Back Inflate.....?

[c r0ck 1]

Ok in my scuba cert class we are using seaquest proqd bcs. THey are back inflate.

When i come up and i am treading water i feel like im fighting to keep my face from dunking foward into the water. I do not like this . I could only imagine coming up in the ocean with waves and it scared me.

So the question is. Do all bcs come with the option of the way they inflate..? Like for example can i get that same bc in a side inflate? (or whatever its called). Or do i have to look into a totally different bc that comes in that style?

I was really into the seaquest but when im up i feel like someones trying to dunk me face first into the water and im fighting it.


Now i also like the knighthawk scubapro bc but im not sure if its back inflate or not.. i have to look into it. and i am VERY TOTALLY NATURALLY BOYANT. it makes it even harder.. I have to put on like 20 lbs of weights to get down. if i dont use weights i will just float with all my gear.

 

[PerroneFord]

Put enough air in the BC to get your neck out of the water, and see if you still feel the same way. If you fully inflate the BC you will bob in the water like a top and fall on your face. This can be mitigated in a number of ways.

1. Do not load up your weightbelt so that you are "front heavy". You likely have a tank behind you that is floating, and you have a bunch of air in the wing which is pushing you forward, and you probably have a weightbelt with weights which are pulling you forward. Bad combination.

2. Keep your weights toward your back.

3. Use a BC with a crotch strap.

4. Lean back on the BC and use it like a raft. This is one of the great benefits of back inflate.

 

[jpcpat]

It can be confusing. To solve your immediate problem, deflate your BCD a bit and it will not seem to be pushing you face down. It really is that simple.

Not all back inflate BCDs share this problem. I haven't noticed it in my Zeagle for example. Some are just designed better than others. Try very hard to dive with a BCD before buying it. That's really the only way to be sure it works well for you

 

[oly5050user]

It can be confusing. To solve your immediate problem, deflate your BCD a bit and it will not seem to be pushing you face down. It really is that simple.

Not all back inflate BCDs share this problem. I haven't noticed it in my Zeagle for example. Some are just designed better than others. Try very hard to dive with a BCD before buying it. That's really the only way to be sure it works well for you

move weights towards back.If bcd has rear trim pockets put some weight there.You said you use 20lbs,are you wearing a wet suit? Even with a wetsuit sounds overweighed unless you are a big person.If no suit sounds like overweighted and if so it explains why you would have to pretty much inflate bcd to stay on surface.Do a buoyancy check where you barely float with no effort on surface at /or just below eye level with good inhaled breath-no air in bcd.Now exhale all you can.Should start to sink.If you sink with a breath inhaled you have too much weight.

 

[diversteve]

Ok in my scuba cert class we are using seaquest proqd bcs. THey are back inflate. So the question is. Do all bcs come with the option of the way they inflate..? Like for example can i get that same bc in a side inflate?

No, but Aqualung/Seaquest might have similar fitting models in a jacket version (side inflate). Some people are not comfortable with the jacket style though as it squeezes on their torso when more than slightly inflated.

I was really into the seaquest but when im up i feel like someones trying to dunk me face first into the water and im fighting it.

Are you using it with the Sure-Lok weight integration or are you wearing a belt for class? If you're using the weight integration ask your instructor to help you move some weight to the rear pockets if he'll let you - since they're non-dumpable he may not want you to do that just yet.

Now i also like the knighthawk scubapro bc but im not sure if its back inflate or not

It is...

I have to put on like 20 lbs of weights to get down. if i dont use weights i will just float with all my gear.

That will come down in time. I started with over 30 in class, by my last checkout dive I was using 24 in a full 7mm suit and now I dive 10-14 in the tropics. .

The simple solution is just don't inflate your back-inflate BC fully. Or adjust the weighting if you can. I float perfectly vertical in the water with 70/30 split front/rear weighting.

 

[mikeguerrero]

ProQD is not a back inflate bouyancy compensator but a jacket inflate. I believe you are diving a Malibu or a Balance or a black Diamond if you refer to the back inflate bothering you.

 

[c r0ck 1]

well im putting the pellet weights in the side pockets that the bc has for the weights to go.