Back inflating BCDs

[Gombessa]

The only time I was being pushed face-down in the water was when I was grossly over-weighted. Nowadays, with proper weighting and setup, whether in a back inflate or backplate/wing, it doesn't matter how inflated I am (I can fill the bladder with the OPV burping the entire time), there is no tendency to go face-down at all. So in my experience, it's an issue of proper configuration.

 

[Damselfish]

Getting pushed forward can be a real problem for some people, and you don't have to overinflate or be overweighted to have the problem. If someone is using a less buoyant steel tank, possibly a steel backplate, and floaty exposure protection, those will counteract any tendency to go forward. (These people are often the ones who tend to swear there is no such problem as getting pushed forward, because there isn't for them.) People that use more buoyant tanks and little or no exposure protection can have a tendency to be pushed forward even with little air in the BC. It may also just depend some on your body. This is why back inflate BCs have rear trim pockets, so you can arrange weights as needed for your situation, it's all a matter of weight distribution. (And it can be tricky to get it right if you don't use much weight to begin with. I dive with 8# just so I can distribute weight usefully, even though I'd rather use 6#.)

Some people say lean back, but that's only a good solution if you like to lean back - I find it quite uncomfortable. (It's also funny, because some of the same people that say getting pushed forward is a non-existent problem also recommend leaning back to avoid it. And they wouldn't have to do any leaning if there was nothing happening.