Fluffy (Fat) Divers what BCD

[IrnBear]

Hey All,
My Girlfriend is a new diver.
She is 5'2" and Fluffy.
No gear she can float for days on end.

We have taken care of the wetsuit issue with a custom made wetsuit.

CA ocean diving: She had to use 36lbs of weight just to get down and not pop back up around the 20ft mark.
She is a very comfortable breather underwater...
At 32lbs of weight she had issue getting down and could stay down at the 20ft mark.

She has been renting a jacket BCD.

I am wondering for all you big buoyant divers out there: What BCD do you use?

Thank you,

IrnBear

 

[victorzamora]

I think that a SS backplate with stainless cambands is the trick. Total, you get like 7 pounds of negative buoyancy. Also, most jacket bcd's are a couple pounds positive. That's like a 10 pound swing, which is a big deal! Also, it's easy to get weight plates to add to a BP/W for even more weight. Also, a stainless steel STA will add a little more negative buoyancy to the rig.

Also, you might want to PM me a whole bunch of your personal info (including your girlfriend's name). If I got caught calling my fiancee fluffy, I know I'd need a police team to find me....so I'm doing you a favor by keeping it on file

 

[IrnBear]

If I got caught calling my fiancee fluffy, I know I'd need a police team to find me....so I'm doing you a favor by keeping it on file

LOL, I can completely appreciate your concern:biggrin:
Fortunately she knows and its not a problem.

When it comes to this Scuba equipment issue, she is very frustrated and to being blunt about (not to her, but on the forums) it helps get the point across to hopefully get some real advice on what to do.

I know there are many divers out there dealing with this exact issue:bonk:

Thank you,

IrnBear

 

[victorzamora]

Haha. ..I understand, just light heated humor. However, my equipment recommendations are completely serious. I think that is the best way to proceed. In to of the aforementioned benefits, bpw's conform to many body shapes.... so it would be easy to adjust if she would need to take it in in the future.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

 

[BluewaterSail]

One of the nice things about BP/W is that it is totally adjustable. So you don't have to be the shape that the manufacturer assumes. Some manufactures have different sized backplates. I know that Halcyon does. The smaller size might be a good idea for her, at 5'2".

Don't get a fancy backplate with all sorts of padding. I made that mistake and ended up taking off the padding because it took so long to dry, and did not add any extra comfort. i got to take off a couple of pounds of lead then!

Linda

 

[Imla]

IrnBear

Being a girl... and on the plusside my self, I know what she is going through. My fluff sits mostly on my hips, which made it impossible to have any kind of jacket fit me nicely.
The solution for me was a backplate/harness/wing setup. The crotch strap may seem slightly uncomfy, but it takes about 1 dive to get used to. This is key to the whole thing fittig nicely. The shoulderstraps stays right next to, and out of the way of any "boobage", and the waitstrap fits any waist. Because of the crotchstrap the bc will not ride up under her shoulders on the surface, and will keep the tank as if it was bolted to her back.

I LOVE IT!!

GO B/P/W

Oh.. and as Linda said, get the clean one. No fancy padding and clips and all.

 

[BVickery]

Got to go with BP/W as well. I'm on the big side and it fits better than jacket style BCDs. On the bonus side, if she starts to drop weight all you have to do is cut some of the webbing to fit properly.

 

[IrnBear]

This is great info, thank you

Is the BP/W setup the same as, similar, or not the same as a back fill bcd?

With the BP/W setup: you purchase each piece of the whole separately?

Keep the great info coming.

Thank you,

IrnBear

 

[Jim Lapenta]

No it is not the same as back inflate. No matter what any dealer will tell you. The BPW is a stainless steel plate, harness, wing, and cam bands. It can be purchased piece by piece or as a complete unit. I advise doing this with a dealer who knows how to set one up, many don't, and who not only sells them but uses them as well. I teach my OW students in one.

There are other options for adding weight besides bolt on plates which in truth are only available for certain mfg's unless you have a machine shop. A dealer who knows them can give you these options based on her needs. They include weight pouches on the cam bands or waist strap, and the use of steel tanks. There are some other integrated type systems that will work as well. Personally I prefer a weight belt, pouches on the cam bands, and using steel tanks. Whatever method she chooses she should under no circumstances have all the weight in one system.

When someone requires a good deal of weight they really need to get with an instructor that understands proper weighting and placement of those weights. Again a number of instructors, from the appearance of their OW students, have no clue as to how to do this.

 

[hroark2112]

As an alternate you might look into something like a Zeagle Ranger back inflate. I think there's a female version as well.