The horse collar kind of looks like a wing but in your front, no?
Note, I've never seen one in real life or in use, I don't think.
Note, I've never seen one in real life or in use, I don't think.
Bob Hollis has passed, founder of Oceanic
- Thread starter Akimbo
- Start date
Please register or login
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
- Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
- A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
- You can make this box go away
OP
The horse collar BC was the natural evolution from the inflatable life vest known as the Mae West. The design objective was to keep your face above water, like non-inflatable life jackets.
The start of recreational diving was after World War II and the enormous surplus of war materials. It was quite common for early divers in the US to purchase surplus Mae West vests made for aircraft crews. The intent was to only use them for surface floatation.
As the surplus vests rotted and the sport grew, manufacturers started making very close copies of the military Mae West vests. Maurice Fenzy developed the Bouée Fenzy for divers in the French Navy. The main difference was the bladder was larger, a small HP cylinder replaced the CO2 cartridge so it could be fully inflated at depth (more than 60m/200'), and a relief/OVP valve was added.
International Marine Supply started importing the Bouée Fenzy to the US around 1968. That original version is on the left:
Similar threads
