!!!!
It's the only real BC that will grow with your diving needs.
WillAbbott
Guest
sndt1319:
Well, a couple of things from me...
what kind of weight belt have you been using? hard weights can be very painfull esspecially for skinny types (like me) but soft weights are a totally different animal.
How much weight do you actually need?
It's not too hard to get 6-12lbs or more into a back plate and wings set up.
Where in Oregon are you at if I may ask... I may be able to recommend some other shops, or figure out what your shop carries to make some better suggestions.
How big are you, height, weight, and width (waist)
With that, now onto the recomendation... I would highly reccomend a backplate and wings.
I know they come highly recomended on the board, and there are a lot of people who still swear against them, but I know so many people who after trying them will not go back. They are infinately adjustable (something no other BC can do), they retain the proper sizing every time (again something no other bc can do), they are back inflate, they are super streamlined, very comfortable, and can do ANY type of diving you can think of...
You can make them weight integrated if you choose to, however I still reccomend a weight belt. For me 6' tall, and 170-175lbs there is no other BC I have seen or tried that would work for me, a medium or medium large, just won't cut it, they can't go small enough around the waist... where as with the backplate and wings I size it how I need it. I also can't use weight pockets on one, again due to my waist size (about 30-32")
From my understanding both the transpac and the black diamond are pretty good BC's the black diamond has a pricey tag IMO, $600 ish is a bit much for what you get. A BP/Wings will run in the $500 range at the high end and can be found for less. The black diamond in my opinion is just too bulky, and has too much extra crap.
Some key points to remember about BC's are, comfort on the surface is irrelivant, don't buy a BC because it feels good on the surface, comfort in the water is EVERYTHING. A comfortable BC on land can be a nightmare underwater, because the tank could sit too high, shift too much, etc...
Hope this helps, and feel free to drop me a line about more local stuffs.
IndigoBlue
Contributor
sndt1319:
What do your friends dive with?
Do they dive with jacket style B/Cs, back-inflation style B/Cs, or harness-and-wings?
Since you are on the Oregon coast, the jacket styles are somewhat out of the question, since these were designed more for Florida diving. If you are wearing a wetsuit, it will probably be a farmer john, 14mms in some places. You will need a lot of lead to sink you, anywhere from 30 to 40 lbs. Some jackets will go to 35 lbs, but by the time you inflate them all the way, they will squeeze you uncomfortably.
So I believe that the jackets are out of the question for you, for cold water.
WillAbbott
Guest
sndt1319:
Cool, Salem Scuba would have been one of a couple shops I would reccomend. I currently work with HydroSports in Keizer (DM in Training there).
Both can sell you a BP/Harness if you wanted to go that route (just different brands, Salem Scuba has Dive Rite, HydroSports has OMS) If you decide against a BP/Wing but still want a back inflate you might look at HydroSports as well, we have zeagles, which look pretty nice, if I recall the zeagles are a little less expensive, and a little more streamlined than a black diamond.
I do have a buddy who did/does dive a black diamond (if memory serves) though it is an older style, and he likes it... he has begun to swtich to a BP/Wings due to going to doubles and tech diving.
I live East of you by about 30mins in Lebanon, if you'd like to see a BP/Wing up close, or ever want to head out and dive somewhere let me know.
TTFN
sndt1319:
Unless you need the the bulk of the Black Diamond and it's lift, I think you will find either the SeQuest Balance or the Scubapro Knighthawk more to your liking. Either will carry up to 30#'s. Either, in my opinoin, will be more comfortable than the Black Diamond.
I, too, use a BP/wing for most of my diving here in the Great Lakes. I also use a Transpac II with a Travel Aircell for most of my warmwater diving.
See if any are available for rent, so you can try them out.
I am looking at the OMS vs. DiveRite wings. I need one for cold water diving using a single tank. I am not sure if I need a 30 or a 40lb wing. What are peoples experiences with these companies/wings? Honestly, I like the idea of a red wing so it is easier for my dive buddy to see me. The visiability isn't very good were I dive. During OW the viz was only 3ft and the best I have ever seen was 25ft. It's sad but true.
Brian
Brian
IndigoBlue
Contributor
sndt1319:
I would want my B/C-wing to be able to lift my ditchable and nonditchable weight combined. Your ditchable weight is your weight belt. Your nonditchable weight is your gear, your backplate (if any), your tank, and the compressed air within your tank (about 5 lbs).
In your case, 34 + 5 = 39 lbs of lift.
34 lbs on your weight belt is not unreasonable for a large diver like yourself. I have seen large men wear anywhere from 32 lbs (my own weight) to 36 lbs. I have seen extremely tall men (6'6") go to 44 lbs when diving with wetsuits.
WillAbbott
Guest
sndt1319:
We will talk about wings today when you come over.
Absolutely nothing wrong with going for red for the visibility, if that's something you want to do. There are some other important factors to consider above color though, I'll have to look through the OMS catalog again, it's been a while since I've looked at thier wings.
We may have to drag you up to Washington as well (much better vis)... my buddy has a 3 tank boat dive comming up next month, I'm sure we could probalby get you a space if you wanted to come... I've had one dive of about 5-10 foot vis in Washington, but it was a freak occurance, the water column was inverted, good vis at top, bad at bottom, and it was summer when the algae is all blooming.
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