Situations a BP/W may not be preferred

[MaxBottomtime]

95% of my dives are rocky beach dives. The rest are private boats. I dived from my 12 1/2' inflatable for several years and have never had a single problem using a backplate, except the aforementioned forgetting to disconnect the drysuit inflator.
The site I dive the most involves a 1/4 mile surface swim. I have never once been put in a face down position due to a backplate.
I originally switched to a backplate because I had two BCs that ripped using doubles. I can't imagine going back to a BC.

 

[Codyjp]

when i put my backplate on in the water i put it in the water full of air and tie a strap to it to the dingy. When i put it on i let almost all the air out to the point it is barely boyant, being super careful to not make a new sea decoration.

Also, if a backplate gives you a heads down feeling you may have to much air in the bc. let some air out and relax.

ps, i can barely surf on an 8' board, much less 60lbs of metal and mesh.

one, more thing, tell us a bit more about this kayak diving. seems like a fair challenge!

 

[Nemrod]

I have dived from my Ocean Kayak Scupper Pro TW using a full backplate/wing. It works fine. You might consider leaving he crotch strap off. I assume this is a more casual sort of diving in that you will not be lugging lights and all sorts of junk with you. I have put it on on the kayak in calm conditions and tethered it other times. Put it on underwater with the wing deflated.

BUT, just to be entirely exact, most of the time, when diving from a kayak I am fairly shallow (less than 60 feet) and I am towing the kayak so it serves as my surface support and thus I use no BC and use either an old fashioned plastic plate (Voit Snug Pack) or the plate with no wing and of course I elimiinate all the other un-needed junk and use only a double hose regulator.

But, yes, I have dove a Hog BP/wing rig from my kayak with success. Also, I have a inflatible about 14 feet long and a hard hull Boston Whaler, neither of them have much to do with diving from a kayak. Kayak diving is a sport almost to itself and while knowledge transfers and so do skills there are many new things to learn and it can be a very steep learning curve.
N

 

[Nemrod]

I know this is the Hog forum but you ask about kayak diving and must tell you straight up that the more you eliminate and simplify the better off you are. I understand you may need exposure protection but if in warm water or conditions that elimnate heavy wetsuits (all things that don't do well with kayak diving---paddling in a heavy wetsuit or dry suit--yeah--that will work out!!!) then howabout eliminating the inflatible lifejacket pacifier and doing without. The kayak will serve as your surface flotation and safety net, dump the BC (wing). With a shorty suit, or a 3/2 peeled off over my shoulders I can paddle well enough and then zip up and get in the water. With only a tank and simple harness to fuss over and no stink'n BC things get real simple and easy. Now, I do carry a sausage or two. One for me and one for my gear in case something happens and I get seperated from the kayak--clip the sausage to the tank/rig and inflate---swim for the yak or the shore and recover later if possible. Obviously if your not a competant open water swimmer then other considerations come into play. Learn to dive without a BC. N

 

[smb1014]

I like the Hogarthian equipment configuration and will probably adopt it over time. However, I can think of two situations in which I would prefer a jacket BC. The first is when diving from a kayak. It seems like a jacket would be easier to get in and out of on the surface. Just inflate, throw in the water and climb in. The other situation would be when exiting rough surf. It seems A jacket would put you in a better position to ride a wave in, that is, head up. Also if it is a rocky exit the jacket would provide some extra protection when a wave manages to toss you against the rocks. What are your thoughts? Any other situations?

yes, a jacket might be easier (SLIGHTLY) to get in and out of if using a drysuit and diving from a kayak. BUT, the actual diving with a BP/w setup is FAR superior, in my opinion, to a jacket bcd. And aren't we here for the actual diving and not the getting in and out of equipment?

 

[SeanQ]

A BP/W with a hog harness isn't difficult to get in and out of - provided you have good flexibility and are accustomed to it. If it's a problem practice and technique can't solve, why not use an adjustable harness? I've seen people using a quick release with both sections attached to one shoulder strap. Unbuckling it adds some slack to the harness allowing it to be donned/doffed easier.

 

[Packhorse]

Im always suprised at how difficult people seem to thing donning a BCis in the water. I do this on most of my dives because I think it is easyer.
Inflat BC or BP/W place in, water jump in, put your arms thru straps and then do a foward roll. When you surface hey presto you are wearing your BC.
With a BP/W its a little harder because of the crotch stap.

 

[JimC]

I wouldn't take a plate/wing into a some caves.

 

[kidspot]

I've dove a few times off a kyak in my bp/wing. No different than any other time I donned or doffed inwater. The crotch strap wasn't an issue either for me. On the other hand it stowed better in the kyak because it was more compact.

As far as rough surf exits ... how rough are you talking about? Anything over 3ft and I don't try diving that day - less and it's not been an issue - I put the reg in my mouth and ride the wave up onto a sandy area, then walk, crawl or roll up on the beach

Aloha, Tim

P.S. A couple situations where a BP/Wing is not optimal might include 1) Going to the symphony 2) Mountain Biking 3) running a marathon ....