My Confined Water Dive with BP/W experience

[Akimbo]

Akimbo, did you modify the lower backplate slots? From your photos, its looks like you are using a pvc roller with a d-ring?...

The rollers work very well, especially on the Freedom Plate. I also have a conventional doubles plate and widened and rounded the slots to make the webbing slide much easier. Sometimes you also have to put a spacer or some washers on the lower stud so the webbing isn’t pinched by the wing and cylinders. That really doesn’t push the doubles any farther away, at least on me, since the cylinders hit my butt and there is a gap at the base of my spine anyway.

The AGIR Harpa Loop is another option. I read that Netdoc was going to try a set out.
Accessories - BC-System

You can do about the same thing with a 2" Footman’s loop and some screws:
Stainless Steel Footman Loop

Ideally, there is enough resistance to the webbing that it doesn’t just slide if you let go of the belly bands. You want to pull it a bit and relieve some of the weight by shifting around. That is how the old blow-molded and injection molded backpacks worked. That’s not an issue in the water, just standing on deck.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I will join the chorus of others who say you should have done a weight check and you should demand one. Now, you did not mention the agency, but if it is one of the RSTC agencies (PADI, SDI, SSI, IDEA, PSAI), then the failure to do a proper weight check is a violation of standards. You are supposed to do it in the pool, and you are supposed to do it on every one of the OW dives you do. You may want to do your diplomatic best in this regard, but I urge you to follow up on that. Start by asking the instructor why no weight check was done. If the instructor works for a shop, as the shop manager/director of instruction/owner (or whatever) what their policy is in this regard. If you are not satisfied, contact the certifying agency.

Last summer I did the OW dives with a student who was much smaller than you. He was also in a 7mm suit, and he had worn that 7mm suit in the pool. He told me the instructor had done a weight check, and he knew he needed 22 pounds. I doubted it, and I talked him into doing the initial weight check with 18 pounds. He was resistant at first because he KNEW he needed 22 pounds. When we did the weight check, he sank like a stone. I eventually got him down to 10 pounds, and he was thrilled with how much easier it was to dive when properly weighted. I have no idea how his pool weight check got him to 22 pounds.

That's easy, stick a big enough wing on someone and you could hang an engine block off them if you wanted.
BC's these days have become nothing more than lift bags in the eyes of way too many instructors.

 

[Bob DBF]

That's easy, stick a big enough wing on someone and you could hang an engine block off them if you wanted.
BC's these days have become nothing more than lift bags in the eyes of way too many instructors.

You do know that a good beer does not get better when it comes out of your nose and on to the keyboard.


Bob
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Cleanup on isle 1.

 

[boulderjohn]

That's easy, stick a big enough wing on someone and you could hang an engine block off them if you wanted.
BC's these days have become nothing more than lift bags in the eyes of way too many instructors.

Since a wing is supposed to be empty during a weight check, that should not make much difference. Anyway, the guy was wearing the same model BCD when he checked out at 10 pounds for me and at 22 pounds in the pool.

 

[DaK1]

Just finished my boat dives this past weekend. The weekend before that it was cancelled so could not update this post any earlier.

I did a weight check and tried adding 14 pounds to my weight pockets to the already 14 pound backplate with bolt on weights for a total of 28 pounds. The first try was a winner as I was able to sink with an empty BCD.

I noticed that the first two dives that I did from the boat I was able to go down the buoy line fairly easily. But when I did a the next two dives from the beach the next day I was not able to descend as well as from the previous day. We did a weight check that day to and all was fine, but when I tried to descend it was hard to sink below a couple feet. I would pull on the buoy line to help try and descend but when I let go I would gradually go up but not break surface and had to grab the buoy line to prevent going back up. I had no trouble from the boat dive but this beach dive was different. When I reached a certain depth after I pulled myself down I was able to descend easily. When I got to the bottom (20 feet) I was able to do all skills and thought I did pretty well in keeping a proper trim level. Should I have used more weight even though the weight check I did at the surface seemed to be fine? Did something change that I was not aware of? It was all the same equipment I used the previous day.

 

[EFX]

A few things come to mind. Make sure you are not moving your fins when descending and make sure you get all the air out of your BC. Watch your breathing -- you may be instinctively holding your breath or taking full breaths in which may make it harder to descend.

 

[gcarter]

Just finished my boat dives this past weekend. The weekend before that it was cancelled so could not update this post any earlier.

I did a weight check and tried adding 14 pounds to my weight pockets to the already 14 pound backplate with bolt on weights for a total of 28 pounds. The first try was a winner as I was able to sink with an empty BCD.

I noticed that the first two dives that I did from the boat I was able to go down the buoy line fairly easily. But when I did a the next two dives from the beach the next day I was not able to descend as well as from the previous day. We did a weight check that day to and all was fine, but when I tried to descend it was hard to sink below a couple feet. I would pull on the buoy line to help try and descend but when I let go I would gradually go up but not break surface and had to grab the buoy line to prevent going back up. I had no trouble from the boat dive but this beach dive was different. When I reached a certain depth after I pulled myself down I was able to descend easily. When I got to the bottom (20 feet) I was able to do all skills and thought I did pretty well in keeping a proper trim level. Should I have used more weight even though the weight check I did at the surface seemed to be fine? Did something change that I was not aware of? It was all the same equipment I used the previous day.

If you didn't have any problem holding your safety stop on the way up it is very unlikely you could have been underweighted.

More likely, air in wetsuit, BCD not completely empty, unconsciously holding too much air in your lungs, unconsciously finning slightly or moving your hands.

 

[Shasta_man]

hmmm..I'm still puzzling over what an open water confined water dive is...

 

[Hawkwood]

hmmm..I'm still puzzling over what an open water confined water dive is...

With repect to PADI, it is simple:

Confined open water is an open water site that offers swimming-pool-like conditions with respect to clarity, calmness, and depth.

It has both shallow water and water sufficiently deep to allow student divers to meet all skill performance requirements.

Carlisle Bay Beach and Marine Park in Barbados is one example I know of right off the top of my head that fits the criteria. It allows for training in areas where pools might not be available or suitable.

 

[boulderjohn]

hmmm..I'm still puzzling over what an open water confined water dive is...

What Hawkwood said is correct, but I am not sure it is what you are looking for. I had trouble finding the source over which you were puzzling, so I can't be sure.You might have meant something else. It is possible that you were puzzling over a phrase that had a word omitted: open water course confined water dive