Scubapro BCD

[Simone1992Scuba]

Thank you all for the advice, yes actually alu BP would be better to have some ditchable weight and for travel. Also I saw that almost everyone after some time buys both alu and ss for versatilty.

 

[Neilwood]

That is quite common - partly because it is fairly cheap (a second plate will probably be available for $50-100). The existing harness can be used with it (if you don't mind de-threading it and re-threading it for trips) or a second harness (with the d-rings etc in the same positions again for about $50-100) can be permanently fitted to it so the only adjustment needed is switching the wing over (which is 2 bolts).

I reckon with a bit of practise I could probably strip my plate in and thread the harness onto another plate in about 30 minutes (now that the placements of the relevant items on it are known - can temporarily mark them with chalk for switching if need be).

I would spend some time if possible with someone that knows how to set up a BP&W rig properly - 10-15 mins above water getting it right (tweaking crotchstrap length, D-ring placements, knife/cutter placement etc) is well worthwhile.

 

[Simone1992Scuba]

Yes I think its better to buy the bp with the harness so its easier

 

[halocline]

90% of the time ill be diving with 3mm suit and Al80, so alu BP and 18lb wing should be ok, but in a case I want to use a 5mm suit and steel tank should I consider a bigger wing or SS BP?

I have never needed a bigger wing than my 18lb oxycheq even in a 5mil suit with a steel tank. If you are properly weighted, you're only compensating for the compression of your wetsuit (and the weight of the gas in your tank) so 18 lbs is probably plenty for you even with a 5mil suit. Well designed 30 lb wings are not that much bigger in profile, though, so it's not like diving with a 30lb wing from oxycheq, halcyon, or DSS is any significant disadvantage over a smaller wing.

My rule of thumb for my diving is, steel plate with AL tank and vice-versa. The past few years all of my dive trips have included some doubles diving, though, and I find an AL plate better for me with AL80 doubles, go figure. (The bands and manifold are pretty heavy) So basically I'm using an AL plate most of the time.

That said, if you need 8 lbs with your standard BC, and are changing nothing except the move to a BP/W, I would go with a steel plate. You will find that having the ballast on your back is with an AL80 tank is terrific. You can approximate this by using camband weights, but it's not as good as the steel plate.

I would have no concern for ditch-able weight in warm water. You're not carrying enough ballast to be worried about not being able to swim your rig to the surface and stay there easily.

A really nice set up is the DSS steel plate with the 20lb LCD wing. Another is the oxycheq 18 lb wing with either a dive rite or oxycheq plate. There are lots of good choices. Scubapro would not be one of them IMO for a BP/W.

 

[halocline]

In new to the BP/W world so im having a hard time deciding, so if I understood, alu BP needs a lighter wing compared to the SS. So alu with 18lb or SS with 25-30 should be ok? If so which one would you guys think is better? Thanks in advance

No, this isn't true. Your lift requirement (wing size) is really determined solely by the amount of buoyancy of your exposure suit, plus the weight of the gas in your tank...roughly 5 lbs for a single tank.

Your ballast requirement is also based on your exposure suit buoyancy; ballast includes anything that sinks, like weights, a steel plate, even your regulator and sometimes other gear.

Your wing also needs to be able to float your rig without you in it. With lots of ballast on the rig itself, this can be an issue, but in your case it won't be.

The only way in your situation you'd need a marginally bigger wing due to a steel plate would be if you were overweighted with the plate and no lead. It doesn't sound like that would be the case for you, unless you switched to a steel tank.

 

[halocline]

Ok i did some searching and I'll buy an Halcyon Eclipse with SS BP and 30 wing. What do you guys think? Good choice? And also, with the jacket bcd, al80 and 3mm wetsuit I use 8lb lead so will the SS be to heavy?

This is a fine choice, the only problem I would have with a Halcyon set up is the price! The quality is excellent.

You will very likely not be heavy with the steel plate. And once again, don't worry about ditchable weight unless you are very concerned about not being able to stay afloat at the beginning of a dive.

The emphasis on ditchable weight by some of the recreational training agencies (like PADI) is at least partially because they have found that many of their OW students have lots of trouble at the surface. So they want students to be able to get quite positive at the surface immediately even without the assistance of inflating the BC. Not coincidentally, many OW students are significantly overweighted (that observation comes from a few years of DM work) and as a result, may have trouble managing their surface buoyancy.

In the real world, experienced divers that are not overweighted don't typically have issues at the surface, especially in warm water with minimal ballast, and so ditchable weight is just not necessary. There is also the trade-off between the safety of being able to ditch weight and the risk of accidentally losing weight at depth and having an uncontrolled trip to the surface. I've seen that happen plenty of times with new divers as well.

So IMO its not as simple as "ditchable weights=good". Try the steel plate, you'll love it. You can also get an AL plate with a simple webbing harness for a reasonable cost, less than $100, and then use it when you dive with steel tanks or no wetsuit. Most of us who use a BP/W end up with a couple of plates for different diving situations.