Diving with wings...Tips for new user

[Jackie]

This is my first post to the board, so bear with me. I need to upgrade my trusty old diva to a BCD that can handle cold water diving....I have pushed her beyond her limits-

I dive dry with just a single (100 steel). Also on anything off a boat in the NE I use a 30cuft pony. I don't see myself diving doubles. My air consumption is good and my diving is in the 130' or less range. yes, it would be nice not to swap out in between dives, but I find getting back on the boat being the most challenging part of some of my dives, depending on the conditions and also the type of ladder. Some boats do not have T ladders (or xmas tree, etc).
I want to go move to BP/Wings. This winter I'll do a little test diving in the pool. Any tips you can offer to make the transition would be great. A few people have warned me off in terms of the difference in back inflation systems- but many obviously go this direction.
My local shop deals in OMS. Your ideas and recommendations as well as techniques would be greatly appreciated.

 

[cool_hardware52]

This is my first post to the board, so bear with me. I need to upgrade my trusty old diva to a BCD that can handle cold water diving....I have pushed her beyond her limits-

I dive dry with just a single (100 steel). Also on anything off a boat in the NE I use a 30cuft pony. I don't see myself diving doubles. My air consumption is good and my diving is in the 130' or less range. yes, it would be nice not to swap out in between dives, but I find getting back on the boat being the most challenging part of some of my dives, depending on the conditions and also the type of ladder. Some boats do not have T ladders (or xmas tree, etc).
I want to go move to BP/Wings. This winter I'll do a little test diving in the pool. Any tips you can offer to make the transition would be great. A few people have warned me off in terms of the difference in back inflation systems- but many obviously go this direction.
My local shop deals in OMS. Your ideas and recommendations as well as techniques would be greatly appreciated.

Jackie,

Using a BP&W is not difficult. Initial set up is a bit more involved, but nothing difficult. Diving it once you have it dialed should be easier, (kinda like cheating.)

Like all gear that you wear, fit is important. You need a plate that fits, and offers the weight your diving requires. Sounds to me you are diving in cold water. A Stainless Plate is most likely the best choice.

Last is the selection of a wing. The modular nature of a BP&W allows matching the wing to the application. You needs a singles wing. In cold water lift is primarily a function of the buoyancy of your exposure suit. Do you know how buoyant your Exposure suit is? If not you can estimate the buoyancy if you know your current configuration, or you can test it in a pool.

Let me know if you have other questions.



Tobin

 

[TSandM]

Jackie, I watched a relatively novice diver do his first dive in a BP/W/long hose setup today. He was thrilled. He wasn't properly weighted, for a bunch of reasons, nor was he perfectly trimmed out, but he was happy with the gear in the parking lot, before he ever dove it. When he got out of the water, he was completely sold.

It's not a hard transition. The biggest issue is figuring out how to manage your weights and storage, and there are a number of options for each of those.

 

[RJP]

As Tobin has suggested, fit is the most important thing. When I got my BP/W setup my LDS spent about three hours with me tweaking the set-up, locating D-rings, etc, etc. Then I spent a while in the pool with it and then we tweaked some more. I may have paid a few dollars more buying it at LDS vs on-line but I think it was worth it; no way I could have dialed the fit in as well as the shop did.

Also, I would suggest going right for the "Hogarthian" harness set-up from the get-go. Don't be tricked into buying a "deluxe" harness with clips and releases etc. Unless you have some specific loss of mobility there's no good reason to get anything but the elegant simplicity of just one continuous piece of webbing for the whole thing.

Ray

 

[hunter991]

Using a backplate really will change how you feel about diving. It is normally a "wow" sort of thing.

Brent

 

[Rick Inman]

Here's my tip: Get in the habit of using the butt dump wherever possible. Much easier, and keeps your trim nice while venting, getting you in the habit of moving up and down in the water column with good trim.

 

[Peter Guy]

Using a backplate really will change how you feel about diving. It is normally a "wow" sort of thing.

This is the sort of comment that just drives me nuts. A BP/W is just another back inflate BC, no more (perhaps a little less).

To my mind is there a signficant difference between a nicely trimmed out back inflate BC and an ill-trimmed jacket BC? You bet.

BUT, if you are properly weighted (that is, the correct amount of weight IN THE PROPER PLACES) I don't think it makes any difference what type of BCD you use.

The sad thing is that most people never take the time, nor have the instruction to learn, how to properly place their weights on their BCD regardless of style.

 

[Jackie]

It will be a good thing for me having a simplified more minimal backplate system.
How much more negative will I be w/a steel backplate ? Going to a steel tank was just great.
A jacket just isn't comfortable for me... Too much going on in the front. My dive partner uses a scubapro. I don't care for it, for that reason. It feels very constraining -perhaps because of my shape.
A few people have made much of the fact that it is hard to stay vertical on the surface and that they "almost drowned" (really!). Given that so many diver use this set up, this is obviously hyperbole. But it did give me the idea that there may be something I should keep in mind when test driving it or at least a few tips to try.

Thank you all so much for your quick responses !

 

[TSandM]

You will be negative by the weight of the backplate (typically 5 or 6 pounds for SS) and you may lose a little positive buoyancy for the padding in your BC. We tested my husband's Balance and came up with between 2 and 3 pounds of positive buoyancy intrinsic to the BC, but other makes can vary. It's an easy test to do -- Dunk the deflated BC in a tub until it's well-saturated with water (make sure all the air is out of it) and then see how much weight it takes to keep it underwater.

 

[cool_hardware52]

It will be a good thing for me having a simplified more minimal backplate system.
How much more negative will I be w/a steel backplate ? Going to a steel tank was just great.
A jacket just isn't comfortable for me... Too much going on in the front. My dive partner uses a scubapro. I don't care for it, for that reason. It feels very constraining -perhaps because of my shape.
A few people have made much of the fact that it is hard to stay vertical on the surface and that they "almost drowned" (really!). Given that so many diver use this set up, this is obviously hyperbole. But it did give me the idea that there may be something I should keep in mind when test driving it or at least a few tips to try.

Thank you all so much for your quick responses !

Jackie,

As TSandM pointed out, your current BC is likely to be positive by 2-3 lbs. Padded cumberbunds, strap pads, lumbar pads, all conspire to add inherent buoyancy.

A SS backplate and harness will be ~ -6 lbs. The combination of no inhernet buoyancy and -6 lbs means at a minimum you will need ~8-9 fewer lbs of ballast. Many new users of BP&W find they can drop a few more lbs. Why? Often because they have not been horizontally trimmed before, and often simply because they haven't previously focused on getting their weighting dialed in.

The "face forward at the surface, gonna drown you" is a direct result of improper use of BP&W's. If you are properly weighted you need only a few small puffs in your wing to get your chin out of the water. That gas will be behind your neck and shoulders, not down around your waist. Because a Hogarthian harness includes a crotch strap a little gas in you wing will lift the rig and you.

Constrast that with an over weighted diver without a crotch strap. Now he needs to fully fill the wing, and the rig will crawl up over his head without lifting him at all.


The biggest hurdle with a BP&W is the initial set up. Your plan to sort things out in a benign environment will pay dividends.

There are lots of well informed people here to help you, but it's not really difficult.

Good luck,


Tobin