BCDs

[jimisurf]

Not sure what you mean by larger, wing size? I use a dive Rite rec wing for cold dives and it has plenty of lift. Should be fine for a single or doubles with cold gear. This should keep you entertained for quite some time.

Jimi

 

[Jonathan]

my instructors Transpac when doing my AOW - dives 7-9 - and it took oh about 5 seconds to know that back inflate was for me. See if you can try different bc's from your LDS before buying or other club members if you're in a club.

I have never found a problem with swimming on my back on the surface - I keep hearing this thing about the things wanting to push you forward but can say I have never witnessed that or felt it myself.

Have some fun - have a play

Jonathan

 

[Ari]

...to one of the hottest discussion topics in ScubaBoard.

I use a back inflated BCD.

Ari

 

[Doof]

I didn't even bother to vote since you didn't include the H.U.B. in your poll. That has to be the slickest BC I've ever seen. Once my tax return gets here, I'm trading in my BP&W for one.

 

[divad]

Is that the one with the footrest that pops out in the reclining position?

 

[victoriawtx]

after much consideration of all the options. I made my decision based upon a lot of information I got off of the board and also some great people here that helped me out a lot. Good luck!

 

[MechDiver]

Doof once bubbled...
I didn't even bother to vote since you didn't include the H.U.B. in your poll. That has to be the slickest BC I've ever seen. Once my tax return gets here, I'm trading in my BP&W for one.

Once you have the HUB, you could get a CAP for it and make something useful

MD

 

[SA-Diver]

Went from jacket to back inflate about a year ago and will not go back.

 

[SeaJay]

And yes, the subject is very hotly debated here.

In the past year, in search of an answer for the exact question that you pose, I "demoed" somewhere in the vicinity of about 20 different buoyancy compensators... Everything from the H.U.B. system to a rudimentary backplate (the kind with no bladder at all attached). I dove a variety of mainstream BC's, including the popular high-end ones like the Scubapro Classic, the SeaQuest Pro QD+, the Scubapro Knighthawk, and several Sherwoods. By no stretch of the imagination have I dived them all, but I've dived a bunch.

There's a few truths which I have found to be evident, and generally agreed on by most people, no matter which BC they claim to be "best."

1. Fit is everything in a BC. Nothing is worse than a big, floaty, giant BC which does not hold everything where it's supposed to be. Well, okay... There's one thing that's worse, and that's a BC that's too tight, making it difficult to move, bend, flex, twist, or in extreme cases... Breathe.
2. Different BC's fit different people in different ways; thus, there's going to be lots of differing opinions on a lot of different BC's by a lot of different people.
3. BC's, just like all scuba gear, should be left in the dive bag. After all, who wants to swim with gear on? It only slows you down and gets in the way. Unfortunately, they are a necessary evil, just like the rest of our basic scuba gear. Thus, it's reasonable to develop a train of thought that "less is more," the exact opposite of what your local dive shop (LDS) wants you to believe (since they can charge more for "more BC").
4. Given that you must have some sort of attachment system holding everything together for you underwater, it's important to develop a very exact idea of what you want your BC to do for you. That said...
5. The number one purpose of your BC is to hold it all together for you. The ones that do this most effectively are the ones that are superior in design. What I'm talking about here is fit. The ones that allow more range of adjustment are superior in design.
6. The second purpose of your BC is to be stable. You want the BC to fit you well, not move around at all, and attach your gear to you in such a way that it's invisible to you underwater (not interfering with movement or your breathing) and at the same time completely stable. For this reason...
7. BC's that are more stable, such as those with a hard structure to them, are superior in design (at least, by the above definition).
8. BC's that allow a full range of adjustment for your individual body type are superior in design.
9. Simultaneously, BC's that stay "out of the way" and "disappear underwater" are superior in design.
10. BC's that last longer and are more durable are superior in design.
11. Comfort in the dive shop (on dry land) has absolutely nothing to do with how comfortable or uncomfortable the thing will be underwater. Remember, comfort on dry land has to do with the rig's ability to hold 60 pounds of gear. Comfort in the water has to do with the rig's ability to be "out of the way." Padding everywhere, so comfortable on dry land, only gets in the way underwater, and is pointless because your rig is neutrally buoyant underwater (that's why you inflate it a little, right?)
12. A BC that has the ability to be customized for your individual needs is superior in design. It should be capable of being used for travel, for saltwater, for freshwater, with either one or two tanks, and should allow you to be able to move things around on it and remove or add accessories such that you can completely customize your rig.

I have good things to say about the latest in "cool gear" BC's that your LDS might carry. I am fond of the Dive Rite Transpac II, the Scubapro Classic, the SeaQuest Black Diamond, Balance, and Pro QD+. I am fond of many of them.

But I have never seen anything quite so usable, durable, capable, changable, stable, and even comfortable as a backplate and wings.

So when it came time for me to plunk my money down, I bought a Halcyon backplate and wings and customized it for my needs. It wasn't the easiest route (there's a lot of work in putting one together and adjusting it) but it definitely has been the most rewarding.

Today I did a dive for 70 minutes with an AL80. Granted, it was very shallow water, but I used one tank from 2500 psi to 700 psi in 70 minutes, in a constant current of about 3 knots. In technical terms, my SAC was in the 40's. In simpler terms, my gear was so streamlined and worked so well with me that I was completely relaxed and comfortable and not at all working hard... So my air lasted longer. I got more out of my dive because I chose a simple, solid setup.

I can't tell you honestly that it was due completely to my choice in BC's... But it had a huge part of it.

I could dive anything I wanted... And many other divers, especially those who dive professionally, are in "the same boat." They most often choose a backplate and wing.

 

[leadweight]

First of all, I respect your choice of the BP Seajay. I can't think of anyone around here who went through a more thorough process.

I am comming to the conclusion that except in extreme cases the sort of maximum streamlining provided by a BP or TPII (in my case) is not that big a factor in air consumption. It is due to breathing technique, physiology, trim, bouyancy control and efficient movement.

On my last dive trip the champion breather on the boat was a petite lady with perfect bouyancy and trim, who gets lots of exercise, and has good breath control from playing woodwind musical instruments. Her gear was not very streamlined. The number two breather was also a petite female who could use a bit of improvement in trim. At the other extreme were two large men both of whom had fairly streamlined gear, perfect trim and bouyancy.

Did I mention trim? I am well aware that BP's help with trim. I get the same end result by threading weights on my top tank band. Just more than one way to skin the cat, as they say.

As for professional divers usig BP's, I don't exactly know who you are talking about. I have yet to see a divemaster in the Caribbean using a BP. The police divers around here all use a hardhat commercial rig and commercial diving uses surface supplied air in general. The military? They use the Zeagle Ranger, Sea Quest Black Diamond and IDI Advantage. Professional photographers and cinematographers mostly use jackets. The only divers I personally know who use BP's are cave and wreck divers who do that for fun.

In closing, this post is not meant to show that there is anything wrong with BP's. Indeed, I believe Seajay when he says his diving has improved as a result of buying one. However, air consumption is related to many factors with the choice of BC being a fairly minor one. Seajay, you must be doing something right, probably several things right if your SAC is improving. Congrats!