BC for Kids - BP/W?

[ChrisEdwards]

Yes.

For God's sake, talk to an instructor in your local area that has lots of expertice with children, there's always one or two that will be recommended by other divers, and ask question after question. Do this after YOU have tried different BCs in the pool yourself so you know what's going on.

Sheesh....

All very good points but not all that feasible. Most of the local shops carry one or two brands of BC's, so at best you get to try out their 5 year old training BC's. I've not seen a BP/W setup in any of my local shops, let alone have the ability to try one in a pool, that's why the ask question after question is placed here on a forum where hopefully it is possible to get good answers from people who have experience.

I'm looking to get rid of my Scubapro Knighthawk BC and go BP/W myself, and I'll deal with any issues associated with it and decide whether I want my child to use this as a first BC after she becomes certified, but I like to get opinions from this huge wealth of experience here on scubaboard.

Thanks

 

[cbborromeo]

i think the real question is whether 12 year olds should be certified. but that is another thread.

First of all you got the age wrong and furthermore, your statement above is complete nonesense and based on nothing valid that I am aware of. I was lintroduced to diving at 10 and officially certified at 13, back in 1984. The important thing is to get the proper education, a healthy respect for the ocean and lots of experience. I congratulate Chris for introducing his nephew to diving and reaching out to other experienced divers for equipment advice. Whatever equipment choice you make for your nephew, make sure he learns how to care for it himself. It will help him build confidence and experience in handling emergency situations. Good luck!

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I read all the hype about BP/W here and bought one and I see no major advantage to it except when I'm carrying a stage bottle it is better. For easy simple dives, it is more comfortable to grab my old BC. I would not put my child in a type of gear that is significantly different then what I am used to. I bought my 10 yr old a very functional BC jacket from US Divers that has quick releases and integrated weight pockets. We ditched the weight pockets, took the cummerbun off and replaced with a belt and buckle and put an AIR II on it, but the BC has worked well. I tried to get away with using an XS BC, but we ended up having to buy a child's size BC to get a good fit.

I would definitely suggest trying a BP/W yourself in open water before ditching the Scuba Pro BC. However, I don't see a problem with a child using a BP/W, especially if you are very worried about them growing out of the gear.

 

[rjchandler]

First of all you got the age wrong and furthermore, your statement above is complete nonesense and based on nothing valid that I am aware of. I was lintroduced to diving at 10 and officially certified at 13, back in 1984. The important thing is to get the proper education, a healthy respect for the ocean and lots of experience. I congratulate Chris for introducing his nephew to diving and reaching out to other experienced divers for equipment advice. Whatever equipment choice you make for your nephew, make sure he learns how to care for it himself. It will help him build confidence and experience in handling emergency situations. Good luck!

Your right - i did get the age wrong. I'm sorry. 13 yr olds are WAY more mature than 12 year olds.

 

[rjchandler]

All very good points but not all that feasible. Most of the local shops carry one or two brands of BC's, so at best you get to try out their 5 year old training BC's. I've not seen a BP/W setup in any of my local shops, let alone have the ability to try one in a pool, that's why the ask question after question is placed here on a forum where hopefully it is possible to get good answers from people who have experience.

I'm looking to get rid of my Scubapro Knighthawk BC and go BP/W myself, and I'll deal with any issues associated with it and decide whether I want my child to use this as a first BC after she becomes certified, but I like to get opinions from this huge wealth of experience here on scubaboard.

Thanks

Chris -- some thoughts:


She's likely to outgrow a jacket style bc. The plate on a BP/W rig might be too big - some manufacturers have smaller sizes. Depends on how much growing she has left to do. unless you anticipate diving with her a lot you might want to consider rentals until she decides what she wants. In the end it has to be something she is comfortable with.

 

[smb1014]

Are there any real negatives to using a BP/W, especially for small kids?

I'm getting my 12 year old daughter certified in a couple of months. She's 95lbs and 5' 2". She's done 3 dives, last week, as resort dives and seems very comfortable in the water.

I'm not tremendously keen on the idea of her wearing a weight belt, although the Deep Sea Supply backplate weighs just under 4lbs so she would only need to add maybe another 4 to 6lbs depending upon wetsuit thickness. I would probably want to have her wear this extra weight in a quick release pocket mounted on the harness belt.

Most of our diving is going to be off Florida and in the Caribbean.

Take a look at Halcyon's Active Control Ballast system.
http://halcyon.net/mc/acb.shtml

 

[adurso]

My daughter started diving at 10, she quickly outgrew her first BC, she was on her second BC and outgrowing that when my GolemGear BPW came in the mail, she got to it first, then I had to get another...she was 12 when she started with it. No problems with plates too large or too much weight. She does use her BC every now and then depending on where we are diving. And pay no attention to the nonsense about children being too immature etc to dive. Each child is different and you must be the judge of their maturity.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

I had FredT make a custom for my youngest. A standard size plate was WAY too big.