Proper fit of harness

[Scuba446]

Hi,
How do I know if I have my harness adjusted properly....I mean, is it like - "you should be able to slip so-many fingers UNDER your shoulder straps" or something. Do I make these adjustments with my wetsuit on and the BP and wings on me w/o the tank on, so as to keep the weight from pulling it down?

 

[Welshman]

One of the purposes of the BC is to hold your tank securely when you are diving. It follows that if the BC is loose on you that the weight of the tank will cause the BC to move around on you, which is not going to aid your diving one bit.

I don't think you can be prescriptive over defining whether your BC fits you. You don't want to feel constricted as you will not relax; by the same token you don't want your BC with too much play in it.

When I put my BC on I first secure the cummerbund and then the shoulder straps. if I do it the other way around I run the risk of the BC coming up too high so the cummerbund is secured too high rather than around my waist.

You can only make the adjustments when you have your wetsuit or drysuit on and the tank is secured. I get over the problem of the tank pulling the BC down by making the first adjustments sitting down. I always make any final adjustments in the water.

 

[Scuba446]

Thanks, but we are talling a harness here, and not a true BC! Kinda a differant animal! Thanks though for your input!

 

[Lost Yooper]

My gauge is if I can get in and out of the harness with my suit and underwear on.

Mike

 

[Welshman]

Dear Scuba446

I would have thought the principles were the same. A jacket style BC such as mine ( a Seaquest Pro QD+) essentially has the harness integral to the air cell, whereas your back plate and wing has the two elements clearly differentiated. The aim of the harness in both cases is the same: to prevent, firstly, the tank hanging too low when on land and, secondly, moving around underwater and, thirdly, riding up around your ears when on the surface.

I think therefore that the method for fitting the BC correctly (whether it's jacket, back inflation or harness and wing) is the same: the tank must be in place and the BC should be put on when you are sitting and then adjusted standing up and finally in the water both on the surface and potentially below if you descend to sufficient depth to compress your wetsuit.

regards

Welshman

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by Welshman
I would have thought the principles were the same.

Nope... crotch strap is the key

Scuba446:
Go ahead and adjust the plate w/o tank or wetsuit... just your sweat shirt or jacket... well pants too...

The shoulder straps should be loose enough that you can slip in or out by *chicken winging* your arms out.... in other words slip your hands back through the strap and then bring your elbows out... this is what we do in the water to get it off while laying horizontal facing down... use your long hose regulator.

The crotch strap is the key to the fit... it should be adjusted so that when the waist strap is tightened down the crotch strap will pull the shoulder straps tight enough to keep the plate from moving... not so tight that you can't reach across your chest and touch your opposite shoulder but... well experiment and come up with what feels good to you... the final adjustments are in the crotch strap.

 

[Scuba446]

Ok Uncle Pug...thanls..

how in the hell did you get the nickname, Uncle PUG?

 

[Scubaroo]

Originally posted by Scuba446
how in the hell did you get the nickname, Uncle PUG?

someone actually asked....

 

[Scuba446]

Ya man...

Another question: Do I do anything with the tag end of my waist harness that comes off of the SS buckle inside the waist belt? Do I use 1-2 pieces of inner tube to secure it from hanging around or nothing at all?

 

[Green_Manelishi]

how often do you don your BP without your suit and underwear?

on second thought perhaps I don't want to know ;-)