ShoalDiverSA
Contributor
I finally dived with my Golem Gear 35# SS BP/Wing on Saturday. I must admit that I had quite a bit of trepidation leading up to this dive, as I was making the change from a jacket BC without a mentor. Fortunately I got a lot of good guidance from this forum, as well as PMs from other members and the equipment supplier.
I spent quite a few hours after receiving the kit setting the harness up for my body. My wife was most understanding of me kneeling on all fours with my complete gear (including cylinder) on(!). She was also most helpful in taking photos of me from various angles, so that I could see whether the BP and D-rings were sitting in the correct positions.
The night before the dive, I donned all the gear again, but this time focussed on the positioning of the octo, my torch, my Cobra. I must admit that it is tricky rigging a non-DIR reg configuration and equipment on this rig. But I think I got the rig set up nicely, in such a way that a buddy used to the "standard" configuration would not be confused by the layout. Please excuse the proliferation of "suicide clips" in the photos below - I had to make do with what I had on hand. The bolt snaps will be on order soon!
The morning of the dive, I discussed my new BC with the DM. He gave some pointers as he was diving with a Scubapro S-Tek. I warned him that I may need more help than usual on the boat and that I may ask him for some help during the dive.
For kitting up, I was planning to flip the rig over my head (and had practised this a couple of times at home). But, much to the relief of my lower back, the DM put the rig on the pontoon of the RIB and suggested that I try the "normal" method first. I put my right arm in first (I am left-handed and wear my dive watch on the right arm) and then my left. It was a bit of a squeeze to get my left arm back, but no worse than when I forgot to loosen the arm straps on my jacket BC before kitting up.
I had some fun getting the crotch strap through on the swaying boat. I also managed to twist it at first, but that was easily solved.
So that was the first hurdle cleared: kitting up. I also cleared up one uncertainty for myself - I would not need a plastic clip on the left arm harness loop to give me some slack for kitting up.
The backward roll entry was somewhat of a surprise. I was expecting to feel the BP when the cylinder hit the water, but there was no jabbing evident.
I released air out of the wing and duck-dived. No drama on the surface at all.
I started adding small doses of air as I descended. We reached the bottom and I made the final adjustments to my buoyancy. I was horizontal!!! To understand why I was so excited and impressed by this, you would have to see me in my jacket BC. Usually when I got to the bottom, I was at a 45 degree angle. I would then have to make a concious effort to get horizontal. This effort would have to be maintained throughout the dive. I am not discounting that I may have been at fault, and I am not saying that this BP/Wing is some magical cure-all, but it did improve my trim in the water instantly.
I spent a few minutes at the start of the dive getting accustomed to the different behaviour of this rig versus my jacket BC. I lay horizontal, then turned onto my left side, held it there for a few seconds, then turned on my right side and held it there. Diving with this BC was so natural. I can already see why many people advocate the use of the BP/Wing from the get-go. IMHO, it is much simpler to adjust your buoyancy characteristics than with a jacket BC.
I thoroughly enjoyed my improved trim during the dive. I also noticed that the cylinder was barely noticeable on my back. This is probably due to most of the lift from the wing being applied to the cylinder (via the BP) and not me (as with my jacket BC).
As my wing is horseshoe shaped, I tried to "feel" the air in the wing, so that I could get used to dumping primarily from the inflator hose. I had no problem dumping some air to adjust my buoyancy through the dive as we ascended gradually. We did not have big swings of depth on this dive, so I will probably get to better test the ease of air dumping in future dives.
Towards the end of the dive, I started "stressing" a bit about my safety stop and the "throw you on your face" effect at the surface.
The safety stop was no different to my previous dives. I dumped all the air from the wing and was just about neutrally buoyant. I am probably going to lose another kilo of lead for my next dive just to see how it goes...
On the surface, I partially re-inflated the wing. I did not have to inflate it all the way to keep my face comfortably far enough off the surface. I really did not find that the tendency of the wing to pitch me forward on my face was that pronounced. I am sure that the fact that I was diving with my steel cylinder helped in this regard - but I was expecting a lot worse! I just lay back a bit and actually enjoyed being able to ride the wing like a raft!
