Crossing over to the "dark side" :)

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Genesis

Contributor
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Location
Destin
Got my "new" BP/Wing wet today...

It was only in my pool due to bad weather and the lack of a proper config to use it in real water (short version - my current BC has an Air2, and I have the wrong inflater coupler of course on that reg set and no octo....) - but it was, to put it mildly, interesting.

I got the BP/Wing off a former Halcyon dealer who had some "slightly used" sets in his own inventory, and was selling them. The particular set I bought was a 36lb Pioneer wing, SS plate and an OMS STA with double cam bands. (Yes, I know its more than I probably "need" with a single AL80, but its not much if any bigger than the 27...)

My "regular" BC is a Nighthawk with WI, just to provide some background... I've been comfortable in it, but darn is that thing heavy with the WI in - it just FEELS heavy out of the water. The tank is also pretty far back, which makes for some interesting leverage issues when you're standing on a rocking boat deck...

After playing with the harness to get the length right, and loading a bottle of gas in there and attaching my reg, in the pool I went.

(Had to inflate the wing orally - heh heh, it can be done and reasonably easily too :))

First impressions....

On land it was MUCH easier to walk around with it on and a tank loaded than the Nighthawk. I was doing it today with a swimsuit and T-shirt; I normally dive a 3/2 here in Destin, so I'll have more "protection" on the shoulders. While the webbing does "cut" into you more than the Nighthawk's straps, that might have something to do with the webbing not having 1/2" of padding in there and the Nighthawk does!

The BP/wing totally disappears underwater. Nothing on the front of your body at all, which is nice. Its just as easy to doff and don as a "regular" BC, and in fact may be easier, since there's only one buckle to worry about; the toughest part is grabbing the crotch strap between your legs to thread it.

Deflating with the inflator is trivial. On the Nighthawk I usually use one of the pull dumps; they're simpler and more reliable. No problem with the Halcyon - ALL the air comes out without a peep of difficulty.

I'm fairly (4-5 lbs, best guess) negative with a full AL80. In a bathing suit I may need NO ditchable weight at all. In my 3/2 I'll probably need 5-6lbs. That's a HUGE improvement over the 15lbs that I carry with the Nighthawk.

Maneuverability is stunning. Simply stunning. That's the only way I can describe it.

The BP/wing traps no air on the way down. The Nighthawk can and has on me, forcing me to get well under the surface by finning before all the air gets out of the nooks and crannies (after that it's fine.)

The BP/Wing DOES tend to throw you on your face if you inflate it all the way on the surface. The detractors have said this for a long time, and they're right. But so does my Nighthawk. I avoid it on the NH by not inflating it all the way, and swimming on the surface on my back if I want to pull the reg for some reason. The real issue would arise if I was to end up on the surface unconscious - that could be bad. But I believe that same risk exists with ALL BCs to some extent, and DEFINITELY with all back-inflate ones. I can probably mitigate this to a significant extent with the BP/wings by putting my ditchable weight-belt weight on my BACK, counterbalancing the lift and providing a "keel" of sorts - but I doubt I can COMPLETELY get rid of the risk. The wetsuit should help, since its in the front and significantly buoyant as well. Since I like my 3/2 even in the relatively warm water here (low to mid 80s) that's fine.

Will I go "all the way" to DIR? No, and here's why.

I have a regular SPG and computer in a 2-gauge console, and like it that way. I'm going to clip it off on the left D-ring, and MAY put the retractor that I have on my Nighthawk on the Halcyon rig (yet another piece of heresy), depending on whether I can see it clipped off without removing it or not (can't on the Nighthawk) That second piece of instrumentation doesn't work for the DIR crowd, but I spearfish and bug hunt, and having a computer on my wrist is a MAJOR problem (can you spell TRASHED?)

The long hose/short hose/bungied backup thing is another potential issue. I'm not convinced of the value of the "truly long hose" for recreational diving, except for one potential area - the "primary" in a regular config is a bit long in terms of where it goes. It is to your right and above your shoulder - where it can get caught on things. If I run a 5 or 6'er I can run it down the right side, under the pouch (no canister light), back up the chest and around my neck. I THINK this will lead to less "flopping hose" that can be an entanglement risk, but its a bigger PITA on the boat (possibly severely so) I may buy the kit just to try it, and if I decide it bites, well, I can always put it on eBAY :)

As for the bungied backup, I'm already doing the "give away the primary" thing, since I'm used to the Air2 - so all I'm REALLY doing is moving the backup from the inflator to under my chin. No real difference as far as I can see on that one....

The bottom line? I'm not yet 100% sold, but my first impression was darn nice.....
 
You don't have to dive DIR to use a back plate. It ain't a bad idea but it ain't a requirement.

I hope you enjoy the rig, I know I love mine.

