Success!
Got back out yesterday and my son came along for his final dry suit dive too.
What I changed:
- Moved weights off the cam bands and threaded the 4# weights onto the waist belt (not a weight belt but the belt on the harness.
- Threaded a 2 - 2# bullet weight on the waist strap right up against the tank, one on each side
- re-routed the cam bands and tank seems more stable now.
So I have 12 lbs of non-ditchable weight and 8 lbs of ditchable weight.
1st dive and felt so very stable. I really, really enjoyed the dive. Used the dry suit for all buoyancy control. No air in wing. However, the Bares Nex Gen suit really like to hide air so I had a heck of a time ensuring I was dumping the air for a controlled ascent.
2nd dive was fabulous. So good that I completely forgot about the BP/W. It was like it just disappeared and was only noticeable when I needed it. Also, floating on the water at beginning/end of dives was so comfortable. I don't know why people worry about going face down up top. It was like a little Barcalounger when floating. I was also able to better manage the air in the dry suit on this dive and was able to stay controlled and under water all the way to about 5 feet of water (it was a shore entry).
Also, the tip about pushing the butt up really made a difference in trim too. All three instructors who we dove with yesterday we quite complementary. This is not to say I am any good, but I my son and I feel so very comfortable in this rig.
It was my son's first time in the BP/W on these dives and he did great. He got to learn from my mistakes. I think that helped too.
Thanks everyone. Now to go investigate the Drysuit that best suits my needs.
Got back out yesterday and my son came along for his final dry suit dive too.
What I changed:
- Moved weights off the cam bands and threaded the 4# weights onto the waist belt (not a weight belt but the belt on the harness.
- Threaded a 2 - 2# bullet weight on the waist strap right up against the tank, one on each side
- re-routed the cam bands and tank seems more stable now.
So I have 12 lbs of non-ditchable weight and 8 lbs of ditchable weight.
1st dive and felt so very stable. I really, really enjoyed the dive. Used the dry suit for all buoyancy control. No air in wing. However, the Bares Nex Gen suit really like to hide air so I had a heck of a time ensuring I was dumping the air for a controlled ascent.
2nd dive was fabulous. So good that I completely forgot about the BP/W. It was like it just disappeared and was only noticeable when I needed it. Also, floating on the water at beginning/end of dives was so comfortable. I don't know why people worry about going face down up top. It was like a little Barcalounger when floating. I was also able to better manage the air in the dry suit on this dive and was able to stay controlled and under water all the way to about 5 feet of water (it was a shore entry).
Also, the tip about pushing the butt up really made a difference in trim too. All three instructors who we dove with yesterday we quite complementary. This is not to say I am any good, but I my son and I feel so very comfortable in this rig.
It was my son's first time in the BP/W on these dives and he did great. He got to learn from my mistakes. I think that helped too.
Thanks everyone. Now to go investigate the Drysuit that best suits my needs.
