But each is issued the same BASIC kit. Uniform, boots, insignia, pack, etc. Then as the needs of the team are identified each member begins to take their place in the team with the specialized gear the team needs. GUE,UTD, etc. from my point of view allows for individuality in a number of areas. What I see is though, that the team needs to fully understand and know about those nuances. If I'm wrong correct me please someone, but if I am diving with a team and I have my shears in my right pocket because that is where they always are, the team needs to know that. I don't think I will be forced to put them in the left. Now I may take a little ribbing if my wing says HOG instead of Halcyon, and my harness does not have the blue letter that falls between "g" and "i" on it but from what I see I will still be allowed to dive with the team.
I am currently about 90% finished with an article on using the BPW or similar setups like the Zeagle Express Tech for basic OW training. I hope that it will be published in our next quarterly newsletter for SEI. If for some reason they choose not to it will be available on my website in my new blog. It is very basic and admittedly my own views but it addresses more than few of drrich2's concerns. As well as some of the myths that surround the set up.
I am writing not from a technical perspective per se, but to educate our leadership on the BASICS of the set up and why it is suitable for OW students and, as ElGaucho noted, a great option for independent instructors. Four BPW set ups, with the harness webbing properly managed, can replace as many as 20 BC's if that instructor wanted to make sure they had at least four of each size from small to XL. And there are no issues with struggling for a proper fit on in-between sizes than so many divers seem to fall into.
They are not hard to set up, they are not much different than the setup used early on other than the addition of a bladder. Mike Nelson used a pack and harness. A BPW is just a variation of that. Where I see the issue for some of our instructors is the lack of understanding on their part as to just what it is. It is not tech gear, it is not unsafe, it does not try to drown you by pushing you face first in the water, and is no more difficult to get in or out of if properly adjusted. And with the set up gaining in popularity and more people using resources like scubaboard to explore their options, a shop or instructor that refuses to train in them is making a less than intelligent decision.
I am currently about 90% finished with an article on using the BPW or similar setups like the Zeagle Express Tech for basic OW training. I hope that it will be published in our next quarterly newsletter for SEI. If for some reason they choose not to it will be available on my website in my new blog. It is very basic and admittedly my own views but it addresses more than few of drrich2's concerns. As well as some of the myths that surround the set up.
I am writing not from a technical perspective per se, but to educate our leadership on the BASICS of the set up and why it is suitable for OW students and, as ElGaucho noted, a great option for independent instructors. Four BPW set ups, with the harness webbing properly managed, can replace as many as 20 BC's if that instructor wanted to make sure they had at least four of each size from small to XL. And there are no issues with struggling for a proper fit on in-between sizes than so many divers seem to fall into.
They are not hard to set up, they are not much different than the setup used early on other than the addition of a bladder. Mike Nelson used a pack and harness. A BPW is just a variation of that. Where I see the issue for some of our instructors is the lack of understanding on their part as to just what it is. It is not tech gear, it is not unsafe, it does not try to drown you by pushing you face first in the water, and is no more difficult to get in or out of if properly adjusted. And with the set up gaining in popularity and more people using resources like scubaboard to explore their options, a shop or instructor that refuses to train in them is making a less than intelligent decision.