First dive with a Hacyon Eclipse MC

[CALI68]

I did my first couple of dive with BP/W and I was very impressed with the performance AFTER I got it on. With a loded CF200 with Zip Gloves it seemed nearly impossible to get into without help. After I was in and loaded up with the tank I noticed that the shoulder straps were still a tad loose. I thought "if I tighten this any more I'll never get in...or out (without a knife). Anyway aside from the difficulty donning and doffing. The surface and underwater performance was superb. With the MC inflated on the surface I was dead verticle...just perfect! As soon as I dropped I fell perfectly nauturally into and horizntal position (just like you all say ) I don't think I have ever been so stream line while diving. The absolute best thing is I went from 28lbs to19!!!!! You can definately feel it and my air consumption was down as well (I didn't expect that), The one thing I noticed is that I'm not really liking the ACB pockets. I only had 5 lbs in each pocket and the actual inner pocket was slidding forward and backward in the main pocket. All in all the underwater experience was great. I just need tons of practice donning and doffing. Any tips on that?

 

[cool_hardware52]

I did my first couple of dive with BP/W and I was very impressed with the performance AFTER I got it on. With a loded CF200 with Zip Gloves it seemed nearly impossible to get into without help. After I was in and loaded up with the tank I noticed that the shoulder straps were still a tad loose. I thought "if I tighten this any more I'll never get in...or out (without a knife). Anyway aside from the difficulty donning and doffing. The surface and underwater performance was superb. With the MC inflated on the surface I was dead verticle...just perfect! As soon as I dropped I fell perfectly nauturally into and horizntal position (just like you all say ) I don't think I have ever been so stream line while diving. The absolute best thing is I went from 28lbs to19!!!!! You can definately feel it and my air consumption was down as well (I didn't expect that), The one thing I noticed is that I'm not really liking the ACB pockets. I only had 5 lbs in each pocket and the actual inner pocket was slidding forward and backward in the main pocket. All in all the underwater experience was great. I just need tons of practice donning and doffing. Any tips on that?

Cali68,

Are you using weight keepers behind the plate at the lower slots? Some people do to keep the webbing from sliding at this point. With a "hog" harness I prefer to let the harness webbing slide through the lower slots. This way some of the waist belt lenght travels through the slots effectively lenghtening the shoulder straps, until you secure the waist belt.

If the webbing is new and stiff it can be hard to slide. I've never used weight pockets on the waist belt, so that also might be preventing this slide. Usually you just need one strap to slide, the left one will stop when the lower d ring hits the plate.

I'm not suggesting this technique is the only one, or the "approved one" but it works for me, or at least makes it possible.

It is this particular "feature" i.e. fun doning and doffing that lead to our harness. http://www.deepseasupply.com/page6.html

Many can master the "hog", some can't and some choose not to, but BP&W's are enough of an advantage that the harness should not be the stopper.


Good Luck,



Tobin George

 

[CALI68]

I do have the weight keepers in the back. I had no idea that you could leave the weight keeper off at that point. That sounds like it will work however based on that I will definatley have to get rid of the ACB pockets becuase they will definatley restrict any slidding of the webbing. Is leaving the weight keeper off considered DIR?

Thanks again.

 

[detroit diver]

....... Is leaving the weight keeper off considered DIR?

Thanks again.

I sure wouldn't think so. It might work great on the surface, but if you're weight belt becomes loose at depth, what happens to the only thing holding you to your rig?

I want stability in my shoulder harness should my waist belt become loose. Removing the triglide just imposes another failure point and might cause problems where there normally wouldn't be one.

 

[CALI68]

I sure wouldn't think so. It might work great on the surface, but if you're weight belt becomes loose at depth, what happens to the only thing holding you to your rig?

I want stability in my shoulder harness should my waist belt become loose. Removing the triglide just imposes another failure point and might cause problems where there normally wouldn't be one.

Ok, good point but wouldn't the D ring stop the slide? We are really only talking about a few extra inches.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Ok, good point but wouldn't the D ring stop the slide? We are really only talking about a few extra inches.

Cali68,

I'm the wrong guy to ask about DIR compliance, but having said that I can say that I have seen drawings attributed to GI3 that made no mention of the keepers in question, perhaps this was an oversite, or perhaps things have, ahem, evolved.

The two schools of though that I have encountered basically are; use the keepers so you don't have "reposition" every dive, and leave the keepers off so you can get in and out.

It's hard for me to foresee a "failure" of the waist belt in a HOG harness, (did you miss resheathing your Dalton Knife?) but my definition of Common Sense and definition used by others are lets just say "not perfectly aligned"


Regards,



Tobin

 

[detroit diver]

Ok, good point but wouldn't the D ring stop the slide? We are really only talking about a few extra inches.

Your original question wasn't posed as a DIR question. I didn't make the assumption that you had a d-ring, or any other piece of equipment on it (including a buckle!!).