Yes or no?
- Thread starter noblesix
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Yes a BPW is suitable for the recreational diver. I train OW students in them. Not only a BPW but something along the lines of the Zeagle Express Tech as well. Light, easy to set up. easily adjusted to fit any diver in a few minutes, and does not cost an arm and a leg. Shoot me your email in a PM. I'll send you an article I wrote on BPW's for recreational use that will answer many of your questions.
As an instructor I don't care what gear my assistants are in. Brand is meaningless and I also sell gear. What I want to know is that what they are using is appropriate for them and that they can dive it effectively. Actually a pro should be able to take any BC of any style and use it.
As an instructor I don't care what gear my assistants are in. Brand is meaningless and I also sell gear. What I want to know is that what they are using is appropriate for them and that they can dive it effectively. Actually a pro should be able to take any BC of any style and use it.
I have. I find the bcd is really long, and alot of the air cell sits low around my hips, im sorta tall (5'8") and it looks like the air cell is even lower on shorter people. You mentioned doing dm, so i agree to stick with a more standard inflator. If i needed intergrated pockets for warm water diving i like the zeagle stiletto, currently i have a scubapro litehawk, and wear a weight belt, i took the pockets it came with off the waist and added a hip d ring to clip off my spg.
kmurray719
Contributor
I'm a little confused...the Axiom and Dimension are men's BC's and the Soul is a women's BC? I'm not saying a woman can't/shouldn't wear a men's BC if it fits well, but the addition of the Soul makes me wonder how you're choosing BC's to consider?
I own an i3 BC (Lotus) and use it with students. There is no reason you couldn't just attach a "standard" inflator to the BC if you want the same type of configuration as the students and that's what they're using. It's very likely dependent on where you dive (ie, what local shops sell) and who you dive with, bu we have a lot of people around here using the i3s, so students would end up seeing them in actual diving situations, and quite possibly using them if they rent gear locally.
I thought I would really dislike the i3, but I ended up really liking it. It does make dumping air a little easier (no holding up the inflator hose and jiggling it around to get those last bits of air out) and with the i3 inflator plus the hose routing options on the BC (though the back of the BC and out the side) makes everything very streamlined. I'm not sure the absence of an i3 would make me not buy any particular BC, but I sure wouldn't rule out a BC for having it.
Are you planning on working with any particular shop as a divemaster? If so, then go to them and ask them what BC they either recommend or mandate. Some shops will require that you use gear they sell when you are working for them. So if any of those BCs are not sold by the shop you work for you will just be wasting your money.
While a BP/W is a great option it's likely not going to work for you and the type of diving you want to do, especially if you DM a lot (see above comments).
While a BP/W is a great option it's likely not going to work for you and the type of diving you want to do, especially if you DM a lot (see above comments).
Hi Kim,
You mean, instead of connecting the hose to i3, you just connect it to a normal inflator? Is that possible?
Dee
---------- Post added December 29th, 2013 at 12:55 AM ----------
Hi Dive-aholic,
no. however, a lot of dive shops in south east asia are partners of Aqualung. I simply like i3 because i like the way it works. To be honest, I haven't tried it but I can imagine how comfortable it would be. I just don't really like having inflator dangling on my shoulder. That's all.
Dee
kmurray719
Contributor
For some reason my photo uploads keep failing right now, so there's no picture to refer to.....where a "standard" inflator would be (left shoulder) there is an "oral only inflator" on the i3 BC's (a folded up tube with a small inflator on the end) This can be removed (same connection type as any standard inflator) and replaced with a regular inflator. You could then just plug an inflator hose into the shoulder inflator, or have two inflator hoses and connect both.
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1. No
2. Maybe
3. No
4. No
5. No
I3 is non-standard so think carefully about it. Especially if you get an instabuddy who later needs to inflate your BC manually for whatever reason. They need to be shown where the inflator hose is. And how to vent yours in case they have to control your ascent also.
Also many other BC's use standard sized OPV valves and almost all of them use a standard diameter inflator hose. So if you're somewhere and it fails - $25 and 2 cable ties later you're back diving. I'm not a big fan of the flat valves either as they're also non-standard and Aqualung specific.
Yours fails and you have to find an Aqualung dealer. While there's a lot of them in SE Asia it's not always the most convenient option.
Having to add a standard inflator to an I3 for training purposes makes no sense. I'm sorry but IMO the I3 is a gimmick.
I've found two of those Mares red-handled weight pockets near moorings in two different countries. You can't secure your weights without one. That's one advantage of the Zeagle system (among others) - I can use block weights, coated weights, even lead shot interchangeably in my pockets with their weight bags. They even have a handle on them so it's easy for a crew member to grab when you hand up your weights. There's other equally good systems out there also.
If you're going to be doing a lot of traveling and training/teaching I'd look for the most generic, easily serviced system out there. Stay away from all the Aqualung toys that are specific to their line. BC's take a lot of abuse traveling in luggage and things break. In that regard, a BP/W is probably the best choice except for comfort. Think about the hours you'll be spending in the water in yours if you're training in the future.
I'd also contact prospective shops, some may want you in their gear if you're assisting with their customers later. I don't think anyone will want you teaching the gyrations required to do an emergency ascent using the I3 in place of a standard system either.
"Air Travel" indicates a lighter quality BC with less lift. It may not have enough lift for both you and another diver in an emergency situation. Or a rescue situation since to get to DM you'll be doing the rescue course. Also look at the rating of the material - often expressed in denier. The higher the better, many mainstream BC's are 1000 denier, a lot of the travel wings I've seen are 400 - they sacrifice toughness for lighter weight.
Cressi has a big presence in Europe, the US and parts of the Caribbean. I don't think their dealer network is as extensive in SE Asia. All the manufacturers have dealer locators on their website, you might spend a little time figuring who is stronger where you plan to train.
Actually.... I completely stuck to the question. The question was YES or NO to a range of 5 BCDs. I answered no.
However, I did qualify my answer by stating my obvious bias as a courtesy to the poster.
Actually Noblesix, this is absolutely NOT what I was trying to say. Personally I think a BPW is equally suited to a beginner as a back inflate or a jacket is.
Where I live and dive, 2 out of 3 diveshops teach PADI OW in backplate and wing gear.
However... Other than my NO to all being based on them being jacketstyle (Either backinflate or classic jacket) and not BPWs, I have not dived them and cannot speak for any strengths and weaknesses.
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