Chad
 
That was a good post.I also dive with a knighthawk.I have to use 30lbs of lead with my bare trilam hd and cf-200 undergarment.I also tend to think the knighthawk tends to trap air with the way its made.I really do like it but would like to move on to a bp and wing shortly.I agree with the whole thing feeling heavy and cumbersome with the integrated weights. I also dont like how far back the tank sits and kind of droops down.Hopefully i could drop some weight with a bp and wing.I have been eyeballing some nice halcyon setups on ebay.

Your post really makes me want to sell my knighthawk and make a change.Up to date the knighthawk has been my most comfy bc.I have never tried a bp but havent heard anything bad about them except by scuba446.I do love how simple they are made and how you have no problems with air trapping.

By the way what size wing did you go with.I think im gonna go with a 36lb with steel plate.I know pug uses a 27 with no problem but then again he is a very seasoned diver compared to me.Anyways its nice to hear you like your new setup.I just have to talk my wife into mine....lol.
 
Genesis once bubbled...
. I THINK this will lead to less "flopping hose" that can be an entanglement risk, but its a bigger PITA on the boat (possibly severely so)


Actually, it is no big deal on a dive boat. You simply clip the second stage off to your right dring before you remove your rig. That way you do not have anything dragging 5-7ft behind you! I have found no problems at all in this.
 
Is the 36lb wing..... The "DIR" (and Halcyon) folks say this wing is for those with "heavy" exposure protection, but its still a single-tank wing, designed for it, and pretty much the profile of the 27 - it just has a bellowed part at the bottom to get the rest of the lift.

My one complaint is that I can crown myself with the reg if I'm not careful - if I look WAY up I can hit the back of the reg. And my reg is a pretty low-profile one - Scubapro MK25 first stage.... If I mount the tank lower, its on my azz - literally - and I can't reach the valve (bad!), plus I suspect I won't like how that trims out. Without the STA the tank is actually TOO close - good for trim, bad for nailing yourself in the head. (Plus the OMS STA that was in this kit has the bolts welded to the STA, so I'm "boltless" without them.

One question - I have the "storage pack" as well, and those plastic screws suck. Is there some reason I shouldn't use nylon wire ties to fix that thing to the wing? It won't be going anywhere if I do - and the little ones won't dig into me (or the wing) if I put the "tie" part in the right orientation....

Ditto if I add the ACB to the system - why not wire tie the tag end to the BP rather than use those infernal nylon screws and nuts?

I still have more experimentation to do....

My intent is to dive the thing next week sometime (as soon as the R380 Octo I ordered comes in) on my second dive of the day off my boat - the first I'll use to blow down a tank, then do my weighting with the Halcyon when that one's empty, then go take a bubble tour with the Halcyon rig on the second dive.

That should give me a pretty decent comparison, since it'll be on the same day, same conditions, probably same place - just different gear.

The other alternative is to tow me a dive flag out behind the house - I live on the bay, but its a good 200-300 yd surface swim to get to "deep" water where I could actually submerge. I may do that too, but towing a dive flag is somewhat of a PITA... :)
 
The ACB and storage pack now come with stainless steel tube bolts (not sure of their proper name). You might be able to contact Halcyon and tell them you've just bought a new setup, but it came with the old attachment hardware, and see if they can send the proper ones your way.

You only need to put the storage pack on it you've actually got something stored in it (safety sausage or lift bag). Works just as well without it.

Zip ties might be a good substitute for attaching the storage pack.
 
Zip ties do work great for attaching the storage pack to the BP among other things. Also, a tip on the zip ties, if you have any jagged edges after clipping them off, you can carefully expose the sharp stuff to a flame and soften them. I did this on both my storage pack, and the attachment for my SPG.



bengiddins once bubbled...
The ACB and storage pack now come with stainless steel tube bolts (not sure of their proper name). You might be able to contact Halcyon and tell them you've just bought a new setup, but it came with the old attachment hardware, and see if they can send the proper ones your way.

You only need to put the storage pack on it you've actually got something stored in it (safety sausage or lift bag). Works just as well without it.

Zip ties might be a good substitute for attaching the storage pack.
 
I went and bought a 7' primary hose.

It routes just fine under the Halcyon hard pouch (hard back), just like a canister light, then up the chest, around the neck and in the mouth.

I have only 24" hoses for the inflator and backup though - and want 22". Couldn't find them locally here, but I've got a line on them for early next week. In the meantime the 24s are servicable, but a bit long.

Rigged my necklace out of thin surgical tubing, which clamped right under the mouthpiece wrap (I have an R380 for a backup with the SP "reusable" clip for the mouthpiece) without trouble.

(Question - how short should the necklace be? If I REALLY shorten it up to the point that I can get the reg easily without any hands its quite uncomfortable. A bit longer and I can "reach" it with my mouth, but I don't know if I could "walk" it into my mouth without any hands, and that is much better. Both arrangements would allow me to pull the bungee up over my ears and "lock" the reg in my mouth in an emergency - say, if I felt a CNS hit coming before it nailed me - which I would think is a good feature)

Now all I need is for the silly gulf to lay down (ha! Storm brewing out there!) so I can go soak this thing in some salt water.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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