BP/W and New Divers

[gstroupe]

All,
I have been on the boards for a while now researching BP/W setups and I am really starting to wonder something. The dive shops around me, and the instructors as well, do not seem to promote BP/W setups for new divers (or at all for that matter). In the research I've done from reading the boards and building my own BP/W setup, it seems to me that this setup is favorable to the jacket style from several perspectives namely cost, flexibility, and simplicity. Maybe it's just the shops I deal with or the instructors I have trained with...who knows. I frequent about 5 different shops in my area and only one shop even sells backplates and they only have one in stock. Do shops in warmer waters promote these setups more? Is there a reason new students are "encouraged" to dive a jacket style BC?

Disclaimer: I don't want this to turn into an us vs. them conversation or a bashing of certification agencies. I just wondered if the shops (and students) in my area are missing out on something.

 

[BabyDuck]

i think it's a perception thing. they're perceived as being for the hard-core, and you can't be hard-core as a newbie, so shops don't even try to go there. plus, realistically, i bet not many newbies want them. they look intimidating and don't have interesting colors and hidden secret zippers or whatever, and a newbie's perception is that they're not as 'fun'. however, what those newbies don't know is that i have a lovely plate with my screenname glass-beaded on in big calligraphy, and tekdivegirl has a pink enameled one...

 

[matt_unique]

They are also cheaper than many BC's. I spent $450 on my Seaquest Balance as I recall. If I knew then what I know now....

--Matt

 

[TheRedHead]

Hey, that's a thought, BabyDuck .... backplate skins could be really fun. I was talking to the guy at the local LDS today about BP/W. He had just made an order with Dive Rite because I ordered an STA and he decided that he would buy more of the line. He was of the opinion that some shops really push them because there is nothing new to sell seasoned divers and that's why they are becomming more and more popular.

I couldn't really agree with that because no one here sells backplates and it appears to me to be a customer-driven preference. This shop has been listed as a Dive Rite dealer for several years and have never had any Dive Rite in stock.

 

[BabyDuck]

love the skins idea!! that would be way cool! wonder if we could get the company that does the tank ones to do a bit of research & give us some to try out?

at least one shop in my area stocks wings, plates, harness stuff, pockets, etc, but they can be hard for some folks to find. and not all shops that have the stuff have any idea how to help you think about what you need. and they *do* look intimidating! but my slapstrap keeps me sane...

hmm, a 'dealer' without any stock. wonder why?

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

I imagine new divers are encouraged to use jackets just because that's the way it is as much as anything. A lot of new divers like all the pockets and whatnot. The jacket makes them feel safer on the surface. A BP/W doesn't look all that cool to your general new resort diver. And the bigger companies don't make or promote BP/Ws for the most part.

And actually, I would think that shops near colder waters would sell BP/W units more than those in warmer areas. IMO, the BP/W advantages are really apparent for the cold water diver who needs a lot of weight and exposure protection. In the tropics, almost any small BC will do. That's not to say a BP/W isn't good in the tropics, but I think it has more distinct advantages for cold water divers.

Basically, I think the industry hasn't yet embraced BP/W setups on a large scale. I don't know if they ever will. But their popularity is relatively recent, and stab jackets have been around for more than 20 years. Change comes slowly...

 

[LavaSurfer]

I don't know if its PADI or just instructors but the push for new divers is to buy a vest type BC. I was told in my OW course that back inflation devices are dangerous because in an unconsous diver situation on the surface they tend to force your face in the water.

I have had a few people in the LDC tell me the same story.

It seems there are some misconceptions out ther and they propogate all over the place.
Some instructors require vest type BC's for the checkout dives.

I have yet to see a DM on a boat wear a BP/W system.

Whats the story there?

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

They are also cheaper than many BC's. I spent $450 on my Seaquest Balance as I recall. If I knew then what I know now....

--Matt

I see this advantage pushed here a lot, but I don't buy it. Sure, a BP/W can be put together relatively cheaply with, say, a Hammerhead plate and Oxycheq wing. But even those two parts are going to be ~$400. Then you need webbing and hardware. Do people really manage to put together a BP/W for less than $450?

I see lots of advantages to BP/W setups for some people, but cost just isn't one of them. There are a lot of BCs to be had for equal or less than a BP/W.

 

[BabyDuck]

my instructor wore a bp, and lots of dm's wear them on nc boats. i guess it's a regional thang...

 

[LavaSurfer]

I see this advantage pushed here a lot, but I don't buy it. Sure, a BP/W can be put together relatively cheaply with, say, a Hammerhead plate and Oxycheq wing. But even those two parts are going to be ~$400. Then you need webbing and hardware. Do people really manage to put together a BP/W for less than $450?

I see lots of advantages to BP/W setups for some people, but cost just isn't one of them. There are a lot of BCs to be had for equal or less than a BP/W.

I AGREE totally.
A good BC can be had for $120 bucks.
I have a Mares 1000 Denier BC that is sweet.
Light, Durable, Low Cost, Works!
Can't touch a BP/W for 3 x that.

Yet still, I want a wing!