BCD's for BIG guys

[Alan Wheetman]

Guys,

Thank you all for taking the trouble to post your replies to my enquiry.

I have taken on board what you have suggested and have spent the day scanning the various online dive shops looking at what is available.

My local scuba centre is ordering the Raider for me to try. At the moment I am attracted by the intergrated weight system and the 4xdump options. As well as the adjustments available for a customised fit. The waistband extends to 58" so there should be no difficulty (fingers crossed) in accomodating my girth.

Do any of you have any experience of having dived with the Raider?

 

[yknot]

Thank you for your reply to my posting about back inflation BCD's for the Big guy.
The comments you make about weighting are welcome and I agree that even with 42 dives behind me I still have a lot to learn. When last diving in the Red sea I managed to lower my weight from 14Kgs down to 10kgs in a 3mm shortie. At 14kgs I found that the weight was pulling me down more than I would have liked. To compensate I was having to use quite a bit of air to the bladder only having to lose it again as the tank emptied. Finely balancing the buoyancy, for someone my size with a large lung capacity, has not been as easy in practice as the theory appears on paper. Part of the problem, I am convinced, is the bladder's slow rate of discharge at the surface, whether by using an elevated tube and/or shoulder dump. On a negative entry there is no problem, but this is not always practical when diving with a group and guide.

I am hoping that a back inflation setup with a reduced bladder size will make things a little easier and more comfortable.

Thank you, once again, for taking the time to post such a considered and comprehensive reply.

Personally, I find the back inflates to be more comfortable than jackets and you may as well. As far as weighting and bouyancy, most changes to your gear configuration from dive to dive will require some adjustment. Changing between a full wet suit and a shorty would require considerable changes. Even adding a hood and gloves makes a difference. Your final "fine tuning" adjustment to your bouyancy comes from your breath control. As a large diver with large lung capacity you could influence your position in the water by more than 5' during a breathing cycle. When you play with weighting it's better to start a little heavy- it will be easier to add some air at the start than it will be to hold onto something at the end of a dive if you are too bouyant. There are a lot of opinions as to why BP&W's are superior to integrated BC's. If you ignore issues like failure points and plastic-vs-stainless steel parts, a big advantage is that most of the weight of a BP setup translates into negative bouyancy and removes some weight from your body. With the back inflate BC I use, the BC itself is rather heavy. It gets heavier at the end of the dive after every part of it has absorbed some water. The BC itself is likely close to neutrally bouyant. This means maybe 10 lbs of weight to carry around strapped somewhere to your body and you don't get to take any weight off your weight belt. If a BP&W weighs 10 lbs, 6-7 lbs of that will be negative weight and will come off your belt.Otherwise, depending on your diving, a BP&W may require compomises that you don't want to deal with.

 

[GeekDiver]

Alan,

I have a Raider size large. I've had no problems with it in the two years I've owned it and it works well. I'm 5'8", chest is around about 54" and my waist is 42". I don't think you'll have any problems with fit. I've got lots of room left if I get bigger. I use alum 80's but the BC will have no problem with bigger tanks. And as soon as I can source one of the New PST E8-130's I plan on buying one. I have good trim both in water and on the surface. My only regret is that I didn't buy it on-line and save money.


Geek

 

[MSilvia]

A further problem is that the bladder is so large that It tends to take a lot of tank air to expand the bladder to provide sufficient buoyancy for a man my size on the surface. In order to get down I have to empty the air completely by squeezing every last drop out of the bladder to ensure descent. My weighting is ok...

I'm not trying to be a pain in the butt Alan, but I'm curious about something. If you have to dump every last bit of air from your BC to descend, what makes you think you need a lot of air in it to make you bouyant?

It sounds to me like your weighting is in fact pretty good, but that you may just be using a larger than necessary bladder. I think a back inflate system would be good, but a wing system would be better still in that it would let you choose a bladder size that is right for your needs seperately from selecting a harness that's big enough for your needs.

 

[Jerryg]

I've been diving with a Sherwood Avid XXL. It has served me well. I am 6-1 and weighed 397 (Now 250) when I started diving. I bought the Avid because it was one of the few BCD's I could find in my size. Again, It has served me well. When I first started looking for equipment my LDS suggested a BP/W setup since it is, as previously stated, infinitely adjustable. I sure wish I had purchased it then, because three weeks ago I realized my BCD was too big. I am now the proud owner of an OMS BP/W. I must admit that getting used to it and getting it adjusted properly takes some time. I've got 14 dives on my new gear and am still adjusting it (tends to ride high). I also noticed that the BP/W doesn't seem to hold me as high in the water at the surface as the jacket BCD. Probably because of the air moving to the top. My wife who is also large is diving a Sherwood Luna and also has had excellent success with it. I would really recommend that you go to as many dive shops as you can and try them on. Not all dive shops sell XXL BCD's but may try to compromise you into an XL that just won't feel right. If you are going to put out $500 it should be comfortable.

 

[Alan Wheetman]

Thanks guys.

I have taken on-board everything that has been suggested and now feel armed with more knowledge on the subject than before. At least when I go into my local dive shop to try out the Raider I will be able to discuss the options of a BP/W setup with some authority.

For a first venture into scubaboard posting I have found it a pleasant and informative experience.

Thank you all, once again, for the time and trouble you have taken in helping me with my enquiry.

Safe diving.

Kind regards.

Alan.

 

[liberato]

Another "big guy" BC to consider on the rec integrated weights side of things is the Zeagle Ranger. It comes in modular parts up to XXXL. I have one and am happy with its fit and comfort. I got measured by the dealer and they ordered the correctly put together BC from the factory.

 

[ScottZeagle]

Like Liberato said, Zeagle can make a BC to fit anyone (or almost anyone..).
The largest that I ever recall us making was a Ranger that was size XXXXXXXL (7XL) for a human. We did, however, make one for an injured manatee that was somewhat larger than that one!!

I believe the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa still uses it for manatees that are injured and having problems floating correctly!

Best Wishes,

Scott

 

[scubatoys]

Like Liberato said, Zeagle can make a BC to fit anyone (or almost anyone..).
The largest that I ever recall us making was a Ranger that was size XXXXXXXL (7XL) for a human. We did, however, make one for an injured manatee that was somewhat larger than that one!!

I believe the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa still uses it for manatees that are injured and having problems floating correctly!

Best Wishes,

Scott

And it turns out that 3 out of 4 manatee's interviewed prefered the elegant simplicity of the Zeagle rip cord release system over the bulky and awkward pocket with clips or velcro alternatives the competition uses.

 

[frenchy07]

From a newbie's standpoint (and a fellow big guy - 5-11, 295, 54 in chest, 44 in waist and dropping) and with limited experience I asked lots of questions and tried on 20 or so different BC's. Jackets always squeezed me and felt like they were trying to pull over my head. Tried out a Sherwood Freedom (nice BC) but felt some push on my (very broad) shoulders that I didn't like. I also hated the feeling that the cumberbun was across my chest and not my waist (long torso). Settled on the Zeagle Brigade and the 1st time on it was heaven. Wondered if the lift was adequate but after playing with it I am not worried any more.

Starting out they hung 14 lbs on me to get me to sink and 1st time with the Brigade I droped to 3 lbs in each of the trim pockets and was very comfortable (didn't shove me on my face as I was told it would, just held me upright and comfy). Going to add 2 lbs in each of the dump pockets next and see what that does for me (had to work my butt off to get under the surface with 6 lbs) and work from there.