BP/ W in UAE ?

[Corleone]

I recently asked a couple of questions regarding buying a BP&W BCD in this thread:
BP&W or Axiom (Aqualung) or Black Ice ( Apeks ) ?

wounder if anyone know any specialize shop that i can go to and either try, rent, browse, ask questions and so on regarding BP & W in Abu Dhabi or Dubai?

thankx in advance

 

[Searcaigh]

Divers Down in Al Aqah near Khorfakkan are the Dive Rite agents for UAE, they should be able to help you.

Al Boom probably have some BP/W I recall seeing a wing in the Al Qohz shop

 

[Simon-]

Diver Rite products can be bought through Al Mahara in Abu Dhabi, The Dive Shop in Dubai and Divers Down at the east coast.

Al Boom does have some items in their Al Quoz shop, and if memory serves me right, it is Aqualung

 

[Corleone]

last week i went to Al Boom ( Atlantis branch ) to enroll in the rescue course, told them im thinking about buying a BCD and they recommend Axiom ( aqualung ) or Black Ice ( Apeks ) then i asked them about BP/W and they were like : ohhhhhhhh noooooooo that is for tech diving !!

everytime i look at some high-end gears online, google the name and among the results, usually someone tried that in a course or as a fun dive rental, here, its all down to basic BCDs and regulators.

anyway, i will e-mail dive rite and see...
i did 3 courses with Al-Mahara plus a some fun dives as well, all i can say is that, im done with them, even for free.


thankx everybody

 

[Searcaigh]

Of course they will recommend what they sell, that is what they are paid for.

I don't know how long you have lived here in this part of the world, but most "shops" regionally hire foreigners as cheap labour and they are rarely trained to respond other than what they are told to do. That said, there are a couple of people in the Al Quoz branch that use their brains and can advise.

If you are looking for Dive Rite then buy locally otherwise you might not get the right advice and service. If you do buy online good luck!

 

[Benzonar]

Dive Rite is the way to go. divers Down are great and will sort it out for you and help set it up how you want.

 

[Corleone]

I have sent an enquiry e-mail to Divers Down and this is what i got :

" The entry model is the travelpac which retails for 1600 AED, the voyager 1620 AED and the Transpac XT is 2730 AED, weight pockets are 360 AED for a pair of 16lb "

i did a lil search on the internet and found out that the Transpac XT is around $329 which is = 1207 AED.

how can i justify the 2730 AED? around $740 !!!!!!

aren't BP/W suppose to be cheaper than the standard BCDs ? eventhough im not in it to save money.

weight pockets = 360 AED? so its not included ?

 

[Searcaigh]

I have sent an enquiry e-mail to Divers Down and this is what i got :

" The entry model is the travelpac which retails for 1600 AED, the voyager 1620 AED and the Transpac XT is 2730 AED, weight pockets are 360 AED for a pair of 16lb "

i did a lil search on the internet and found out that the Transpac XT is around $329 which is = 1207 AED.

how can i justify the 2730 AED? around $740 !!!!!!

aren't BP/W suppose to be cheaper than the standard BCDs ? eventhough im not in it to save money.

weight pockets = 360 AED? so its not included ?

I think you might need to do a bit more research

I am pretty sure that DD are quoting the Transpac XT harness with a wing, a harness alone on the Dive Rite website is $329, and is not going to help you float much either!

That is the problem with ordering online, unless you know all the facts on what you are buying then you are going to make some possible expensive mistakes.

And don't forget UAE import duties as well as shipping costs

I would suggest giving them a call and explaining what you are looking for.

 

[Simon-]

I wish someone had told me a bp/w was cheaper than a bcd.

My transplate, back pad, backplate and Classic EXP certainly cost me more than any bcd I have bought.

You have to ask yourself, what do you want out of the kit and what do you want to do with it? Are you staying purely recreational or may you venture into tec diving? etc.

I don't bother with weight pockets, as soft weights fit nicely in-between my wing and harness

 

[Corleone]

I wish someone had told me a bp/w was cheaper than a bcd.

My transplate, back pad, backplate and Classic EXP certainly cost me more than any bcd I have bought.

You have to ask yourself, what do you want out of the kit and what do you want to do with it? Are you staying purely recreational or may you venture into tec diving? etc.

well then, excuse me if i was naive. but reading various posts in scubaboard as well as other forums gave me an impression that bp/w is cheeper than standard BCD. a typical thread usually goes like this: " my LDC offered me XXX BCD for $$$ " and the replay is often " why pay $$$ for BCD, go for bp/w "

you asked what i want out of the kit, well, first of all, i don't wana be one of those that buy a new BCD every now and then. second, i don't wana buy something that i will overgrow in the near future or will limit my choices. Third, i wana make the bouancy problem a thing of the past, i wana have a good trim.

if Axiom or Black Ice or whatever brand is going to give me that, i will happily roll my credit card. the thing is that bp/w become more like a trend now and everybody is pushing in that direction. i don't wana buy VHS tapes in the era of DVD and Blue Ray!! hope you got the idea.