My First Try of BP/W

[Mortlock]

Thanks to people's advice on this board I recently purchased a BP/W setup. I took it down to the local gym (where they have a 5m deep dive pool) to try it out for the first time today.

I have to say it was very comfortable and allowed me to keep rock steady bouyancy control in a hortizontal position. Even though I have the Al BP, I still only needed 4lbs (as opposed to the 10 I usually use with regular BC's) of weight (3mm full wetsuit)! Here's some things I noticed and I'd appreciate some comments on how I might adjust the rig so that's nicely dialed in.

1. The regs kept hitting me in the back of the head. I've had this issue with every single BC I've ever used. I had the cam bands set as high as possible on the tank and the plate is adjusted so that the top sits between the 2nd and 3rd vertabrae on my back. I also have a crotch strap.

2. Initally I put the weights in some pockets attached to my bottom cam band. This gave me a brillant horizontal position but as soon as I tried to swim on my sides I'd get a pretty strong rolling sensation. If I completely relaxed on my side I'd either roll onto my back or back to a normal position. Next I tried mounting the weight on my hips on a weight belt. This eliminated the rolling effect but it needed a little effort to keep a horizontal position.

3. It took me a little effort to float vertically on the surface. I found that if I relaxed I'd either pitch forward or back.

4. I tried some basic bouyancy excerises such as fin-pivot and hover. No problems with the fin pivot. In fact I found myself really locked in on this one. With the hover however it was virtually impossible to hover without rolling onto my back (with weights on belt and in back pockets).

Your advice on how I can get this rig dialed in is greatly appreciated.

Morty

 

[JimC]

1. The regs kept hitting me in the back of the head.
Put the tank where it needs to be for trim and valve reaching. If that means yor first stage and head hit, so be it. This problem went away for me after a few dives on a back plate.. not sure why.


2. Initally I put the weights in some pockets attached to my bottom cam band.
Lots of weight placement options. Buy/Make a small channel weight would be my favorite. 4# isn't much, and will easily fit into a channel weight. If your not inclined to DIY, a pair of soft ankle weights should be easiy to place in the channel or on ether side of the tank in a way that dousn't upset your rolling.

3. It took me a little effort to float vertically on the surface.
If you overinflate the wing at the surface you may get this feeling. If it keeps bothering you just lean back into it like its a lazy boy.


4. With the hover however it was virtually impossible to hover without rolling onto my back (with weights on belt and in back pockets).
Sounds like you have some weight distribution issues. Is your weight belt crooked sideways? Is your tank crooked on the backplate? Do you have a heavy can-light? Do you have a tank mounted pony? If your weight is evenly distributed, you should get no rolling motion.

 

[PonyBottle]

1. The regs kept hitting me in the back of the head. I've had this issue with every single BC I've ever used. I had the cam bands set as high as possible on the tank and the plate is adjusted so that the top sits between the 2nd and 3rd vertabrae on my back. I also have a crotch strap.

I would make sure the harness has been properly adjusted first, this is a good link for this purpose.

If after checking the adjustment you still have a problem with hitting your head, there are tank adapters (assuming you already don't have one) that will add another inch or so off the wing (tank).

BTW...which setup did you get?

 

[Mortlock]

Sounds like you have some weight distribution issues. Is your weight belt crooked sideways? Is your tank crooked on the backplate? Do you have a heavy can-light? Do you have a tank mounted pony? If your weight is evenly distributed, you should get no rolling motion.

Thanks for your help.

Just to clarify on the last point, I mean the vertical hover, holding fin tips with legs crossed (as taught PADI style). Didn't dive with any extras like can light etc.

 

[PonyBottle]

Thanks for your help.

Just to clarify on the last point, I mean the vertical hover, holding fin tips with legs crossed (as taught PADI style). Didn't dive with any extras like can light etc.

Alot of these issues (rolling, etc) can occure if the harness is not adjusted properly.

 

[JimC]

Yes, a properly fitted harness is a must.

 

[Mortlock]

Thanks all.

I've just tightened up the shoulder straps and although I haven't tried it in the water yet, it certainly feels alot better. I guess it's going to take me a few more dives before I've got everything set to how I like it.

Morty

 

[Scubaroo]

If you're having issues getting horizontal again with your new weight distribution, if you clasp your hands together, you can extend them out in front of you, or tuck them in as needed, to change your centre of buoyancy. Extending them will help fix a head down problem, and vice versa.

 

[jagfish]

Hey Morty
Was glad to see your post since I will be receiving my BP/W setup in a couple weeks or so myself. I am also dreading the process of setting up trim, so I am eager to hear about your challenges and subsequent responses. Many thanks for the post.

Hope to hear soon about improvements in the utility and feel of your rig...

JAG

 

[Seadeuce]

Sorry to join the discussion so late, but I think your Al tank is your problem, not the wing.

With the cam band set so high up on the "shoulder" of the tank, I bet that underwater the tank is about 30 degrees up from your back. You can check this by trying to touch the base of the tank while diving. If you cannot touch it, then it has taken on a mind of its own, and is the source of your buoyancy problem under AND over.

Ideally your tank should be as parallel to your back as possible while underwater.

To correct: put your 4lbs on a cam near the base of the tank,
OR add another cam band further down the tank to connect with the backplate, OR place the original cam band further down the tank, while at the same time checking the way your first stage of the reg is set up.

Very often I see the first stage set in an "upside down" position, so that it protrudes much higher than it needs to. Of course, it means that you have to disconnect all hoses and reconnect with the stage the right way round.

Hope this helps!


Seadeuce