Which BC for less than $300??

[jjjjeremy]

Uncfnp & Victor. Thanks for the info on steel tanks.

I am one of the lucky guys. Above 80 deg ocean water, I don't use a wetsuit. I don't need any lead with an aluminum 80 using my Transpac or my aluminum plate.

No wetsuit, no additional weight, a minimalist BP/W setup, 80+ degree water.... it's great.

You're naturally 4+lbs negative?

 

[Craig66]

Given your location & the type of diving you do, I believe using BP/W makes sense. However, the OP is a warm water diver. Also he is a travelling
warm water diver. He is typical of diver that we train. BP/W don't work for many of our Open Water (OW) students because they do not need any weight.

Also, many warm water divers don't need any weight especially if they are using steel tanks.

How many of your OW students continue on to Rec/Tek or Tech diving?

Where do you do your OW dives?

Not sure I would agree with that. RJP might be from the Northeast however the majority of divers that he trains turn out to be warm water vacation divers. I was one of those very divers that was steered towards a BP/W. I love my BP/W, have never looked back and would never dive anything else. I am not sure therefore why a BP/W would not work for your warm water divers.

Are use an aluminum backplate because it is warm water but absolutely love my setup.



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[RJP]

.

How many of your OW students continue on to Rec/Tek or Tech diving?

We do have some divers that end up diving locally, and some of them go tec. But the vast majority of divers we train - as with any shop around the world - are warm-water vacation divers. And the majority of those that buy gear go with BP/W.

PS - the OP asked if BP/W were appropriate for beginners. He didn't ask if they were appropriate for warm water diving. (Which, of course, they are.)

 

[Mike.D]

BP/W are appropriate for ALL types of diving!!

 

[beaverdivers]

BPWs are typically neutral.

Really! I thought the reason for using a backplate was to reduce & distibute the weight needed.

Most jackets are positive by about 2lbs.

Incorrect, as far as Scubapro Jackets! They are slighly Neg.

Most people in 85F+ water are in salt where they're more positive. I've not seen anyone cope with no lead on a salt dive with an ally tank.

You are not diving with the beautiful people!

Even if you're diving a negative steel in fresh water in a bpw, you're still talking about being 4-6# overweight at worst. It's not awful.

But why would I overweight my student, my divers or myself by 4 - 6 lbs?

 

[ronscuba]

You're naturally 4+lbs negative?

I am a little negative. Treading water is tough for me. Don't forget the weight of the regulator 1st stage and stainless steel tank cam bands.

I'm sure there are others that don't need weight if they are not wearing a wetsuit.

 

[halocline]

You're naturally 4+lbs negative?

The regulator is a few pounds negative, the valve is too, if you have SS cam bands and waist buckle, maybe a light, negative fins, etc it can add up a bit. There's also nothing wrong IMO with being a couple of pounds light with a really empty tank in warm water.

When I was in really great shape I could dive with an AL80, AL backplate, a skin, and no lead, and it more-or-less worked out.

 

[bj139]

Why would anyone hang 20 lbs of lead on a BPW? There is a thing called weight distribution and one primary point is NOT putting all your weight on/in one system.

If I saw anyone doing what you described I'd be the first one to point out that they had no idea what they were doing and they should not get in the water. In the case of some one needing 30 lbs of weight in a dry suit you would never put all your weight into one system. Even with an integrated BC.

With a BPW set up as you described I would do as I do now. My plate weighs 6 lbs, the steel 95 full about 8 lbs, reg maybe 3, can light 4 - 6 depending on which one I am using. That's 20 lbs or so. I have a 32 lb wing on that which will float it easily. If i have to remove it it's not going anywhere unless the wing fails. I need about 28 - 30 lbs in my drysuit with heavy undies. The other 8 - 10 lbs is going on a belt as that is what it takes to sink me with most of the air out of the suit. At no time is all the weight on the BC. Unless I'm diving wet then all I need is the steel 95.

Even with an integrated BC you don't put 10 lb in each pocket and 5 in each trim pocket if it has it. Doing that means if you lose one pocket there goes a 1/3 of your ballast. Not good. What you'd do is keep the trim pockets the same. Put maybe 4lbs in each integrated pocket so you could drop or lose one and still control your ascent, and the rest on a belt. Or put 7 in each pocket and 6 on the belt. Dropping the belt would then allow you to start to get positive and once you start it just keeps going. Or something along those lines. You never put all your weight in the BC unless all you need is less than 10 lbs.

Should you lose 1/2 of it (10 lbs) you can still control your ascent. But if all I needed was ten I'd put 3 in each trim pocket and 2 in each ditchable pocket.

Don't you figure this using the buoyancy of the tank at the end of the dive (-2). Calculated this way won't you be unable to stay submerged at your safety stop. I say this because, I have picked up more than my share of rocks when I became floaty near the end of a dive.

If you expect to be neutral at your safety stop you must be negative by the amount of air you breathe during your dive. Thus, your buoyancy compensator (or drysuit) has to provide 5 to 8 pounds (depending on tank size) of positive buoyancy at the start of the dive to remain neutrally buoyant and no additional buoyancy at the end of dive, as the tank becomes more buoyant.