Halcyon cinch and removal in emergency

[Jn100]

Hi all, can someone help with this question. Ive got a halcyon eclipse bpw with the cinch system, Im new to diving and so far have only been in the pool with my club and am a novice. Anyhow, a few people at my club are concerned that the one piece harness of the cinch system makes it very difficult for someone else to remove the bpw in an emergency, as it has no breaks. What is a worthy counter argument against this opinion, anyone ??

Also, for anyone who is using the Halcyon cinch, how easy/difficult do you find it (in a training situation) to loosen and remove the bpw while underwater ?? I have not tried this exercise yet but would expect you need to undo the belt buckle and crotch strap first before pulling the shoulder straps up to loosen the harness !

I mentioned to my club trainer that I could doctor the cinch harness add some pinch releases, but the response was not favourable as he explained doing so would effectively ruin the cinch and its design/purpose. So this has left me in a bit of a dilemma, and got me thinking why I bought the thing in the first place, which is another question entirely.

I suppose what im asking is this, is the cinch system safe for novice divers ??

Thanks in advance for any response

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

I don't have one personally but a good dive buddy of mine does.
I never encountered a problem with removing his BP/W or handling it in general when ever we practice our under water emergency drills.

And what do you mean by breaks? as in the plastic buckles you can get to quickly remove the BCD? those are major failure point and most divers around here at least stay away from those.

Simply release the waist belt and remove the straps around the arms.

 

[divad]

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

 

[DogDiver]

The whole point of the one piece harness system is that it doesn’t have any failure points (breaks) in it. The GUE boys will cry if they see someone butcher their tried and true system. On another note though. With 53 years of diving, including diver recovery, I’ve never had to remove a stressed or panicked or dead divers BCD. Oh, the only exception was for Rescue diver training. Just dump their weights and they are instantly buoyant.

 

[Marie13]

If you have to get someone out of their harness in an emergency - cut it! That’s the beauty of a BP/W, $25 in webbing (Halycon price) and you’re back in business.

The Cinch has no bearing on it. I got certified in a BP/W.

 

[Jiminy]

Why would you ever need to remove someones bcd under the water?

I cant imagine that scenario in recreational diving

 

[guruboy]

Why would you ever need to remove someones bcd under the water?

I cant imagine that scenario in recreational diving

on the surface of the water

 

[The_Goat]

Its like any bcd on the market. You need to practice getting it on and off on land and in the water. The cinch makes it easier (in my opinion). It sounds like there are not many bp/w with one piece webbing in your dive club.

With a little practice it is easy. And like others have stated worst case scenario cut it off.

The system wouldn't exhist or be popular if it didnt work.
Just my opinion as a new Halvuon cinch system owner and user.

 

[JackOfDiamonds]

Why would you ever need to remove someones bcd under the water?

I cant imagine that scenario in recreational diving

BCD failing, panicked diver is incapable of handling the situation or starts sinking rapidly, / BCD is snagged into something which cant be cut or dislodged )

Its one in a million but it can still happen no matter how deep you are.

 

[WarrenZ]

I carry a trilobite cutter on either wrist when diving if it is an emergency I will cut you out of your dive gear/wetsuit/clothing if it is needed to save your life.