Ok Honestly?!?!?!

[FastPirate]

If he could afford the extra $50 -$75 a good OxyCheq singles wing would cost though, I'd wholeheartedly recommend that, as IMHO it would provide the best of all worlds... ease of use, flexibility going forward, and gear he likely will never want to replace.

Where in Africa? I spent some time diving the Watamu marine reserve in Kenya, and it was a blast!

im confused...the oxycheq is a BCD??? please clarify (im kinda new to this whole thing and im trying to understand how this all works) what is a IMHO?

i am going to nairobi for 3-6 months working with a volunteer program because i decided i wanted to take a gap year before going to college... and i figured since im going to be there, i mine as well do some diving on the weekends and have some fun
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[FastPirate]

Kinda a Jerk. He is a total Complete Jerk. The KING of Jerks! And a bad business man to boot. The only thing worst than loosing retail business is loosing BOTH retail business, AND service business, and a Customer!

Our LDS retail pricing stinks. But I've learned that they treat customers that spend 5K on equipment the same way they treat customers that just use them for training... They fleece us both! At least that is fair!

Find another LDS. This guy won't stay in business with that type of attitude.

i understand that he is pissed that the internet is steeling his biz, except i am just trying to get my foot in the door, if the guy had just said "look i dont carry anything in that price range, im sorry, but id be happy to help you in the future with anything u need, if and when you can afford the stuff i sell" i wouldnt care, hell if i ever did make enough money to afford the gear he sells, id prolly go there and spend it. except he was a freakin jerk to me, i am a loyal customer, but once im turned im turned unless they make it right, if i ever won the lottery, i wouldnt go back there.
if i ever have the money to upgrade my gear, screw that guy, ill go back to where i was helped in the first place (and it looks like its gonna be scubatoys).
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[FastPirate]

Save yourself from buying gear twice. Get a BP/W.

what is a BP/W??
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[divenutny]

Fast Pirate - I guess you need a acronym dictionary. There are a few around.

To answer your questions

IMHO In My Humble Opinion

BP/W Back Pack with Wings basically, a BC with Wing bladder, not a jacket bladder

Cheers!

 

[MSilvia]

Nairobi huh? You'll definately want to get down to the Mombasa area for some dives on the coast. Also, be prepared for agressive panhandling... you're likely to find people will, for example, "help you with your bags" despite your protests, and then demand to be paid for it. It may be helpful to learn some conversational Swahili too.

IMHO is shorthand for "In my humble/honest opinion".

A BP/W is a BackPlate/Wing type of BCD, composed of a contoured plate, usually metal, which is fixed to your back with a harness of some sort. Here's a picture:

The bouyancy bladder, or "wing" is sandwiched between the plate and the tank, resulting in something that looks like this:

It's a very rugged, very simple, very versatile system that is favored by technical divers, but which works equally well for recreational diving. It's much more comfortable than it looks... the plate is made so it doesn't rest against your spine. Lots of folks on the board recommend them for new divers, so that you can build skills and muscle memory from the get-go with the same gear you'd be using if you decide later to persue more demanding decompression and overhead environment diving with double tanks, which can easily be used with this system by simply swapping the wing out for a larger one. Lots of folks here have taken that advice and been happy with it, and very few who've tried it say they don't like it.

On the downside, it's not what most divers use, as few are even aware it's an option. That can lead to confusion and misinformation, as seen in the all-too-common case when an LDS tells people that BP/W is only for advanced diving, that it'll push you face down on the surface, or otherwise drown you in ways that a BCD they want to sell you would not. IMHO, that's a load of hogwash.

If you're interested, Deep Sea Supply has a good setup at a reasonable price, or you could get a plate and single tank adapter (STA) from Hammerhead for $100, get an OxyCheq wing from Scubatoys.com for $250 or so, and rig a simple harness with weight belt webbing and $30 or so worth of hardware. It's best to have someone familiar with them help you out if you go that route though. I'm sure there's a diver on the board who lives near you and would be happy to help.

 

[almitywife]

what is a BP/W??
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ive recently converted to bpw.... love it and its a great option to a bc!

 

[RonFrank]

BP/W Back Pack with Wings basically, a BC with Wing bladder, not a jacket bladder

Cheers!

Ummm, that is Back Plate and Wing!

 

[daniel f aleman]

Ah, yes, another thread hijacked by Wing drones. The OP asked for info on his Oceanic gear deal... right?

 

[TheRedHead]

Ah, yes, another thread hijacked by Wing drones. The OP asked for info on his Oceanic gear deal... right?

Hardly a drone, sugah. I've been told by quite a few scubaboard members that I have nice equipment.

 

[daniel f aleman]

Well..., feel free to hijack about your "equipment" anytime.