BC's with "Elevator" Lever

[Nick_W]

Trust me, BP/W is no more tech than a SMB. For the most, it's the dive, not the gear, that make it tech.

No, no, no. We all know that you aren't a real diver unless you look like this when you're going out for a nice, relaxing, weekend dive.

Well, I have to assume there's a BP/W in there somewhere anyway.

 

[dkatchalov]

Wow,

Let's not over emphasize my statement about diving Tech... I know their are thousands of tech divers reading this thread and wouldn't mind me becomming 1001 diver to the club...

However, I'm fully content with what I have and wouldn't trade it for tech if you spoke to me tommorrow and gave me full credit. I'm doing my navigation and exploring very efficiently as of today.

If I'm ready to upgrade it will be to the Tech equipment. Would I change that tommorrow, NO I WOULD NOT, NOT YET.

I cannot and will not promote the tech equipment BP/W setup etc since I have no eperience in any of that gear. That equipment to me is left to the experts of diving of which I am not.

I'm a beginner and my equipment is super easy compared to what the majority of OW divers dive with under rentals; in my opinion just crude.... and I'm being nice....

My background doesn't allow me to compare and contrast tech equipment with mine... I'm the guppy in the big pond learning but I'm learing with great equipment because I feel safe and that's key in diving....

So all you Tech divers out there, keep diving and promoting your wealth of info to us new divers, knowledge is power, I'm just not one of you yet....

MG

Hey Mike, I know you already bought your gear, etc but I just don't want you thinking that a bp/w setup is the exclusive realm of tech divers - that is far from the truth. Yes a bp/w takes some time to initially setup (took me a week to get it right) and a couple of dives to tune it 100% right, but once you lock it in, it is 10 times easier to dive with than a jacket. The feeling of freedom is unbelievable. Not to mention how much easier it is to get into - just one buckle to do up and thats it (maybe another one if you use the chest strap).

There is absolutely nothing complicated about diving with a bp/w and no, you don't float "face down" in the water. Not with my setup anyway.

Just don't want you to feel limited about when you can switch to a bp/w. You can't do it early enough

 

[RonFrank]

No, no, no. We all know that you aren't a real diver unless you look like this when you're going out for a nice, relaxing, weekend dive.

Damn! That due has more stages than an Mars Lunar Probe getting launched into space! It's funny to look at, but that dude know what he is doing, and likely has more training than a MIT professor....

 

[RonFrank]

I've read most of the thread and here are a few thoughts:

There is nothing wrong with new technology, but I like to see Standardization in key components of dive gear. That would include inflater's.

One reason for this is because if your BC goes missing on a flight, and you must rent, it's going to be much safer to be comfortable with what is already a strange (rental) BC because it will at the very least operate the way you are used to diving.

A potentially more important consideration is are your buddies going to know how to work this thing in the case of an emergency. There you are, passed out, and no one can figure out how to dump air? Not good.

I spoke to the Aqualung rep about this BC a couple months back. He was just raving about how great it was. I suggested that if it was not a Back Inflate style, that I'd never consider it. He said they can't work the *elevator* button on anything but Jacket style BC's, and he said the elevator inflater also could not be attached to a hose (my second question). I think they are working on both of these concepts, but it did not sound promising at least based on current design.

The good news was that the dump is mechanical, so less to go wrong. The bad news is that I can't see anyone who has been diving for any amount of time giving this contraption a chance as it's not what 99% of the diving community is comfortable with. It also does have more moving parts, and will be more subject to failure. This is something we won't see for a while.

For those that dive this contraption (and anything similar, like the HUB for example) I strongly recommend you pull aside any buddy, and walk them through this contraption prior to a dive. No where in rescue did they teach the, "And if you can't find an inflater hose, look for a dump/inflater lever" technique.

Suggesting this innovation is like split fins, or a subframe mask, is non applicable. I know where to find one's fins, or mask, but what I would not know would be how to handle a diver in an emergency wearing one of these things.

 

[SteveAD]

No one at Break Water has the i3 except me, I have never seen my clone yet. Everyone has what the dive shop sells, or I see tech divers looking like they are on missions for NASA.... Remember they don't dive, they explore and navigate...

I'm yet to bump into someone that has any of my gear; wetsuit, regulator, mask, computer or compass I probably never will... I do see a lot of split fin Atomics...

