What happens if you come up unconscious with a wing-style BC?

[Mike1967]

BP/W

That's what I'd get over either style BCD.

 

[outofofficebrb]

Thank you. This is not a priority either, however I do like making choices based on tangible arguments, and when it comes to wing vs jacket BCs, there is not much going on in terms of killer pros or cons for one or the other. Better trim and lower air consumption on one side vs plenty of pockets on the other, that's about it. I guess that's why the two types of BCs continue to exist!

Actually, you can have back inflate/wing BCs with the pockets of a jacket BC. Check out the Scubapro Seahawk as an example.

 

[Bob DBF]

No BCD is a life jacket. None of them are designed to keep your face out of water should you become unconscious.

A horsecollar BC, if you can find one, is designed to keep your face out of the water if you are unconscious. Their design was based on the Mae West life jacket of WWII. Recreational scuba life vests, before BCs, were knockoff of that design, and later were made more elaborate and with an inflator and dump and became the first BCs.

ScubaPro made the first stab jacket around '70 and by '80 jackets had taken over. Now horsecollars are used by Vintage divers and the military.


Bob

 

[chillyinCanada]

I have the Scubapro Ladyhawk. I was a poodle jacket diver for years before I got her (and she's old now too).

At first, though I loved how she felt whilst under, at the surface, I thought I'd made a mistake. That feeling passed very quickly and is absolutely never an issue anymore nor does it enter my thoughts unless a conversation like this comes up.

I'm height impaired though and she's a bit long in the body for me, which I only notice once in a blue moon.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

The tipping forward is real for some - it depends a lot on your exposure protection and tanks. A warm water diver with a light wetsuit and typically AL tanks is more likely to run into this than a cold water diver with major exposure protection and sometimes steel tanks, it's simple physics. It's also affected by how you distribute your weights, which you'll want to pay attention to. But I agree if you find yourself in this situation the type of BC you have is pretty irrelevant .

If you happen to trim yourself out with weights in the rear, as in weight on the tank strap or a back-inflate BC with rear trim pockets- the weight you dump may just be front weight, which would help tip you back .

This is as good an explanation as any. 90% of the time I'm diving steel twins (doubles), with 3kg V weights and a drysuit. In this configuration, upright, on the surface and still, I will very slowly tip backwards.

If potentially being unconscious face down is a concern, weight distribution is probably the answer, or maybe heavier fins to act as a fulcrum.

 

[Barnaby'sDad]

It only happens (the tipping forward feeling) if you over inflate at the surface, and even if you inflate it full, it's not as bad as some people make it out to be. I think a lot of those people are used to having jackets and being able to inflate all the way to their heart's content. When I relax at the surface my face isn't in the water.

The only time I ever had that issue was in the pool prior to my first OW dives. I have attempted to recreate the issue in the wild (fully inflate my wing on the surface), but I have yet to duplicate the issue.

I’m not saying that it can’t be done (get that face down thing going), but that I agree with you...this problem is definitely overstated. I can chill upright or roll over on my back and float without difficulty.

 

[EireDiver606]

You’ll be fine as long as your weighting is balanced and not overweighted and your harness fits you properly. There is no tipping forward unless your system is un balanced or you recreat that problem for yourself. Maybe so if you had extra equipment but I don’t know about that.

 

[seeker242]

BUT I read in various places that one of the disadvantages of the wing is that you have to work to keep your head above the water at the surface as the wing is pushing you into an horizontal position head down.

Been wearing one for a couple years and never experienced that...not even once.

 

[EireDiver606]

If you buoyancy is all behind you and you're unconscious, it is going to be similar to wearing a life jacket on your back instead of in front of you. You will be face down.

If this is a major concern for you then a horse collar or the old scuba pro stabilizer jackets might be preferable because they are much more likely to keep your head up and face exposed. However, I personally think worrying about that contingency is way, way down on my priority list.

Wearing a different brand of wing isn’t going to magically solve anyone’s problems.... first they need to look at the underlying problems

 

[Sam Miller III]

Too many historical facts

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