Halcyon Infinity for a new diver?

[Blue Sparkle]

I wouldnt get at BP&W unless you think you will go tech. If I were you I would get a regular back inflate like the Oceanic Excursion II. Back Plate and Wing are nice but are desinged for tech and unless you are really going to get in it I would get a regular back inflate they are great.

I'm an everyday, beginner OW-type diver and I have a backplate and wing and really like it. It fits me well and I like the clean simplicity of it.

I knew my diving from OW class into the reasonably foreseable future would be warm-water recreational reef diving, and so I bought my rig with that in mind. It has worked great.

That said, I can see that Vest and Back Inflates are well-liked by many divers. That's okay too.

 

[Nitro91]

on my 7th dive, i was already using bp/w (dss) lol. its great

 

[danvolker]

Originally Posted by ShftrdogI wouldnt get at BP&W unless you think you will go tech. If I were you I would get a regular back inflate like the Oceanic Excursion II. Back Plate and Wing are nice but are desinged for tech and unless you are really going to get in it I would get a regular back inflate they are great.

Why???????????????

Why would you say this? Did a dive shop say this to you?
The deal is, a "real BP/W fits better ( perfect custom fit) and does not "move around" like the soft back ( no metal plate) bc's do. If you want to be as crisp in the water as you can be, and enjoy the largest adventures you can get to the maximum, you want a BP/Wing.
If you think it is more important to support your local dive store that "does not sell BP/Wings" and preaches against the evils of Halcyon or DSS, then by all means, help the nice people

 

[FrancisK7]

Bumping thread... NOW!

Sorry for not coming back earlier, November and December were work months... 80h/week until Dec 23rd. Business was good, so I did buy the Infinity.

My trip is from Jan 5- Jan 12, so I haven't used it yet. My brother will be using a standard vest style BCD, so we'll get to experience the difference in Cozumel. I will come back to this thread when I returned from my trip to let you know how it went.

 

[Mayor]

The quick adjust system IMHO is not needed but since you have it here is what you should do. Get it adjusted buy a tech instructor or someone who dives a system like this. When it's adjust right mark the straps with a sharpie. Put in stops so that each time the system is put on it's always in the same spot. You will need to adjust things as time goes on but this this way everything will be the same.

 

[FrancisK7]

I'm currently in PDC on day 6 of my trip and after half a dozen dives, including one this morning on Cozumel where we saw a hammerhead(!!!), I came to let you know what I thought of the infinity:

I love, love, LOVE that BCD. Wanna make babies with it love. As a fresh new diver I had never heard even a whisper of the word Halcyon so had no idea of its reputation. I got a few "wow, good stuff" from two DMs at Tank-Ha but still had no idea how it would perform on me. After this thread turned into a 12 pages debate, I was confused about my choice and no longer certain it was the right one. It is so very easy to put on and come out of, AMAZINGLY comfortable it's unreal, and after four dives I had a better trim than guys who had more than ten times my amount of dives. It's a crime against something in some universe somewhere that BP&W are not taught as standard equipment in OW courses. I don't understand why anyone would want to ever dive a vest BC after experiencing BP&W.

The 40lbs wing was the correct choice, as I'm already weighted at 23 lbs (stainless steel plate, sta weighted adapter, +3 pound in pocket) with a 3mm suit.

So thanks for all your advice and help, I am hazing an amazing first dive trip!

 

[cool_hardware52]

I'm currently in PDC on day 6 of my trip and after half a dozen dives, including one this morning on Cozumel where we saw a hammerhead(!!!), I came to let you know what I thought of the infinity:

I love, love, LOVE that BCD. Wanna make babies with it love. As a fresh new diver I had never heard even a whisper of the word Halcyon so had no idea of its reputation. I got a few "wow, good stuff" from two DMs at Tank-Ha but still had no idea how it would perform on me. After this thread turned into a 12 pages debate, I was confused about my choice and no longer certain it was the right one. It is so very easy to put on and come out of, AMAZINGLY comfortable it's unreal, and after four dives I had a better trim than guys who had more than ten times my amount of dives. It's a crime against something in some universe somewhere that BP&W are not taught as standard equipment in OW courses. I don't understand why anyone would want to ever dive a vest BC after experiencing BP&W.

The 40lbs wing was the correct choice, as I'm already weighted at 23 lbs (stainless steel plate, sta weighted adapter, +3 pound in pocket) with a 3mm suit.

So thanks for all your advice and help, I am hazing an amazing first dive trip!

23 lbs of ballast with a 3mm suit is on the far far far end of the spectrum. I'd suggest a careful weight check......

Tobin

 

[FrancisK7]

It was actually 2 lbs that I had in my pocket, so 22lbs. I'm 6'1" at 209 lbs with a 18% BF, not sure if this is a likely scenario at all. All I know is that I first dove two dives with just my plate and the sta adapter, and later the DM said I definitely could use a 2 lbs. It did help initial immersion a lot, as even with an empty BC and empty lungs descent was painfully slow and difficult. It was difficult to test the method of measuring eye level with empty BC + exhaling because there was so much waves we were rocking. Might very well be user error too!

 

[fisheater]

Try doing your dive and then finding a nice, calm place at 15ft. With a buddy, purge your tank to 500 psi and hover horizontally above a safe bottom (sand, bare rock, dive platform, etc.). Then, remove weights, a few at a time, until you're a bit too light to hold your hover. Then take back enough weight to be neutral again. Make note of the weight on the bottom. That's the amount not to take next time.

 

[cool_hardware52]

It was actually 2 lbs that I had in my pocket, so 22lbs. I'm 6'1" at 209 lbs with a 18% BF, not sure if this is a likely scenario at all. All I know is that I first dove two dives with just my plate and the sta adapter, and later the DM said I definitely could use a 2 lbs. It did help initial immersion a lot, as even with an empty BC and empty lungs descent was painfully slow and difficult. It was difficult to test the method of measuring eye level with empty BC + exhaling because there was so much waves we were rocking. Might very well be user error too!

If you are @ 18% BF you don't float. A typical 3mm suit will be about 3-5 lbs positive. Even with a buoyant al 80 (~4 lbs positive empty) you should only need about 8 lbs.of total ballast. Your reg provides about 2 lbs and a SS plate and harness provides another ~6 lbs.

22 + 2 (for your reg) is likely way more than you need.

Tobin