BC's with "Elevator" Lever

[DiveDryCarter]

Some of you guys are just too much. You must really be intimated by this bc.
What the hell are you so afraid of? No, don't answer that. Most people are just ignoring the damn thing, but some of you are really having problems dealing with it.

 

[CBulla]

I'm looking at their sizing chart on the Aqua Lung website - http://www.aqualung.com/us/content/view/60/129/ - according to their height and weight concepts, this thing would fit me like a friggin dinner jacket! The height concept says Small, the weight concept says L or XL. I don't think I could comfortably try one to try it if I wanted to.

 

[RJP]

...perhaps I am alone in my principles, but I absolutely cannot stand having to raise a hose above my head to go down...

Yeah, they say that having to raise a hose above your head for 1/2 second is the one thing that keeps most people away from diving.

 

[old gaffer]

I visited a very respected LDS the other day and talked with an instructor that works there who has over 25 years of experience instructing as well as tech diving. They sell all that you need to set up your own BP/W, they also have back inflate bc's as well as jacket style bcd's including the i3. I asked what he uses and he said that he has a BP/W for dual tank diving (which he loves) but he prefers using a back inflate bcd for single tank, he prefers both over jacket style bcd's for the reason many stated here that you tend to be less encumbered and also do not get squeezed when inflated. He said the notion that a back inflate or bp/w keeps you in a more horizontal profile when diving is BS. He said with a jacket if you are properly weighted and are using proper inflation the air will go to your back when horizontal or to your shoulders when vertical and said that a bp/w or back inflate will do that exact same thing.

I currently own a Seaquest Pro QD and was looking at the i3 for only one reason and that was that I liked the idea of the lever for dumping air from all ports at once. I will admit that after reading this thread and also talking to the LDS that I am considering a back inflate or BP/W.

Gaffer

 

[MikeFerrara]

He said the notion that a back inflate or bp/w keeps you in a more horizontal profile when diving is BS. He said with a jacket if you are properly weighted and are using proper inflation the air will go to your back when horizontal or to your shoulders when vertical and said that a bp/w or back inflate will do that exact same thing.

I'm not sure where you heard that but I would certainly agree that you can get horizontal with any kind of BC, weighted and balance permiting.

One way a back plate often helps with this is that many people and equipment configurations result in the weight being lower on the body then the buoyancy. This mismatch between the "center of gravity" and the "center of buoyancy" (apposing forces) causes the diver to be trimmed for something other than horizontal. A plate that has weight...like a steel plate, helps get some of the weight up where many divers need it. If the center of buoyancy and the center of gravity are in the exact same spot, the diver can assume and maintain any position without effort because there are no apposing forces.

Nothing keeps you horizontal except weight/balance and skill (proper body position)

 

[richerso]

I love this thread! It just keeps going and going. Kind of like the energizer bunny!

I dive a jacket BC and a back-inflate BC (not on the same dive) just depending on what kind of mood I am in. I find it simple and easy to trim both but maybe that's just a skill thing.

Also, with regard to the elevator lever, elevator lever doesn't work well with most commercially available dry suits. Just hadn't heard anybody make this point yet. I find that hard to believe after 300 posts! But then again, I didn't read all 300.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I dive a jacket BC and a back-inflate BC (not on the same dive) just depending on what kind of mood I am in. I find it simple and easy to trim both but maybe that's just a skill thing.

Skill is part of it. The other part is simple mechanics.

Your own build and other equipment being used like exposure suits can make it easyier or harder...more precisely can cause the centers to move closer together or further apart.

For example, a person with a big floaty butt might need most of their weight down low near their hips and it may work out well to have a buoyant bc (many are buoyant even with no air in them)
.
Someone like me who is neutral or even slightly negative with legs that sink won't do well with a setup like that. I need my weight up higher on my body and buoyant bc's are going the wrong direction.

The skill part is in being able assume the position you want and compensate for minor changes in balance with body position. Not only can this change with suit compression but also as we use up the air in the tank and it becomes more buoyant.

 

[zen_man]

I can't get the little flash demo diver to run into the sand or perform an uncontrollable ascend. Wow! It's so hi tech, it can defy the laws of physics!

Aqua Lung: First to Dive

 

[DepthJunkie]

Anybody dive swimmies? I'm looking to try it and need some advice. My son (3) wears one on each arm ,but his experience is limited. Any other configurations?

 

[MikeFerrara]

Anybody dive swimmies? I'm looking to try it and need some advice. My son (3) wears one on each arm ,but his experience is limited. Any other configurations?

Does Aqualung make those too?