Does anyone have advice for using a back inflate BC? I have only used jacket style, live in Montana with very limited availability to rent/use gear. I know back inflate tends to roll face forward on the surface. Tips or hints to minimize this are much appreciated.
Back Inflate BCD
- Thread starter DaveMT
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Don’t inflate it all the way. Kind of lean back on it.
Gone for diving
Contributor
Not really,
with an aluminum tank and your weight towards the front it will,
But even then with experience you will hardly notice, you'll naturally compensate without noticing,
-Use a steel tank, you will need less on your belt,
-use a backplate
-Lean back on the surface
-mount non ditchable weight on cam strap
-dive small steeĺ doubles
Back inflates don't push you forward. Improper and over weighting does that. I also have an 11 page essay on back inflate/backplate and wing style BC set up, use, weighting, and options that I send to anyone who gives me an email address. It's too big to post here or send via private message.
ElCarlos
Registered
I dive a Aqualung Zuma and no problems at all rolling face forward. Position nearly the same as with jacket style BCD.
Gandalf-the-Diver
Contributor
I have a back inflate bcd, Scubapro Hydros; I learned on this bcd. I found it to throw me forward while at the surface, although, a little less air in the back, and that was not an issue. This only bothered me for my 1st 15-20 dives and as I got used to it, I learned just how much air I needed on the surface. I have never tried a jacket, or wrap around style bcd.
Immediately after I was certified, I bought a back inflate BCD and dived with it for years before joining ScubaBoard in 2004. That was when I learned in a thread that back inflates push you forward while on the surface. Until then I had no idea they did that.
It is just a matter of how you position your body. That is even true if you are overweighted and thus highly inflated. I was thinking about that a couple weekends ago while diving with a BP/W (essentially a back inflate). I was preparing for a technical dive with very heavy double steel tanks, additional tanks, and other heavy equipment that required me to have my wing extremely full to float me with my head above water while I waited for my teammate to be ready to dive. I was totally relaxed, casually leaning back as I waited. I thought to myself, this is the situation where back inflation is supposed to push you over on your face.
scrane
Contributor
rmssetc
Contributor
Such a definitive and absolute statement, but you forgot some qualifiers, such as "some BCDs..." or "depending on body position, amount of air in the BCD..." etc.
Unless you claim that I am improperly overweighted with 1lb in each of the waist pockets.
Despite the silly name, I like my HOG Stealth back inflate BCD. When largely inflated, it does want to tip me face-forward a bit, particularly if I've got my legs straight down. If I pull up my knees a bit, it is easy to get into a comfortable floating position face up and "on top" of the BCD.
This
I have used back inflate or BPW since I finished OW. I have never had them push me face forward. I personally find them much more comfortable than jacket style.
So my biggest advice is enjoy the new BC.
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