But all my gear is unique to me and how I built it up from scratch, what I believed was fit for me and only me...

MG

This has got to be the least compelling argument I have ever heard.

If no one is diving the same stuff as me that would make me wonder what they know that I don't. NOT the other way around.

 

[Nick_W]

Hey Mike, I know you already bought your gear, etc but I just don't want you thinking that a bp/w setup is the exclusive realm of tech divers - that is far from the truth. Yes a bp/w takes some time to initially setup (took me a week to get it right) and a couple of dives to tune it 100% right, but once you lock it in, it is 10 times easier to dive with than a jacket. The feeling of freedom is unbelievable. Not to mention how much easier it is to get into - just one buckle to do up and thats it (maybe another one if you use the chest strap).

There is absolutely nothing complicated about diving with a bp/w and no, you don't float "face down" in the water. Not with my setup anyway.

Just don't want you to feel limited about when you can switch to a bp/w. You can't do it early enough

What I want to know is why people who dive a bp/w feel the constant need to try to convert everyone to their way? I've tried a bp/w and I hated it. It isn't for everyone. Just because you like it doesn't mean he will. If he's happy with his jacket then that's what he should dive.

Damn! That due has more stages than an Mars Lunar Probe getting launched into space! It's funny to look at, but that dude know what he is doing, and likely has more training than a MIT professor....

I'm sure he does. He sure doesn't look comfortable though.

 

[zen_man]

No, no, no. We all know that you aren't a real diver unless you look like this when you're going out for a nice, relaxing, weekend dive.

This picture is a thing of beauty!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I dive overweighted every dive. Most of the people I dive with do also. We don't wear weightbelts. We don't CHOOSE to be overweight. The simple fact of the matter is that some divers in some configurations will ALWAYS be overweighted. And must mitigate that with redundancy.


Perhaps it might be prudent to say that a diver should not be more overweight than by the weight of their gas. This might be more realistic.

The only time I could imagine a diver would be overweighted and not able to remedy the problem by getting rid of weight would be if they were diving in very warm water and using only a t-shirt and shorts and then using a negatively buoyant steel tank and lets throw an aluminum or stainless back plate. Then I guess even without a weight belt you would be negative.
My guess is that you are in this type of situation or you are into tech diving with doubles and stages?

I was more talking about regular single tank diving in full cold water gear like how Mike's diving in Monterey.

BTW, even if I was diving in very warm water I would at least have a thin wetsuit on and switch to an aluminum tank if I had to to try and off set the negative buoyancy.

 

[PerroneFord]

My guess is ...or you are into tech diving with doubles and stages?

Bingo. And unfortunately, that type of diving often leads to being overweight. Which is not always a bad thing. I would MUCH rather be overweighted in a cave, than underweighted.

 

[Nemrod]

When I began training for OW my dive instructor had a field day with me; arguing all day and evening about how dangerous an i3 could be...

If she had got her way, I'd be diving an exact copy of all her gear; tech of course...

I read and read and read from magazines online and spoke to many different dive shops around the SF Bay Area and none carried the i3 on display but one...

I drove to their location, played with it for a while drove back to my LDS and had them order me one. They nearly fell out of their chairs against all the better judgement they had construed against it....

No one at Break Water has the i3 except me, I have never seen my clone yet. Everyone has what the dive shop sells, or I see tech divers looking like they are on missions for NASA.... Remember they don't dive, they explore and navigate...

I'm yet to bump into someone that has any of my gear; wetsuit, regulator, mask, computer or compass I probably never will... I do see a lot of split fin Atomics...

But all my gear is unique to me and how I built it up from scratch, what I believed was fit for me and only me...

I only have 11 dives yes, I'm really new but since my i3 and equipment, I'm really happy and actually have dreams about diving, that's a great experience...

I know that in the future I will dive Tech, I can feel the urge to suit up in all their gear and really explore and become part of NASA with my missions

But so far I know that it won't be any time soon and so I continue to roll out my mini adventures in my not so accepted scuba gear the i3 by Sea Quest...

MG

Your gear is not all that unique, it is about like a million others I have seen. I am not saying bad or good but certainly not all that unique. I am all for you diving your rig, enjoying it and learning from it--have fun--but don't kid yourself into thinking your the only one.

BTW, BP and wings are not technical, it is just that most technical and EXPERIENCED divers prefer simpler and more funtional rigs.

N