New diver and new to BP/W - my first time in the water with one

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Those are handy. I did get a octo-necklace and liked having it there, but I haven't moved to the long hose yet. No doubt I will as I really like that setup, but for now, I'm just getting my feet wet so to speak.

Do you have a shop near you that does tec or cave diving? If so I would take a class with them the one where I used to live had a buoyancy/ control in the water, best money I ever spent on diving.
 
Do you have a shop near you that does tec or cave diving? If so I would take a class with them the one where I used to live had a buoyancy/ control in the water, best money I ever spent on diving.

Yup! My LDS is Blue Dolphin Dive Shop, here's their classes, they offer the full range of SDI courses:
https://www.bluedolphindiveshop.com/classes-menu.html

They also own Blue Stone Dive Resort which is a dedicated dive quarry with a full dive shop on premises:
Home

I'm very fortunate to have access to really good local resources and I am 100% taking more courses heading towards Advanced over the next year.
 
Your shoulder straps are too tight. Your cam bands are threaded incorrectly. Unless your instructor dives a BP/W they're not gonna be any more qualified to comment on how yours is setup than you are. Most instructors are not very qualified.

Please stop saying DIR. You are not a DIR diver. You simply own a bp/w. Saying someone is DIR has very specific implications. Better to just let go of that now until you have an actual understanding of what DIR is, its history, and what it has become.
 
Here are two additional pics, I followed the "how to thread a cam band" video I put in my OP, hopefully I got it right.

The video is correct, but I understand it's easy to get it mixed up even with a video. The strap should go through the opening (not calling this a slot) next to the tank, then the middle slot, then the slot closest to the tank (this is where it get awkward) then back through the opening next to the tank. At this point you aren't done, but this is where I size the strap to the tank by having the buckle mostly open and pulling the loose end taut, then mostly closing the buckle and completing the threading through the last slot furthest from the tank. I'm sure some do this sizing step differently, either sizing it with the strap threaded through the last slot, or not using the last slot at all. For me it depends on how stiff the cam band webbing is and how much of a set it's taken by being stretched out over a tank.

I agree with JohnnyC about avoiding the DIR terminology. It's a pretty loaded term.
 
At this point you aren't done

That's an understatement. Thanks for that feedback, I'll unstrap and re-do them paying more attention to how you described it.

I agree with JohnnyC about avoiding the DIR terminology. It's a pretty loaded term.

Yup, I'm finding that out.

Please stop saying DIR. You are not a DIR diver.

JohnnyC, you're right, I've removed all the DIR portion of the posts. Thanks.
 
You did exactly the same thing with your cambands as I did on my first few dives. Thread here: BP/W twists on the dive with some good advice I received especially the post about the ratchet technique.

I found (which you posted) and to be really helpful for adjusting the rigging prior to diving as they talked about the various levels things should be at, especially positions of the D-rings relative to where your arms naturally go when you want to clip off a boltsnap.
 
You did exactly the same thing with your cambands as I did on my first few dives.

Thanks Sean, glad to know I wasn't the only one to make the same mistake. No doubt I'll make more.

Will watch that second video this evening, looks very helpful.
 
Please don't read anything into this tone, it's simply much more practical to be matter-of-fact.

You do not understand what DIR is, through no fault of your own. It's obvious in your post, which is well put together btw, and would be helpful to a new diver. You (and many many others) make a lot of assumptions about what constitutes DIR, based on some superficial understanding of incomplete information. The point is, without actually understanding the DIR philosophy and its approach to diving, you're not doing yourself any favors by trying to adhere to a system that you don't understand. You can't look at is as specific parts, it really is a system and a philosophy that is more than the sum of its individual parts. People forget that, or don't bother learning that in the first place.

Here's a good example. You say you are "new to DIR." That's an inaccurate statement. You are new to a backplate and wing buoyancy control device. Do DIR divers utilize a BP/W? Absolutely. Does that make every BP/W diver DIR? Not in the least. This is a good example of how people misunderstand what DIR is, and in your case, simply equate it to some specific gear choices and a lot of practice. It's like someone owning a car and painting some numbers on it and calling themselves a race car driver, or saying they're "new to racing," or "somewhat of a driver." Hyperbole, sure, but illustrates the point.

Another one, "The DIR crowd is typically experienced and somewhat seasoned having gone through Rec and usually a few specialties towards Advanced OW if not out-right Tech Divers." This is a fundamental misunderstanding. DIR is not just a step in the ladder to your next certification. A DIR diver need not ever receive and AOW certification. A highly experienced technical diver may never follow any or all of the DIR philosophy. Again, DIR is a philosophy, a whole approach to diving, that isn't just some certification that has prerequisites and once you've passed the course you're "DIR." Fundamentally speaking, you just don't understand what you're talking about, and it's not surprising because the vast majority of the information available about it is incomplete, false, or misleading. Lots of people are in the same boat as you are.

Now, some brief historical perspective, DIR was used as a term by some very polarizing figures in the industry. There are quite a few older divers who will immediately write you off as a diver for even referencing anything you do as DIR. Even the implication that if you don't "Do It Right," you're doing it wrong has caused much consternation, even before guys like GI3 were actively calling people strokes because of it. It has long-lasting implications deep enough that GUE, the progenitor of the DIR movement, removed references to DIR a few years ago, and now it's simply historical context. When the creators of the philosophy change the context in which the term is used, it's safe to say there are still strong feelings towards it.

The grand point of all this is, you are not doing yourself any favors associating with DIR until you have an actual understanding of what it means. That means understanding the philosophy, understanding the systems, understanding the processes and procedures. Doubtful someone is gonna punch you in the face for saying you're new to DIR, but if your justification for saying you're "somewhat DIR" is because you simply own a BP/W and put a second stage on a necklace, it gives people on all sides the wrong impression.

That doesn't mean you can't head in that direction. It doesn't mean that you find a GUE instructor and have them teach you what DIR actually means, and it doesn't mean you can't embrace the philosophy and advance your scuba career down that path. Instead of taking a bunch of useless specialties take your new BP/W to a GUE Fundamentals class. I guarantee you will understand what DIR is after that course, and you will be a much much better diver. It's not too bad a drive from NC to cave country, and your money would be much better spent doing that than doing one deep dive to tick the box for AOW. Then you can decide if you want to follow that philosophy, if you want to take some parts of that and use it while disregarding other parts, or if the whole thing is contrary to what your interests are, and you'd prefer to stick with more mainstream recreational diving ideas.

Read the wikipedia page. I think you will find it enlightening. Doing It Right (scuba diving) - Wikipedia
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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