Snorkel vest for SCUBA...?

[TheQuintessentialMan]

Well, OP, I dove with what was essentially a snorkel vest, a USD (Mae West ) CO2 inflated unit for years and years. There were no BCs and even after there were many were slow to jump on the Stabilizer Jacket wagon. I also still have and use a SeaTec horsecollar BC with power inflator. I got two, NIB when Kenlee SCUBA closed down in Houston. I am a wing/BP guy, I finally got my wife into one as well. A 60 pounds lift wing? I use a 18/24/30 and my wife has an 18, all for single tank diving in exposure gear up to 5mm.

Yes, everyone tells you the wing/BP are fine on the surface and all they need is their head above the water. Sure, that way after a long drift and waiting for the boat to pick me up, sometimes 20 minutes or more, and then every wave washes over my head. Or, I am holding my camera, which puts a weight on a moment in front of me tugging me forward. The surface qualities of the wing/BP are not their strong suit. If you want to get your head and shoulders well above the surface you will need to go back to a jacket type BC or get a horsecollar BC. I can just about guarantee the horsecollar BC will float you head and chest up.

You know, there were manually operated horsecollar BCs. I have a Nemrod unit in fine working order. It has a large diameter oral inflater hose and a manual only inflator. It has a single large pull dump. Works fine, rubber impregnated and coated canvas. I do not know of anyone making such a thing now, a shame.

N

The vest solves the problem for me, I float vertically, effortlessly on the surface and still plane out underwater. Because of the light weight design, I don it first under my wings back plate. In an emergency I now have redundant flotation. It may not work for everyone but for me it does at least until I find a better solution.

Thanks

 

[vjb.knife]

Adding a vest to a BPW seems like a lot of clutter to me. I would try moving your trim weight to a strap attaching it to the back of your tank. I also find it hard to believe that any type of glue holds a strap together at all. I would try getting some metal or nylon adjusters or sew it together. If you don't have access to a sewing machine, it can be done securely by hand with a needle and thread in 5 minutes or so. Good luck.

 

[TheQuintessentialMan]

Adding a vest to a BPW seems like a lot of clutter to me. I would try moving your trim weight to a strap attaching it to the back of your tank. I also find it hard to believe that any type of glue holds a strap together at all. I would try getting some metal or nylon adjusters or sew it together. If you don't have access to a sewing machine, it can be done securely by hand with a needle and thread in 5 minutes or so. Good luck.

The vest is a synthetic material coated on the inside to hold air. Any use of needles would puncture the air bladder and render it useless. It would also sew the two sides together and not allow the bladder to inflate. The glue seems to be holding for now, time will tell.

Already have my trim weights about as high on the frame as they will go; works well underwater. The vest does not add that much clutter and fits nicely under the wings. May make some modifications down the road as I dive it more.