divedivedive!
Guest
Honest, it wasn't meant as a flame, I swear. Perhaps just in a cranky mood and stuff isn't coming out right. So allow me the opportunity to redeem myself to you (not sure why) - basically, I wanted to point out how certain points you were making against b/ps weren't valid.
(Before I go on - I ain't DIR - I just use the b/p because I believe it offers me maximum trim, streamlining, and just the most comfortable diving rig possible, the kind that feels less like a BC and more an extension of oneself.)
Note I never insisted that the b/p offered any advantages - perhaps other jacket or back-inflates would do you just as well. I was just pointing out that your criticisms weren't always valid. I've never seen you in the water but from observing hundreds of divers there are certain things we ALL do as beginners that we need to improve on with more dives. Like our weighting, or rather preconceptions of how much weight we need.
Others may have started to "sound nasty" because you started to sound unwilling to listen to their rationales. They listened to your opinions and offered their views on these, which you responded to a bit derisively. That beggars a response of equal venom.
(Before I go on - I ain't DIR - I just use the b/p because I believe it offers me maximum trim, streamlining, and just the most comfortable diving rig possible, the kind that feels less like a BC and more an extension of oneself.)
Sorry, let me clarify, the 4lbs includes my AL b/p and STA. ie I wear 0 lbs of ditchable. And I dive in saltwater, in a 2mm neoprene. The current makes no difference to one's ability to descend unless its a perpetual upcurrent, if that exists. My point was, you were comparing the ditching scenarios but dissing the unditchable weight of a b/p unfairly, because done properly the diver will leave just enough on him to swim up.
Hence the others suggested it'd be much faster to swim down. And my point was that if you could sink like a rock through deflation you're overweighted. Why? If you're so heavy, then underwater you'll need to put a lot of air in your bladder to compensate. This would add to worse air consumption as well as poor trim, because the bulk of the air is on your upper body, putting you vertical. If you cut down the weight to a minimum you'll need less air.
I was directly replying to some of your criticisms on the b/p and pointing out where they were fallacious. Not *opposed to me*, but *fallacious*.
Note I never insisted that the b/p offered any advantages - perhaps other jacket or back-inflates would do you just as well. I was just pointing out that your criticisms weren't always valid. I've never seen you in the water but from observing hundreds of divers there are certain things we ALL do as beginners that we need to improve on with more dives. Like our weighting, or rather preconceptions of how much weight we need.
Sigh... I'm not one to flame someone for being new to diving, it doesn't promote the sport does it? But trust me on this - what these seeming **** are doing is really trying to give you their perspectives on the various equipment out there based on their own experiences. They're not even trying to convert you, note that no one has said "dive a b/p because its better". All the points made have been counterpoints to the ones you raised initially which, perhaps due to your relatively lesser undersea experience (no fault of yours, we were all beginners once), have perhaps not the fullest practical grasp of the issues involved, such as weighting, trim, etc. (note - this is in no way meant to be a flame, you'll have to admit its the truth?)
Others may have started to "sound nasty" because you started to sound unwilling to listen to their rationales. They listened to your opinions and offered their views on these, which you responded to a bit derisively. That beggars a response of equal venom.
