Horse Collar BC's, who still uses them & why?

[Leicamshooter]

Horse Collar BC's, who still uses them & why? Besides the fact that they are suppose to float you face up, what other benifits are there to using them. What's your experience using them versus a BC jacket, or wings.

Thanks!

 

[SkullDeformity]

I've never seen anyone sell horse collars for diving. They sell them as snorkeling vests now. I would think the technology is outdated at this point, as they have no advantage over anything.

 

[spectrum]

I dove one numerous times last week at Sand Dog IV, a vintage dive gear gathering. It was my first time and it was a perfectly diveable rig with the cylinder carried by a back pack with a 1 piece Hogarthian harness. The harness had shoulder and hip D rings and the horse collar had a power inflater. The only thing that was different was the absence of a back-dump valve. The placement of buoyancy under my chest was of no consequence. I was diving a 5/4mm full suit with my weighting dialed in and needed minimal lift while diving. It even had a pocket so I really didn't lack any of the creature comforts. For the few surface pauses the flotation was adequate.

All in all it was something different and fun.

Pete

 

[james croft]

I dive them a lot. They still make them everyday. Aqualung and Seatec are a couple of companies that come to mind. They are used every day by the US Navy. They are good for working in as you can scrunch into places with less bulk on your back to catch on things, are very simple and serve as a better system to float you face up on the surface. I know a couple of commercial divers who won't dive anything else.
I also dive BP/W and all the other stuff but there is a place for a horsecollar and I do not expect them to go away anytime soon.

 

[Thalassamania]

I have a Fenzy that I use when with a single and either dry or with a dive skin. Much lower drag than any other form of BC, and better surface support.

 

[Leicamshooter]

So your experience is that they DO have less drag underwater compared to a jacket type?

 

[james croft]

I have several, Seatecs and USD and a military horsecollar. Some are more bulky but they all have minimal drag. One drawback to them is all the extra straps hou need to deal with but that is not a real big issue.

 

[Nemrod]

I also dive the hosecollar BC very often. I also own the latest styles of wings like the Mach V. The hosecollar is the lowest drag BC even compared to the Mach V. They fit well and provide positive airway positioning when inflated. They generally have a nice pocket on the front that is very useful and also often have emergency CO2 inflation which can be disabled simply if you wish (and I do). For divers who have learned to dive sans BC then using a horsecollar is very simple and efficient. You dive the horsecollar much like with no BC and by this I mean you need to set weight requirments and trim very close to optimum and as little as possbile weight. This allows the horsecollar to trim well and essentially is along for the ride with very little air put in it. If your overweighted and then need to as a result pump a bunch of air into the BC (as is common today---over weighting--grossly!!!!!) then the horsecollar BC and hip weight belt will cause the diver to rotate into a head high and feet low position--especially at rest and this is not good for efficiency. However--if properly weighted the horsecollar will require little air and therefore will trim very nicely horozontal.

Another advantage for some specialty aspects of diving or rescue is that they are independent of the other gear and dive gear can be doffed and the horsecollar retained---you put it on first of course.


Here is a pic of the best horecollar ever made, the Dacor SeaChute twin bladder. It provides solid horozontal trim, is very sleek and efficient in the water and notice the nice pocket.

I also have a new SeaTec horsecollar, it is sleek and it is BLACK (lol) and it is very efficient in the water. I enjoy using it for beach type diving. I dove it last Monday on the Destin Jetty (March 26).

In someways the horsecollar is superior to a wing--certainly for emergency head up flotation it excells. The drag question will be argued until somebody puts them in a hydro tunnel but the Dacor and Seatec compare very favorable to my Mach V OxyCheq and I feel they have lower drag if only slightly.

Think of the horsecollar, like the wing, as a minimalist approach to diving. Consider the horsecollar as nothing more than a chest mounted donut wing.

Some divers,in fact most, dive only one setup or the same set up but with single or double tanks. I dive three different basic setups or rigs if you prefer.

1) No BC, sleekest and most neutral. Excellent trim and super minimal. Simple backplate or SeaHunt harness.

2) Horsecollar BC, simple backplate or SeaHunt type harness

3) Hog(ish) rig with wing and backplate

Each has their place and purpose, I almost feel badly for those who fixate upon only one rig, they are missing out. Versatility is a good thing and the horsecollar is very versatile.

N

 

[Thalassamania]

So your experience is that they DO have less drag underwater compared to a jacket type?

That's not "experience" that's empirical testing in a tow tank.

 

[Leicamshooter]

Wonderful info Nemrod! Thanks for posting the pics. I'm going to get one!