How was your transition from jacket to BP?

[adrisen]

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.

I am not a tech diver nor do I plan to become one and I dive with an OMS back plate and wing. I do not believe that, it makes me out to be a "tech wannabe". Many people choose that setup for many reasons other then tech diving. I will be traveling to Florida and the Carribean to do some diving and I can guarantee that I will be totting my OMS gear for my REC diving.

What ever one chooses is their personal preference. Now I have done a lot of diving in Florida and I have seen many divers in back plate and wing set up.

Switching my set up allowed me to remove a lot of weight off my waist which was great because it allowed me to improve my diving

 

[Tavi]

I've done quite a bit of ocean diving. Florida and the Bahamas. I dive with a BP/wing and I'm over 35!!

 

[daniel f aleman]

Transpacs.

1) I think diving in the prone position with feet up and off the reef is best. 2) Better air consumption too. 3) When I travel anywhere to dive, I want to do a lot of diving. To me that is having fun. 4) Having a jacket would not increase my fun.

Am I wrong in thinking that some of your concerns are potential problems in rescuing touristas?

1) We all dive prone and off the reef with our feet up, especially jacket wearers.

2) Not because of BC choice.

3) We all want to dive a lot, slipping a travel BC into your luggage and off you go; if it gets lost or damaged, rent or buy another locally.

4) Having a jacket doesn't decrease one's fun either.

I am always concerned about rescuing touristas... should I... or, should I not... hmmm...

 

[daniel f aleman]

I've done quite a bit of ocean diving. Florida and the Bahamas. I dive with a BP/wing and I'm over 35!!

From your profile:

Cert Level: NAUI Instructor & IT, SSI Master Diver, NAUI Nitrox Diver, PSI Visual Cylinder Inspector, Technical Nitrox, Deco Procedures, and Helitrox

Are you kidding me?

You're in that <1% of divers that are professionals. Don't tell me that you can't dive in a jacket; that you wouldn't dive in a jacket if the rest of your six-pack buddies were jacket wearers? You should be able to dive in a monkey costume...

 

[Tavi]

From your profile:

Cert Level: NAUI Instructor & IT, SSI Master Diver, NAUI Nitrox Diver, PSI Visual Cylinder Inspector, Technical Nitrox, Deco Procedures, and Helitrox

Are you kidding me?

You're in that <1% of divers that are professionals. Don't tell me that you can't dive in a jacket; that you wouldn't dive in a jacket if the rest of your six-pack buddies were jacket wearers? You should be able to dive in a monkey costume...

Yup, I can dive in just about anytrhing.
I prefer my BP and wing. I don't care what the rest of the boat is wearing.

 

[TheRedHead]

I am always concerned about rescuing touristas... should I... or, should I not... hmmm...

Hola Daniel,

The touristas in Cancun -- maybe not.

I am taking Cavern so I got the BP/W. But it is smaller and lighter than my Zeagle. I like it very much for all my diving. I dove with it in Cozumel and had excellent diving. The DMs there admired it. Perhaps the touritas in Cozumel who dive the Devil's Throat are more serious than those in Cancun who wear balloon hats at Carlos 'N Charlies? They might not need any form of inflation. :10:

The jacket style never fit me well. I'm too tall for women's jackets and too thin for men's jackets. The harness is a good system for me because I can make it my size.

 

[Darnold9999]

Hey Daniel - can I come down to Cancun and maybe if you look at me I will be magically 35 again - its worth a try:Wizard:

Seriously, I have done most of my diving in jackets, mostly as a tourist, never liked the jacket always preferred the backplate I learned in. Now that I am back in cold and diving my own gear instead of rental decided to go BP/W. Have not yet dived it warm, but am on my way to Belize in 3 weeks and six days so am looking forward to trying it out. Not even close to a tech wannabe, don't ever want to be in an overhead environment, and spending two, or more hours hanging on a line to spent 10 minutes at great depth just puzzles me.

Here in the PNW BP/W is pretty common - maybe as you say they are better in a drysuit so that is why. Don't know the ratio, but only one of the half dozen or so dive shops I shopped in figuring out what I wanted to buy did not have at least one brand of BP/W.

I personally don't find them a lot different to dive except for a personal comfort level. Did not find my boyancy and trim was particularly better or worse, slight difference on the surface as mentioned. In a dry suit the possibility of being lower in the water is not relevant as you just fill the drysuit if you want to ride higher in the water. Perhaps in warm water I will change my mind.

Maybe the reason you see so many jacket BC's on 35 + is that that is what they know, whereas the newer divers are seeing other options. I know that the jacket was a real improvement on the backplate and horsecollar BC, the BP/W is not as much of an improvement, but is certainly not worse. Also a BP/W is not going to work so well in a rental situation, you toss the approximate sized jacket on the tourist, snug up the belts and straps, and toss them in. I don't think anyone here has a stock of BP/W's as their rental fleet.

 

[daniel f aleman]

Dang it Darnold9999,

You just made a completely sensible post. Thread's over.

 

[terrasmak]

My transition was expensive for one . Now for in the water , freaking easy . Added a new element to diving . The control , feel everything just great. Now getting used to the long hose i went with at the same time , well that took a little more time.

 

[cyklon_300]

Having owned only a horse collar, back-inflate, and then a BP/W during my diving career, I recently found myself in a position of having to use a jacket bc for a series of dives for logistical reasons.

Let's just say it was a completely unsatisfactory experience. I detested the sensation of the bladder squeeze, the way the rig rode up off my shoulders at the surface, and the irritating feeling of the bc wanting me to be vertical rather than horizontal...

Truly a wretched piece of equipment.