darylm74
Contributor
Canadian_Diver:
....making assumptions make a 4 legged burden bearing creature out of you. I made several more dives (if you look for one of my previous posts) in a BCD than I ever made in a BP/W. My previous BCD fit just fine however I made sure my new one fit evern better when I came off my hiatus. Also, when I state "unbelivable" it is more with respect to a perspective based upon what I do diving wise now compared to much of my general complaints about being stuck in the great white north, whether it be ice diving, cold water diving in general or even quarry diving. I generally hate the cold and it is a miracle that I have done some cold water diving that many of my fellow divers here think I'm crazy for doing. I love being under the ice or in the cold water, etc.
I found the BP/W to greatly increase my SAC rate, comfortability as well as other skills like being able to control myself, trim etc. It was an incredible change that happened over a matter of a couple dives after switching to a BP/W so the experience issue becomes a minute point. I belive I answered the original question about the BP/W becoming more popular and I just recaped my experience on how I switched from a BCD to a BP/W. Unless you have worn my shoes then my question to you is, who are you to judge and/or understand? This is as bad as many of the cigar "afficiendos" who believe one cigar is better than another , when it is merely a point of "perspective" and not based upon any scientific fact. I never stated that a BP/W was better than a BCD, unless you were trying to read between lines that were not there. I merely stated that I have done unbelivable things (back to my perspective and NO ONE elses) such as almost immediately reducing SAC rate, huge comfort increase (including confident increase) that I never felt in a BCD.
If you're going to solve this through some sort of belivable means, then the best idea may be to take groups of OW students, with the same teachers, environment, etc., putting some in BP/W and some in BCDs and run them through the same OW courses. Then have some means of scientifically (with a standard measurement index) evaluating their trim, abilities, SAC rate, etc. Until someone does something like this, it is all merely speculative and frankly a lot of bull crap.
.....this BS all takes away from the original question about whether or not BP/W has become more popular. As stated earlier, more information is available on BP/W in the recreational world and a) that I changed and b) I made significant strides in performance, which means that c) the possiblity exists that some people can make similiar strides and d) others may be able to if the above mentioned scientific study was truly done...
.....until then it is all perspective, so what is your point?