The de-kitting was the only real issue on the dive. Standard practice on the RIBs down here is that the weight belt is removed first and handed to the Skipper, followed by the BC and then the mask. Seeing that I had donned my weight belt first and then my crotch strap, I had to loosen the BP harness first, release the crotch strap and then my weight belt. As soon as the crotch strap was released, the rig rode up my back up to my head. I removed the weight belt and handed it to the Skipper while finning a bit. As soon as he had taken it. I swung out of the rig and leaned on it for some extra buoyancy. This was a bit of a surprise (although I should have foreseen it!), but it was not dramatic at all. I guess that I will become more proficient with de-kitting as I dive with this equipment. I may try lying back on the rig to prevent it sliding up while removing the weight belt. Maybe this works - any thoughts or tips ?...
All in all, this first dive with my BP/Wing was most satisfying. I discovered that I could have good trim without investing in all manner of distributed weights. Because the harness "hangs" me by my shoulders and "britches", I am inherently stable in the water. I just did not experience this with my jacket BC. But comparisons are odious, and I am just glad that I bought a piece of equipment that worked well for me. I would honestly and without reservation suggest that anyone thinking of getting a BP/Wing BC give it a twirl. Unfortunately, I do not have any shops in my area that keep demo units (or sell them for that matter!), so I had to go straight to buying one - with the possibility of huge disappointment.
Items that need attention for my next dive:
Medium term issues to be solved:
As an aside, I am extremely happy with the quality of the Golem Gear wing and backplate. The gear is really tough and I am convinced that I will be needing any patches in the foreseeable future! The plates have super-smooth radiused edges (like glass). The mere fact that the whole harness is pre-rigged was a big bonus for me - I just had to adjust the tri-glides to suit my body. I also found the tank bands cams to be rock-solid with a very positive action.
Another happy customer signing out.
Cheers,
Andrew
PS: Thanks to all the BP/Wing afficionados for all the advice, information and propaganda!
I spent quite a few hours after receiving the kit setting the harness up for my body. My wife was most understanding of me kneeling on all fours with my complete gear (including cylinder) on(!). She was also most helpful in taking photos of me from various angles, so that I could see whether the BP and D-rings were sitting in the correct positions.
The night before the dive, I donned all the gear again, but this time focussed on the positioning of the octo, my torch, my Cobra. I must admit that it is tricky rigging a non-DIR reg configuration and equipment on this rig. But I think I got the rig set up nicely, in such a way that a buddy used to the "standard" configuration would not be confused by the layout. Please excuse the proliferation of "suicide clips" in the photos below - I had to make do with what I had on hand. The bolt snaps will be on order soon!
The morning of the dive, I discussed my new BC with the DM. He gave some pointers as he was diving with a Scubapro S-Tek. I warned him that I may need more help than usual on the boat and that I may ask him for some help during the dive.
For kitting up, I was planning to flip the rig over my head (and had practised this a couple of times at home). But, much to the relief of my lower back, the DM put the rig on the pontoon of the RIB and suggested that I try the "normal" method first. I put my right arm in first (I am left-handed and wear my dive watch on the right arm) and then my left. It was a bit of a squeeze to get my left arm back, but no worse than when I forgot to loosen the arm straps on my jacket BC before kitting up.
I had some fun getting the crotch strap through on the swaying boat. I also managed to twist it at first, but that was easily solved.
So that was the first hurdle cleared: kitting up. I also cleared up one uncertainty for myself - I would not need a plastic clip on the left arm harness loop to give me some slack for kitting up.
The backward roll entry was somewhat of a surprise. I was expecting to feel the BP when the cylinder hit the water, but there was no jabbing evident.
I released air out of the wing and duck-dived. No drama on the surface at all.
I started adding small doses of air as I descended. We reached the bottom and I made the final adjustments to my buoyancy. I was horizontal!!! To understand why I was so excited and impressed by this, you would have to see me in my jacket BC. Usually when I got to the bottom, I was at a 45 degree angle. I would then have to make a concious effort to get horizontal. This effort would have to be maintained throughout the dive. I am not discounting that I may have been at fault, and I am not saying that this BP/Wing is some magical cure-all, but it did improve my trim in the water instantly.
