BC Fit

[MNScuba]

OK, so I'm sitting around the house figuring out where I want to put my new knife and sea snips... well, I decide the only way I'll really know is if I put on the BC, right? So I put the BC on and realize there is a hose mount kit for the knife... I then have to put the regulator on the tank, the tank on the BC and then put the gear on me... Ok, so that is on and I'm walking around the house and I come to a mirror, where I realize the tank is down to my behind and my BC cummerbund is above my belly! I adjusted the strap that goes over the tank valve so the tank will sit higher, but I'm just wondering if this is just normal? Everything seemed fine when I was doing the class/pool sessions but now I'm concered about the fit... Is this just a normal until you get into the water?

 

[GP]

I think it's normal for it to sag a little bit on land because that's a lot of weight on your back and it's natural for the BC to want to pull down in back and pull up in front because of the tank weight. When you get in the water you shouldn't have that problem. You do need to be careful not to put the tank too high or too low because it will affect your trim underwater. I remember on my first couple dives I had the tank too high and when I got in the water I'd bang my head against the first stage of the reg (ouch). I usually position my tank so that the first stage is just a tad lower than the base of my neck but high enough to where I can still reach back and feel the first stage of my reg and grab the valve on my tank. This seems to be the best tank positioning for me.

 

[SubMariner]

Man, you have WAY too much time on your hands! [Kidding!]

On people who are shorter in the torso, "regular" AL 80 tanks tend to look like they hang low. However, as GP said, it's really not an issure while diving; it's only when extering or exiting the water that it might become apparent or a problem. That's one reason I switched to HP steel 80s, which are about the size of AL 65s.

Another marker you might want to use as to how high to set your tank in the BC is where does the TOP of the BC come in relation to the tank valve? I find that if you set the tank up so that the top of the BC is about level with the top of the tank valve, then your reg will then be situated to allow for maximum hose length/mobility.

Now go diving!!!

~SubMariner~