My only regret when I switched to BP/W was that I didn't do it years ago. What a difference.
How was your transition from jacket to BP?
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daniel f aleman
Contributor
redhatmama:
OK, here it is.
A jacket style BC is used in the open ocean:
1) 99% of recreational ocean divers simply use the jacket - wide-spread use is it's own suggestion of applicability; they're cheap and available world-wide. (I never see anyone over thirty-five wearing a BP/W in salt water, ever.
2) A jacket will allow you to ride higher at the surface in swells - of paramount importance when you're 3/4 km down-current off the port-side bow, and I can't get the support boat to you right now, Mr. .4 SAC man.
3) Prone-trim position diving is not as important in the open water as it is in overhead. Open water divers use the semi-upright postion at almost all times when not advancing, much easier in a jacket. Prone-trim position is easily maintained in a jacket, I do it every day.
4) Integrated weights are great in open-water, where a complete dump might be necessary; no crotch strap needed.
5) Doff-and-don is much easier in a jacket - not really important in real-life conditions, but it's easier. (eg. I once traded my whole rig with my brother when he aborted a three-man buddy dive and went up do to leg-cramps).
As I've said, I use both BC systems, I cave dive once or twice every month.
Robert Phillips
Contributor
<-----1%er.
Wow, I'm over 35 too and all but 2 of my dives have ever been in fresh water.:06:
Go figure.
Wow, I'm over 35 too and all but 2 of my dives have ever been in fresh water.:06:
Go figure.
daniel f aleman
Contributor
Robert Phillips:
You're 36; close enough. And, you're a drysuit user; a BP/W is better than a jacket for that system.
daniel f aleman:
Must be a geography thing because I dive exclusively in the ocean and dive with many BP/W divers and meet more who are converting regularly. And I'm over 35. To each his own but I don't miss my old jacket style BC at all.
daniel f aleman
Contributor
WaterDawg:
You ever been outside N. Fl?
Try diving in The Bahamas, Eastern Mexico, and the rest of the Carribean, touristas just want to have fun, lugging around a Hog system ain't. And, except for the techies and visiting 25 year-old tech-wannabes no one wears them, no local really has access to a BP/W down here except the Maya cavers, and they had an underground system for getting them until recently (anyone who came back from the US always brought one back and then would sell it here). Protec in PCD is now a DiveRite dealer, but it's still way too expensive for the locals.
It is possible to have perfect trim in a jacket - but thats not really the issue.
Is there something about being 35 that is of relevance? I am going to hazard a guess here - I think there are a greater number of seasoned divers in this setup and a lesser number of young guns.
I am 22 and dive in the atlantic, the gulf, and freshwater... All with a backplate! And I can swim the rig up with a full tank and no air in the wing.
It is possible to be properly weighted in either system.
But this thread isn't really about jackets vs. backplates.
It is about metamorphosis.
This system is just a buoyancy compensator like many others. It just happens to have some unique characteristics that can empower the diver. This is my honest opinion.
except for the techies and visiting 25 year-old tech-wannabes no one wears them
Or people who admire technical divers for their commitment to safety and their experience in demanding environments.
-V
Is there something about being 35 that is of relevance? I am going to hazard a guess here - I think there are a greater number of seasoned divers in this setup and a lesser number of young guns.
I am 22 and dive in the atlantic, the gulf, and freshwater... All with a backplate! And I can swim the rig up with a full tank and no air in the wing.
It is possible to be properly weighted in either system.
But this thread isn't really about jackets vs. backplates.
It is about metamorphosis.
This system is just a buoyancy compensator like many others. It just happens to have some unique characteristics that can empower the diver. This is my honest opinion.
except for the techies and visiting 25 year-old tech-wannabes no one wears them
Or people who admire technical divers for their commitment to safety and their experience in demanding environments.
-V
daniel f aleman:
Might want to have checked his profile before posting that response.
I'm over 35 and have dived all around the Caribbean in a black-inflated BC and recently a BP/W. I know a Mexican dive shop manager with a Halcyon BP/W and he also dives a rebreather (I don't know if he owns it). I've dived with many DMs in back-inflated BCs and some with jackets.
I learned how to dive using back inflated and have never liked wearing a jacket. When I dive, I bring all my equipment. I've noticed a lot of shops in Mexico rent jackets - maybe that is why you see so many? My preferred dive shop rents Dive Rite Transpacs.
I think diving in the prone position with feet up and off the reef is best. Better air consumption too. When I travel anywhere to dive, I want to do a lot of diving. To me that is having fun. Having a jacket would not increase my fun.
Am I wrong in thinking that some of your concerns are potential problems in rescuing touristas?
I learned how to dive using back inflated and have never liked wearing a jacket. When I dive, I bring all my equipment. I've noticed a lot of shops in Mexico rent jackets - maybe that is why you see so many? My preferred dive shop rents Dive Rite Transpacs.
I think diving in the prone position with feet up and off the reef is best. Better air consumption too. When I travel anywhere to dive, I want to do a lot of diving. To me that is having fun. Having a jacket would not increase my fun.
Am I wrong in thinking that some of your concerns are potential problems in rescuing touristas?
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