BCD vs Wing in adrift situation.

[Fossil_Diver]

What are they using to bring people to the dive site? A canoe?

 

[KevinNM]

We almost hit a humpback whale a half-mile from the marina at Kona returning from the manta dive. The captain had to stop dead when it surfaced in front of the boat. I asked her what would have happened if we had hit it. IIRC, it went something like "When our 18 ton boat hits a 40 ton whale we capsize, then if I'm still alive I get to try to explain how I struck a whale to the Coast Guard & Fish And Wildlife."

But no, we weren't wearing life jackets and I didn't ever put on one on that vacation.

 

[BDSC]

It's always interesting to me to watch folks try to "make their point" by comparing apples to oranges in these threads. Without fail you will see someone compare a "puff of air" in a bp/w to a fully inflated jacket bc squeezing the breath out of a person. But you will never see someone compare a fully inflated jacket bc to a fully inflated bp/w at the surface as if somehow it takes a fully inflated jacket bc to float you at the surface but it only takes a puff of air in a bp/w to do the same thing.

 

[scuba5150]

I find my back inflate BCD great under water, but not so great at the surface. I'm slightly worried about having to be on the surface for any extended period of time. After several adjustments the best arrangement I've found is to use a tank band with four pounds of lead at the top of the tank to help decrease (somewhat) being pushed forward when on the surface. Like with many things, it's a compromise.

 

[scuba5150]

[QUOTE There's no reason with a scuba unit that I need to do anything differently. Pop in your snorkel, go snorkeling. I can float along on the surface in a snorkeling position effortlessly. Kick back and relax. You can always kick into position to use a mirror, flare whatever you have, if an aircraft is near. Besides everything that wants to eat you, is in the water, not the sky..[/QUOTE]


Head down and snorkeling when adrift - hummm doesn't seem like the best position to be looking for boats, other divers, helicopters, etc. I'd much rather be able to keep myself in a fairly vertical position with head and eyes up and able to breathe without a snorkel.

 

[Ayisha]

If someone can't easily maintain a vertical position in a wing or back-inflate BC at the surface or anywhere they choose, that is usually due to improper weighting. There is too much weight towards the front of the person (and possibly too much weight in general). If you move the weight slightly to the sides or toward your back, that problem will resolve. Correct weighting, fit, and adjustment are very important in keeping us balanced and easily able to control our position.

 

[dmaziuk]

That whole "what if I got stuck in the water for a long time" has always been at the back of my mind. It is certainly doable in bp/w, but I think it would be a problem if I was in the water so long I had to sleep. In a jacket, sleeping would be totally doable I think. I'm hoping that good skills, my large SMB, whistle, mirror, and nautilus lifeline radio will prevent that from being something I ever get to answer.

I think the issue is risk analysis: unconscious, asleep, or otherwise unable to control your position on the surface, bp&w will very likely have you breathing water in no time. (Though if you're merely asleep, that'd hopefully wake you up before you drown.) I don't expect my dives to end up that way so I'm comfortable not diving in a life jacket -- with an understanding that if the fecal matter hits the air displacement device, I'll be up to my ears in it. If I were a navy and my idea of men in the water was "because their boat got blown up and they were badly hurt in the process", I'd be much more inclined to use a life jacket bcd instead.

 

[jphehe]

I've used a Jacket BCD and now a donut wing, and I see no differences at all. And this is also a common "concern" that does not exist really, because a diver would had to make so many mistakes to land himself into a situation where he worries about the unnecessary (ie. lost in the sea, being alone, with no lights, and in bad weather condition...)

A diver also doesn't just become unconscious on the surface suddenly, or just drowns because of this. When sh*t does happen, it is likely you'd get choked and drowned underwater already. Jacket/Wing simply wont matter what happens next.

 

[EFX]

It's always interesting to me to watch folks try to "make their point" by comparing apples to oranges in these threads. Without fail you will see someone compare a "puff of air" in a bp/w to a fully inflated jacket bc squeezing the breath out of a person. But you will never see someone compare a fully inflated jacket bc to a fully inflated bp/w at the surface as if somehow it takes a fully inflated jacket bc to float you at the surface but it only takes a puff of air in a bp/w to do the same thing.

There may be some exaggeration by the BP/wing divers regarding just a "puff of air" and squeezing the breath out of them using BCD's. I started with a ScubaPro Nighthawk BCD and now dive with a BP/wing. Using the BCD I never felt I was being squeezed (I was not over weighted). With the wing I need more than just a puff to ride comfortably out of the water. My biggest problem with the BCD was a tendency for it to pitch me forward under the water doing a vertical hang and on the surface. I discovered this was due to the weights in the pockets sliding forward while diving horizontally. I got in the habit of leaning back and tilting the weight pockets up to get weights further back in the pockets. After doing this I was able to comfortably stay vertical. I don't have any problems with the wing.

 

[BDSC]

If I don't wear a wetsuit, which typically I don't, I have found that I can get by with just adding weights to the rear trim pockets on my SP Seahawk and I don't feel that push forward with a back inflate although it's still not as good at the surface as my old Classic jacket.

I just ordered the SP Litehawk the other day. A guy on my last trip had one and I was impressed by it's quality and truly how light it is. I think right around 5 pounds. Should make a great travel BC as most of my diving is when I travel.