Does your BC slide-up?

[Audsred]

Hi all,

I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how I can prevent my BC from slipping up? I have a SP Lady Hawk - it seems to fit well except for the cumberbun is a little to low on my torso (below the smallest point on my waist - so no mater how tight I make it, it still slides up, I've even retighted in the water while diving.

It doesn't bother me until I'm at the surface;I sit so low in the water (because the BC has slipped up) I have a really hard time keeping my face out of the water even in really calm water - can't image what it would be like in waves. Any suggestions on what I could do to keep the BC lower on my body?

Thanks

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Add a crotch strap?

 

[thanksforallthefish]

Hi all,

I was wondering if you have any suggestions on how I can prevent my BC from slipping up? I have a SP Lady Hawk - it seems to fit well except for the cumberbun is a little to low on my torso (below the smallest point on my waist - so no mater how tight I make it, it still slides up, I've even retighted in the water while diving.

It doesn't bother me until I'm at the surface;I sit so low in the water (because the BC has slipped up) I have a really hard time keeping my face out of the water even in really calm water - can't image what it would be like in waves. Any suggestions on what I could do to keep the BC lower on my body?

Thanks

Add a crotch strap?

my wife has the same BC and had the same problem until we put a crotch strap on.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

If you've cinched down the shouder straps and waist strap / cummerbund, that is about all you can do.

As noted in the two posts above, you may need to add a crotch strap to really solve the problem.

I switched to a backplate / wing (BP/W) partly because of the same problem.

Good luck.

 

[Hatul]

Normally when you fit and put on a BC, the cummerbund should sit on your waist, which is the narrowest part of your torso. In your case you're starting with the cummerbund lower, so naturally it will move up. How about trying to put it on with the cummerbund right at your waist and tightening the shoulder straps?

Adam

 

[Blue Sparkle]

Normally when you fit and put on a BC, the cummerbund should sit on your waist, which is the narrowest part of your torso. In your case you're starting with the cummerbund lower, so naturally it will move up. How about trying to put it on with the cummerbund right at your waist and tightening the shoulder straps?

Adam

I'm guessing that the OP is having the same problem I had with jacket BCs. Basically, if I put the cummerbund around my waist, the shoulders were up around my ears. Even with a size Small (and I'm not typically a Small).

In my case it's not really possible to put the cummerbund lower, because I have gal hips, but perhaps the OP's hips are narrow enough that she starts out with the shoulders of the BC on her shoulders, which *puts* the cummerbund below her waist.

Then of course the cummerbund would seek the narrowest part, slip up to her waist (what's to stop it?), and, Bingo, ill-fitting BC.

If this is what is happening (I'm just guessing based on my experience), and there is too much length in the BC between the cummerbund and the shoulders, it still might not be ideal. In other words, the crotch strap would either hold the BC down so the cummerbund is around the OP's hips; or it would hold the cummerbund at her waist with the shoulders up around her ears.

On the other hand, if you (OP) already own the BC, there's probably nothing to lose by adding a crotch strap. And, maybe it will solve the problem

I just couldn't get a jacket BC to fit, and it was making me seriously question my desire to continue diving. (And yes, I tried on many of them!).

Ultimately, I rented a backplate and wing, and it worked really well for me. Amongst other reasons, I liked it because it was short enough (they come in different lengths, plus the shoulder straps give you some more height adjustment); it had a crotch strap designed in; and it did not bulk me up under the arms with a ton of extra "stuff," when I don't have that much real estate there to begin with.

B.

 

[scubafanatic]

my wife has the same BC and had the same problem until we put a crotch strap on.

....was the addition of a crotch strap a custom/home-made modification or was it available as a factory supplied part ?

I use crotch straps on ALL my BC's, but I've got 'techie' ones that came with crotch straps, however most recreational BC's don't seem to offer them even as an option, although I'll admit I don't keep up with (or care about) the average recreational BC's options/features as LONG ago my diving requirements outgrew basic open water configurations, so maybe this BC in question does offer that option?

 

[H2O 70]

I believe the SP Ladyhawk is WI, right? I've seen divers complain about the BC riding up when they are wearing a weight belt. The belt pulls them down and the BC goes up.

Are you wearing ankle weights or anything like that?

In fitting back backs, we'd see this all the time. People have a tendency to tighten up their pack too tight. They would want more weight on their hips so they would tighten their hip belt, causing the pack to ride up on the soft waist. Loosening the hip belt would allow the pack to rest on their hips.

Tightening all your straps may be causing the opposite of what you want. You're physically making the BC smaller.

 

[scubafanatic]

I see possible outcomes:
1) learn to live/suffer with it
2) trade/sell the offending BC and get a 'proper' one (BP/wing or at least a BC with a decent crotch strap
3) retrofit a crotch strap to the existing unit

I can't even conceive of diving without a crotch strap on my BC's, it makes THAT much of a difference to making the BC feel 'as one' with the diver.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I've put removable crotch straps on a number of my BC's. For warm water diving with little wetsuit compression, I generally put very little air in the BC, so I don't use a crotch strap (even with my BP/w). However, for cold water, lots of suit compression situations the BC must have significant amount of air at depth and the crotch strap makes the rig feel considerably better.