BP/W questions

[creamofwheat]

COW, it really helps if you have somebody who is familiar with the gear to help you set it up or check it -- either that, or invest in Mackay's book, Dress for Success, which goes through the setup and adjustment in detail with lots of pictures. And don't try the harness on over your drysuit the first time by yourself . . .LINK

great thread there TSandM.

I actually have plans to go diving with a guy next thursday to test out the BP/W. He's a tech diver and promised to show me the ropes of diving with a BP/W. The manager at my LDS put me in touch with him. I have never dove with this guy before, but i met him and he seems nice enough, so we'll just have to see how it goes! I'll be renting the BP/W from the shop, and if all goes well and i like it, i shall put it on my credit card and pretend i never bought it. (like i can really afford it right now. i'm already in debt and i am going on a $5,000 holiday later this year, so, um...yea, cant afford it, but, but!!! oh well. i'll just get more in debt i guess. that is, if i like it. but im pretty sure i will. )

 

[creamofwheat]

So. I dove with a BP/W for the first time ever today. All I can say is...WOW!!

i LOVE it. the guy i went with helped me adjust it and get it fitted right (and he thinks 2 more dives should have it perfect). It was really quite strange at first and i felt like quite a brand new diver who was struggling with buoyancy. it took a little while to figure out the best way to go about the buoyancy thing. but by the end of the second dive i improved a lot with it.

basically, my trim improved quite a bit, i dropped 2 lbs of led (not because of the steel BP, i am counting that weight...i actually dropped 2 full lbs) plus i was able to get rid of my ankle weights on the second dive.

it definitely takes a wee bit of getting used to, for sure, but i think if i purchase it and play around with it a bit more, i'll improve my skills with it quite a bit.

the only thing i dislike is that i had to wear a weightbelt. the weight sits in the small of my back and causes my back to arch which gets painful after a bit. if i purchase it, i think i'll need to get a harness so the weight can sit more on my sides instead. but that's a weight thing...not a BP/W thing.

in conclusion...i like. a lot.

 

[SeanQ]

Glad to hear you liked it.

If you don't want to wear a weightbelt there are other options. Steel tanks, weighted STA's, channel weights or weight pockets can help you position weight where you need and take it off the belt. You could always replace some weight with a canister light too.

 

[TSandM]

You don't have to have the weight on a weight belt in the small of your back -- in fact, none of mine IS in the small of my back, because that's where the bottom of my tank sits. I have one of the XS Scuba belts, and I have the pockets on my side. I don't have any problems with back discomfort from it.

 

[jagfish]

Heavy STA and a couple XS pockets (hold 2kg each)on my harness belt has always been all the weight I need.

 

[TSandM]

Well, COW and I have the same "excess buoyancy" problem and both carry amounts of weight that make others raise their brows, so I empathize. Right now, I've got a steel BP, 4 lbs on the cambands, and 18 pounds on my weight belt, but I may move yet more weight up off the belt.

 

[creamofwheat]

yea, dratted excess buoyancy. i am now down to 30 lbs. i can probably get rid of about 2 more, but not much more than that. i've come a long way from the 39 i was diving with on my checkout dives.

it was pretty much just a make-shift weight belt i was using today because i dont own my own, so i scavenged up whatever i could find in the weight bin at my LDS. it's definitely not a permanent option, but i just needed something quick that i could dive with for one day only. eventually, i'll either be in a harness, of a weight belt with soft weights that fit over the sides of my hips instead of the small of my back.

sigh. i wish i could dive with less weight. i really do, but after many buoyancy checks and weight reductions, i am pretty light even with 30lbs at 15ft with 500psi. there's just not much else i can do about it! oh well.