Halcyon BP/Wing Removal Sequence

[Hory]

Hi,

I tried over the weekend a Halcyon Pioneer. My first time to use a BP and wing and I personally found it the best over jacket style BCs. My question is the sequence of removing the rig at the end of a dive in preparation to board the boat. Do I:

1. REmove the buckle and crotch strap and then pulling off the straps with the D-rings? Or,

2. Remove the straps first by pulling on the D-rings with my thumbs and then remove the buckle and crotch strap?

In the first instance, the BC tried to push me face down, so I deflated a bit and got off nicely. I've never tried the second option.

Any advice on this will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

HOry

 

[OneBrightGator]

I'd take off your weight belt and hand it up if you have one, then open the buckle and slide down and out of it, keep your reg in your mouth the whole time.

Ben

 

[Big-t-2538]

Why do you need to remove gear other than your fins to board a boat? Is there no ladder? This has always baffled me. I certainly would not remove my rig bp/w before I was on the boat.

The only thing I could see is taking off your weight belt.

 

[RICHinNC]

Big....there are a number of places in the Caribbean and West Indies that I have been to that you remove your bc in the water...because yes....there is no ladder.
There is only a platform that you "flop" up onto and crawl aboard.

Not right...not wrong....just different and thats how they do it. After Getting on and off a boat in North Carolina 3 foot waves fully rigged....I found it a little weird too, but thats how they did it. When in Rome...................

 

[hantzu701]

Why do you need to remove gear other than your fins to board a boat? Is there no ladder? This has always baffled me. I certainly would not remove my rig bp/w before I was on the boat.

The only thing I could see is taking off your weight belt.

Big-t-2538, for the most part, we'd all like to keep our gear on as we board. However, there are instances in which you might need to remove your gear. For example, for some freshwater dive sites, some people dive off of pontoon boats which don't have terrific ladders. The best way out of the water is to remove gear, hand it up and then climb up the ladder. Not sure that I would want to do this in current with a pitching boat in Key Largo.

Hantzu

 

[MarcHall]

Depends on the boat and depends on the dive.

When diving off an inflatable, frequently there is no ladder or a minimal one so taking off the tanks in the water is required. Also for some of the Mexican trips we do, the boat is a panga skippered by a Mexican fishermen with basically no accomendations for divers so no ladder.

On deco dives, we frequently leave the doubles in the water for the crew to bring aboard to avoid a bubble shower.

I normally breath the long hose, detach the argon inflator hose, pull off my necklace reg, release my crotch and waist strap, deflate the wing to where I
am neutral or just positive and then work my way out of the shoulder straps by pulling out on the D-Rings, inflate the wings, clip off the gear to a line in the water and then climb into the boat.

Marc Hall
www.enjoythedive.com
www.sdue.org

 

[Hory]

Guys,

I dive in the Philippines and the norm is to take off your rig before entering the boat because the ladder provided in pump boats are not submerged enough to get a good foothold and climb out of the water.

Marc, your procedure seems to be the one that should work for me. The key is to keep the reg in the mouth at all times until I am free of my rig.

Thanks for the posts guys!
HOry

 

[SA-Diver]

Almost all our dives are off RIB's (see pic) without ladders.

Exit procedure is to remove and hand up weight-belt, then remove and hand up rig, then pull yourself up while finning.

 

[IzzyTahil]

only time i had to enter by flopping the capt instructions were in this sequence - remove weight belt, remove unit, time wave to flop onto inflatable, climbaboard vessel.

 

[MHK]

Guys,

The only comment I will add to this thread, above and beyond what has already been mentioned, is that for those of you that dive with cannister lights this is the primary reason we recommend using a second buckle to secure the cannister. Many who don't spend the extra $5 or $10 for the buckle will take their harness off and if for whatever reason the light head isn't clipped off, when they take off their harness absent the extra buckle, say bye-bye to a $1,000 light..

Hope that helps..