BCD vs Wing in adrift situation.

[miketsp]

I know that there have been many threads on BC vs Wings but I just saw a news item that made me reflect on the specific situation of a diver adrift.

'That's a wrap on old Jakey': Diver films himself lost at sea

This diver was using a wing and found himself adrift and filmed what he believed to be his last moments.
What I found interesting was that he had removed his equipment and was floating just in his neoprene and I wondered why he'd done this.
I have dived both with a conventional jacket and a wing and I certainly did find that the tendency with the wing when floating at the surface is to push your face forwards towards the water so it would certainly be more tiring to stay in that position for some hours.
One thing I had tested in the past when thinking about this scenario was to remove my weight belt and hang it from my rear d-rings on my BCD. I found that this put me into a very stable position head inclined backwards, ideal for a long float while waiting for rescue.

Any thoughts?

 

[Doby45]

I hear this all the time about BP/Ws and yet I have never had a problem with staying in a comfortable position on the surface in mine. I must be doing something wrong..

 

[cool_hardware52]

Comfort at the surface is a matter of being properly weighted, and using a properly adjusted harness.

The properly weighted diver needs very little gas in their bc, close to none if their cylinder is empty. With just a puff of gas in the wing it can't force the diver forward.

Properly adjusted the crotch strap causes the diver to rise with the rig, again this limits how much gas has to be added to the wing to lift the diver.

OTOH an over weighted diver needs to fill their wing all the way down to their waist, and even this is less useful if their crotch strap is loose.

Tobin

 

[Bennno]

You CAN stay on the surface comfortablely with a wing, a poodle jacket just does it better. The Poodle jacket will push you/hold you in a good, the wing will not.

I think a lot of people have spend money on their w/bp and now they're defending it. Wings and plates sure looks cooler than jackets (and lets not kid ourselfs, that's a major factor) but if you look at where the air cells are, it should be obvious which one is better for staying on the surface. The SP Master Jacket is even rated as a live vest.

The 'advantages' of wings over poodle jackets are being WAY overstated on this board. For single tanks diving that is.

 

[divad]

A poodle jacket won't let you float on your back, which is my favorite position on the surface, especially when swimming.

 

[Bennno]

Comfort at the surface is a matter of being properly weighted, and using a properly adjusted harness.

Sorry, but this is a red herring. Even if you dump all your weights, the jacket will be better on the surface. When you're in choppy water, you want to have lots of gas in your bc, with weight or without weight.

If you have to wait for the boat for half an hour in foot-high waves, you want more than just a 'puff of gas' in your BC.

 

[Bennno]

A poodle jacket won;t let you float on your back, which is my favorite position especially when swimming.

Of course they will. Better than any wing.

 

[Doby45]

You CAN stay on the surface comfortablely with a wing, a poodle jacket just does it better. The Poodle jacket will push you/hold you in a good, the wing will not.

I think a lot of people have spend money on their w/bp and now they're defending it. Wings and plates sure looks cooler than jackets (and lets not kid ourselfs, that's a major factor) but if you look at where the air cells are, it should be obvious which one is better for staying on the surface. The SP Master Jacket is even rated as a live vest.

The 'advantages' of wings over poodle jackets are being WAY overstated on this board. For single tanks diving that is.

Well you are definitely entitled to your opinion but, it is simply that. A lot of people, myself included, do not like to be "squeezed" by a regular BCD and find the BP/W more relaxing and functional.

 

[divad]

............

 

[divad]

Of course they will. Better than any wing.

Not the ones I tried. Do they even make jacket BCDs for doubles?