Ever teach students who were diving BP/Ws? We put 100% of our OW students in BP/W for their Open Water dives. Everyone from 4ft-tall 10yr old Girl Scouts to 6'5" former marines; from weak swimmers to elite competitive swimmers; from great students to lousy students. They all use a BP/W and NONE have ever had a problem.
Frankly, I'm guessing you've never actually dived (or possibly even seen) a BP/W rig in person, because if you had you'd never suggest that this...
is simpler than this...
Such a suggestion defies logic, irrespective of your personal preference for diving one vs the other.
Any student confusion that results from the instructor wearing a BP/W and a student wearing a traditional BCD is entirely the fault of a deficient instructor. Unless you choose to highlight the differences between a BP/W and a BCD, instead of highlighting the similarities between the two, students will see that an instructor diving a BP/W is in fact "teaching in what the student is wearing."
A BP/W is far more SIMILAR to a BCD that than it is different. Don't believe me? Imagine the buoyancy device I describe below being worn by a single-tank diver, and see if you can determine which one I am I describing:
- The key functional components of the buoyancy device are a flexible bladder to hold/release air, a hose allowing air to be added to, or vented from the bladder, and straps to enable the diver to wear the device.
- The buoyancy device is attached to a scuba cylinder by means of a strap and buckle/cam-band system.
- The scuba cylinder has a regulator connected to it, and along with the buoyancy device, these three pieces of equipment constitute the diver's scuba unit.
- The scuba unit has a corrugated hose. It's over the left shoulder. It is connected to the flexible bladder on the shoulder end.
- There's a LP hose running along side the corrugated hose. It is connected to the regulator first stage.
- The corrugated hose and the LP hose connect to an inflator at the distal end.
- The inflator has two buttons. Depressing the button nearest the LP hose adds air to the flexible bladder. Depressing the button nearest the mouthpiece vents air from the bladder.
- There are shoulder straps that the diver's arms go through when donning the unit.
- There's a strap that goes around the waist.
- There's a buckle on the waist strap.
- Buoyancy is controlled by adding air to, or venting air from, the flexible bladder.
- The air is added to the bladder via either depressing the button near the LP hose or by blowing through the mouthpiece while depressing the button nearest the mouthpiece.
- Air is vented from the bladder by raising the mouthpiece to the highest point and depressing the button nearest the mouthpiece. There is typically at least one additional vent to release air from the flexible bladder.
- For single-tank diving there is one first-stage regulator attached to the tank valve. Coming from this first-stage regulator are several LP hoses. Two LP hoses each go to a 2nd-stage regulator, one LP hose goes to the inflator. A device to monitor tank pressure will be connected to the HP port.
- One 2nd-stage regulator serves as the diver's primary regulator.
- While underwater, the primary regulator is in the diver's mouth.
- The other 2nd-stage regulator is the backup regulator.
- The backup regulator is secured in front of the diver, somewhere between their chin and their waist.
- The backup regulator is for use when one diver in the buddy pair has a problem breathing from their primary regulator. Typically this would be an air-share due to an OOA situation, which will be drilled in training.
- If there is an OOA situation, the buddy donates the appropriate 2nd stage to the OOA buddy, and keeps the other 2nd stage for themselves. The divers ascend, and at the surface the OOA diver orally inflates their flexible bladder (if needed) by blowing into the mouthpiece of their inflator, while depressing the button nearest the mouthpiece.
- The diver will typically carry weight with them.
- Some of this weight will ordinarily be ditchable, but some may be non-ditchable.
- The weight to really be concerned with is the ditchable weight.
- Ditchable weight is typically either carried on a weight belt (or harness) worn separately from the buoyancy device, or in releasable pockets mounted directly on/in the buoyancy device. The releasable pockets are usually secured by means of a buckle.
- If this weight needs to be ditched, the diver (or their buddy) releases either the weightbelt or the releasable weight pockets.
So, was I describing a full-blown tech BP/W rig or a traditional recreational BCD? Traditional recreational regulator configuration or 7ft hose? Primary reg and combo octo/inflator?
To tell you the truth... even I can't tell.
And, the new diver will not be able to tell the difference either... unless you choose to highlight the differences. On the other hand, if you describe a BP/W and a BCD as I did above - pointing out the nearly four dozen specific features or actions that are the same - they will that a BP/W and a BCD are the same.
Last edited:
