BP/Wings Disappointment???

[noshow]

I'm almost there but...

I have been reading many threads on this and many other forums during my research and pursuit of purchasing my equipment and more specifically my BCD. I have read many interesting posts with the author raving and excitedly thrilled at their recent switch to a Halcyon or BP/Wings setup from an older style or even as a first BCD for recreational diving.

I would like to know if there is anyone out there who has decided to switch from a "non BP/Wings" set up BCD for recreational diving to the BP/Wings and regretted it? Has anyone who has chosen the Halcyon as their first and primary BCD for recreational diving regretted it, and switched?

(I'm really kicking tires here )

 

[divedivedive!]

No one that I know of has actually tried them on underwater and still preferred the conventional styles. Some have put them on in the showroom and decided that there wasn't enough padding etc, and went back to their jackets and tech-recs. Their loss. Some instructors I know have switched back to jackets, because most of their diving these days are training dives, and it does make sense to dive what your students are diving so you don't confuse them. However on leisure trips they whip out the b/p and wing...

 

[roakey]

See the following thread for not only an answer to your question, but a poll with numbers:

http://www.scubaboard.com/t7209/s.html

Roak

 

[marco]

I got myself a backplate, harness, and wings for christmas and love them.

You don't feel how restricting a conventional BC is until you go back and use one after gettting used to the wings, especially when diving with nothing but a pair of shorts (or nothing at all) The water is nice and warm here in Australia.

The only thing i miss slightly is the loss of pockets but that is not a significan problem.

ALso with a stainless backplate you can take a couple of weights of the weight belt.

BTW i puchased an Alpah setup made here in Oz. I was looking at Halcyon, but with the exchange rates it was a bit pricey

 

[Rick Murchison]

I have 'em all - I dive 'em all...
My favorite rig for tropical diving is the Seaquest Explorer (no longer manufactured - I hate it when they discontinue the best - also, not to be confused with the the new Oceanic kid's BC or the "Explorer's" BC or the Halcyon Explorer wing) tropical BC - it's minimal and packs into the tiniest space of any BC I've ever seen.
My favorite teaching BC is the Pro-QD, an oversized jacket BC with tremendous lift capacity and excellent surface flotation characteristics - and excellent leverage for holding things up on the surface (like distressed students). It also has big enough pockets for me to carry plenty of doodads and toys - like a toypedo, for example - that are useful teaching aids.
For spearfishing, I sometimes use the Transpac II, but often use my old Techni-Pro, another discontinued one that's tough and reliable - and well acquainted with fish.
For (non-teaching) colder water, big steels or doubles, and all dives that could be considered "technical" I prefer the Transpac II...
Haven't used my backpack lately, but I reckon I'll break it out this summer and play with it some more. Who knows, I may find "the" dive I like it best for.
Every now and then, in late summer, just for fun and old times' sake, I put my old hard pack on the 72, mount the Conshelf on it and dive the old way - no weights (well, now I need two pounds in salt water), no wetsuit, no BC... still perfect buoyancy and ultimate diving freedom!
Oh yes, before I forget - and more to the subject at hand... I absolutely despise the BP/wing arrangement for photography.
Rick

 

[tchil01]

I did some pool time over the weekend with my new drysuit and my new Transpac II. It was the first time I got either of them wet. I love how the TP II feels and how secure everything felt. It did take a bit of getting used to to learn to roll to get my left shoulder up to get all of the air out of the wing, but after an hour or so it seemed like second nature. I spent the first half of the pool time using the TP II for buoyancy and the second half with the wing empty and just using the drysuit.

I can't wait to get to the quarry and try it out there.

Ty

 

[Blargh]

Originally posted by Rick Murchison
I have 'em all - I dive 'em all...

Oh yes, before I forget - and more to the subject at hand... I absolutely despise the BP/wing arrangement for photography.
Rick

oh well... I'll bite

why ?

 

[Scubaroo]

I'll take a guess as I'm about to try some photography with my BP/wings over the next few weeks - a properly balanced BP/wings rig puts you into a horizontal attitude in the water, which is fine as long as you just want to take pictures of the bottom directly beneath you I've been composing a lot of shots in my mind's eye on recent dives for future visits with a camera, and I know for a lot of them I'll need to be more vertical than horizontal, so *perfect* bouyancy control will be required so I can position myself in what would be an unstreamlined attitude for swimming, so I can look through the viewfinder for the shot while remaining in the one spot... might try an aluminum tank instead of steel for those photography dives to help with my photography "trim".

 

[Rick Murchison]

Originally posted by Blargh



oh well... I'll bite

why ?

The BP/Wing is superior at maintaining the horizontal, belly down position - a position rarely used for good photography. On your side, upside down, on your back, on your head... a close-fitting jacket with minimal air-shifting is best... wings suck.
Rick