Float Upright BC

[divad]

My bp/wing will not allow me to go face down without effort. if I relax, It puts me upright-to-on my back
with no apparent effort.

 

[rsingler]

Well, as always...it depends. It depends upon the relative moment arms of positive and negative buoyancy.
I dive a BP/W too, but its characteristics vary.

With a thick wetsuit and a full tank, it's just as @divad says. More buoyancy forward of the tank; more weight aft, and you tend to float like a stab jacket.
But thin neoprene and air in your bladder and an empty AL80? All the buoyancy is behind you and you may tip forward a bit.

All those folks who complain about the way a BP/W makes them feel aren't necessarily inexperienced or wrong.

It's just that it depends.
I still like my BP/W.

 

[divad]

What is this strange " thick wetsuit" contraption you speak of? Sounds novel, if not alien, and possibly dangerous. Seems capable of inducing Hysteria in the otherwise sane and may possibly be dangerous. Take good care. I will only use a drysuit, as I have already paid for the infernal thing and am hopelessly bound to bob around on the surface like a buoy.

 

[CT-Rich]

What is this strange " thick wetsuit" contraption you speak of? Sounds novel, if not alien, and possibly dangerous. Seems capable of inducing Hysteria in the otherwise sane and may possibly be dangerous. Take good care. I will only use a drysuit, as I have already paid for the infernal thing and am hopelessly bound to bob around on the surface like a buoy.

Feel free to pay for this persons dry suit...

 

[divad]

Feel free to pay for this persons dry suit...

I did .....[pay for this persons dry suit].

 

[CT-Rich]

What is this strange " thick wetsuit" contraption you speak of? Sounds novel, if not alien, and possibly dangerous. Seems capable of inducing Hysteria in the otherwise sane and may possibly be dangerous. Take good care. I will only use a drysuit, as I have already paid for the infernal thing and am hopelessly bound to bob around on the surface like a buoy.

Feel free to pay for the OPs Drysuit.....

 

[Damselfish]

BTW: usually do six pounds each front pocket and two pounds each back...... hmmm. In typing this out, thought maybe if I share the weight better?

That would be the first thing to try. I dive a Zeagle Express Tech with 2x2 front and 2x2 back. For many years I did the same in a Ladyhawk. That's with AL tank and no buoyant exposure protection.

 

[Bookmon]

It might help to know what BC model doesn't work for you?

Most jacket style BCD's float you pretty vertical and high in the water by design. To float more on your back move more of your weight to the back.
There's also at least one model (Oceanic?) that has an air cell integrated near the cummerbund to provide even more vertical orientatation. There's dozens of options

To optimize it even more you can try adding
weight around the tank valve - they sell strap-on pockets for the purpose.

I have a back inflate Ranger. When I want to float on my back - often to kick out while shore diving - it does with minimal effort. Yet when diving, having the air on my back keeps me in horizontal trim.My optimum weight distribution is 70/30 F/R but it's hard to find small trim weights so I usually am 60/40.

search jacket on Leisurepro.com Many of the better models also have weight integration.

So far I’ve only done boat diving with this new weight integrated BC. But have often fondly recalled major shore diving days living out west. We’d lay back, kick out, and enjoy many fine conversations. Not currently with this BC. Thanks for info on Leisure Pro and jackets.

 

[Bookmon]

What is this strange " thick wetsuit" contraption you speak of? Sounds novel, if not alien, and possibly dangerous. Seems capable of inducing Hysteria in the otherwise sane and may possibly be dangerous. Take good care. I will only use a drysuit, as I have already paid for the infernal thing and am hopelessly bound to bob around on the surface like a buoy.

While stationed at NAS Fallon and Alameda, there were many squids I could not convince to go diving with us because they believed "If you got to wear a wetsuit, it ain’t diving."

 

[JamesBon92007]

I know I'm going to catch some stuff from a rotating fan, but I've worn many rental jacket-style BCs and never had any problem keeping upright on the surface with the thing inflated, but it was always while wearing a weight belt. I have tried three different BP/Ws and I'm always glad I have my snorkel because I tip face-forward. I have tried numerous backplates and weight configurations and surface techniques and no matter what I try, I always end up face-down on the surface with a BP/W. I can float on my back but it requires some effort to keep from going face-down again. Regardless, I very much prefer the BP/W configuration for many reasons. I dove for my first 43 years or so with no BC whatsoever so having a small donut wing is the only setup that I actually like. I am already moving away from the SS backplate and harness back to the plastic backpack but I plan to weight the backpack, add a small donut, and put the weight in pockets on the sides. The harness in itself, along with the SS backplate, are fine for the most part, but I've always thought the strap configuration on the plastic backpack was the ultimate in simplicity and ease of adjustment plus it's more compact and takes up less room for traveling. Plus I don't need a crotch strap. Perhaps my face-forward attitude is because of some kind of physical abnormality due to the redistribution of body mass that came with old age, but as long as I have my snorkel it's OK.