No wing on a backplate harness and tank for Caribbean shallow diving -how does this work?
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Sportsways was in the game as well with a wing and even sporting dual second stages well before that too was common pratice:
BCs of various sorts with power inflation were fairly ubiquitous by the close of the 70s.
BCs of various sorts with power inflation were fairly ubiquitous by the close of the 70s.
Gatorfish
Registered
I’m a minimalist at heart and enjoy these discussions. While I love the regular turn to historic diving techniques, I think modern tech really makes minimalist diving fun and safe. The addition of transmitters and smart dive watches, you can really streamline kit and equipment without losing function.
90% of my diving is spearfishing florida gulf coast and keys. So pretty simple. But I often reduce my kit to a steel lp85, an aluminum backplate and harness, smb bungeed to the plate, first stage with one second and a transmitter. Paired with my Descent and an InReach in a weight pocket. Set up has one hose. Nothing dangling. Add in the speargun and stringer, knife and light.
90% of my diving is spearfishing florida gulf coast and keys. So pretty simple. But I often reduce my kit to a steel lp85, an aluminum backplate and harness, smb bungeed to the plate, first stage with one second and a transmitter. Paired with my Descent and an InReach in a weight pocket. Set up has one hose. Nothing dangling. Add in the speargun and stringer, knife and light.
Can someone comment on the Watergill At-Pac? According to The History of the Stabiliser Jacket - Issuu this (partially?) hard shell version was introduced one year after the Stab Jacket.
In 1972, the company Watergill Manufacturing launched the ‘Watergill At Pac’. This model contained a number of introductions, such as the ‘cummerbund’ or waistband, the wings, and the integration of the regulators in a ‘shell system’, whereby everything is neatly stored in a hard shell. It was also the first integration of lead into the BCD. The diver could discharge the lead pellets in case of an emergency. With so many novelties in one model, the design was considered dangerous and it was advisable to undergo special training before diving with it.
But most of the pictures I've seen have a normal fabric wing. Did this come later or maybe a DIY mod?
In 1972, the company Watergill Manufacturing launched the ‘Watergill At Pac’. This model contained a number of introductions, such as the ‘cummerbund’ or waistband, the wings, and the integration of the regulators in a ‘shell system’, whereby everything is neatly stored in a hard shell. It was also the first integration of lead into the BCD. The diver could discharge the lead pellets in case of an emergency. With so many novelties in one model, the design was considered dangerous and it was advisable to undergo special training before diving with it.
But most of the pictures I've seen have a normal fabric wing. Did this come later or maybe a DIY mod?
I tried one but it was awful. Way too much drag and bulk.
However, the wing inside the shell was interesting. The elastic fabric was a bit delicate but effective at keeping it compact when deflated. The inflator hose went down the inside of the courigaged hose, which did slow the max exhaust rate but not enough to bother me. I used it for 15-20 years until some rubber parts were too far gone.
This is not the back pack that came with it, which held lead shot and marbles.
However, the wing inside the shell was interesting. The elastic fabric was a bit delicate but effective at keeping it compact when deflated. The inflator hose went down the inside of the courigaged hose, which did slow the max exhaust rate but not enough to bother me. I used it for 15-20 years until some rubber parts were too far gone.
This is not the back pack that came with it, which held lead shot and marbles.
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
I had two of those early orange stab jacket thingies that came in a box of stuff from somebody. The only thing I wanted in the box were the two MK5’s and R109’s and original SP Italian made SPG’s. The BC’s went straight into the trash, but I stripped out the two plastic backpacks first and saved those.
The backpack in them was not even laced up, it had no straps going through it, it was just floating around free with the tank attached to it. The way the design looked, it would flop around something horrid. The whole thing was nothing but lightweight poly canvas material. I couldn’t see how all that loose fabric could secure the tank very well to the diver.
What a turd!
The backpack in them was not even laced up, it had no straps going through it, it was just floating around free with the tank attached to it. The way the design looked, it would flop around something horrid. The whole thing was nothing but lightweight poly canvas material. I couldn’t see how all that loose fabric could secure the tank very well to the diver.
What a turd!
Half of the hand laid fiberglass shell attached to the backpack with small line laced thorough holes and the other half of the shell clamped to the the first shell with stainless Neilson snaps. The bladder was the wing, if that is what you are asking about.
Edit: I did attach the wing to my replacement backplate with two 1/4-20 stainless bolts. There is a clear plastic bladder inside the stretchy blue fabric.
nihildriven
Registered
Taking minimal to the max is a whole thing. I saw someone on a very popular liveaboard diving a plastic backpack with a reg that consisted only of the primary, a single lp hose, and a single secondary. No octo, no spg, no inflator. Having met them, I think that if they ran out of air under water, they’d be like “it finally ends, thank god” followed shortly thereafter by “oh **** what about my cat?”
Those tank backpacks are really light and really comfy and your buoyancy control with a tiny bit of lead and a backpack is actually super easy and intuitive. It is kind of liberating. Personally, I prefer a tiny msr air cell and weight on my tank, an 8’ hose, and no mount. You push or drag the weightless tank around, or make it a little positive and have it above you, or put it between your legs and mime riding it like a horse.
I did meet a DM who used a tank backpack. One day someone lost a weight pocket on their first dive with 5lbs in it. My partner found it on the second dive and handed it to the DM not thinking about his rig. He mentioned he was pretty constrained in his breathing for the next 40 minutes once we got to the surface.
Those tank backpacks are really light and really comfy and your buoyancy control with a tiny bit of lead and a backpack is actually super easy and intuitive. It is kind of liberating. Personally, I prefer a tiny msr air cell and weight on my tank, an 8’ hose, and no mount. You push or drag the weightless tank around, or make it a little positive and have it above you, or put it between your legs and mime riding it like a horse.
I did meet a DM who used a tank backpack. One day someone lost a weight pocket on their first dive with 5lbs in it. My partner found it on the second dive and handed it to the DM not thinking about his rig. He mentioned he was pretty constrained in his breathing for the next 40 minutes once we got to the surface.
Hmmm. If the diver is running both a primary 2nd stage and a secondary 2nd stage on his single 1st stage, then doesn't he/she have an "octopus" regulator?
Maybe a reg requires more hoses (e.g., a LP BC power inflator hose and a HP SPG hose) to be considered an "octopus" reg. (I really don't know...)
rx7diver
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