I spent a few minutes at the start of the dive getting accustomed to the different behaviour of this rig versus my jacket BC. I lay horizontal, then turned onto my left side, held it there for a few seconds, then turned on my right side and held it there. Diving with this BC was so natural. I can already see why many people advocate the use of the BP/Wing from the get-go. IMHO, it is much simpler to adjust your buoyancy characteristics than with a jacket BC.
I thoroughly enjoyed my improved trim during the dive. I also noticed that the cylinder was barely noticeable on my back. This is probably due to most of the lift from the wing being applied to the cylinder (via the BP) and not me (as with my jacket BC).
As my wing is horseshoe shaped, I tried to "feel" the air in the wing, so that I could get used to dumping primarily from the inflator hose. I had no problem dumping some air to adjust my buoyancy through the dive as we ascended gradually. We did not have big swings of depth on this dive, so I will probably get to better test the ease of air dumping in future dives.
Towards the end of the dive, I started "stressing" a bit about my safety stop and the "throw you on your face" effect at the surface.
The safety stop was no different to my previous dives. I dumped all the air from the wing and was just about neutrally buoyant. I am probably going to lose another kilo of lead for my next dive just to see how it goes...
On the surface, I partially re-inflated the wing. I did not have to inflate it all the way to keep my face comfortably far enough off the surface. I really did not find that the tendency of the wing to pitch me forward on my face was that pronounced. I am sure that the fact that I was diving with my steel cylinder helped in this regard - but I was expecting a lot worse! I just lay back a bit and actually enjoyed being able to ride the wing like a raft!
The de-kitting was the only real issue on the dive. Standard practice on the RIBs down here is that the weight belt is removed first and handed to the Skipper, followed by the BC and then the mask. Seeing that I had donned my weight belt first and then my crotch strap, I had to loosen the BP harness first, release the crotch strap and then my weight belt. As soon as the crotch strap was released, the rig rode up my back up to my head. I removed the weight belt and handed it to the Skipper while finning a bit. As soon as he had taken it. I swung out of the rig and leaned on it for some extra buoyancy. This was a bit of a surprise (although I should have foreseen it!), but it was not dramatic at all. I guess that I will become more proficient with de-kitting as I dive with this equipment. I may try lying back on the rig to prevent it sliding up while removing the weight belt. Maybe this works - any thoughts or tips ?...
All in all, this first dive with my BP/Wing was most satisfying. I discovered that I could have good trim without investing in all manner of distributed weights. Because the harness "hangs" me by my shoulders and "britches", I am inherently stable in the water. I just did not experience this with my jacket BC. But comparisons are odious, and I am just glad that I bought a piece of equipment that worked well for me. I would honestly and without reservation suggest that anyone thinking of getting a BP/Wing BC give it a twirl. Unfortunately, I do not have any shops in my area that keep demo units (or sell them for that matter!), so I had to go straight to buying one - with the possibility of huge disappointment.
Items that need attention for my next dive:
- Position of left hip D-ring for Cobra & improve attachment method for Cobra
- Cut harnesses to length (left slack on belt harness for this dive)
- Lie back while de-kitting on the surface
Medium term issues to be solved:
- Move compass on Cobra to left arm (buy DSS boot)
- Bolt snaps!!
- Weight pouches for tank cam straps (XS Scuba or similar)
- Add bungie loops to BP to hold Safety Sausage
As an aside, I am extremely happy with the quality of the Golem Gear wing and backplate. The gear is really tough and I am convinced that I will be needing any patches in the foreseeable future! The plates have super-smooth radiused edges (like glass). The mere fact that the whole harness is pre-rigged was a big bonus for me - I just had to adjust the tri-glides to suit my body. I also found the tank bands cams to be rock-solid with a very positive action.
Another happy customer signing out.
Cheers,
Andrew
PS: Thanks to all the BP/Wing afficionados for all the advice, information and propaganda!
