By far my favorite method is to let the BC sit face down tank up. I do a pike dive and approach from the bottom of the BC and slide myself in. Recover a reg and then stay face down and buckle everything up.
This is where learning your surface dives from the skin diving portion of Basic comes handy.
You could potentially also have your octo in your mouth first then dive in.
Your heavy attachments will sink and pull your straps and all wide open for you to slip into, and you're less likely to twist a strap to hell and back when you slip it on.
The only downside to this method is it's hard for the instructor to evaluate the student on the surface. If I'm evaluating a student using this method, I usually have to act like a duck: head-down-butt-up position or even descend a little below the surface.
It does provide some entertainment though for those watching.
This is where learning your surface dives from the skin diving portion of Basic comes handy.
You could potentially also have your octo in your mouth first then dive in.
Your heavy attachments will sink and pull your straps and all wide open for you to slip into, and you're less likely to twist a strap to hell and back when you slip it on.
The only downside to this method is it's hard for the instructor to evaluate the student on the surface. If I'm evaluating a student using this method, I usually have to act like a duck: head-down-butt-up position or even descend a little below the surface.
It does provide some entertainment though for those watching.
