Mike McG
Registered
I dived on the Seahawk 2 for around 12 months before switching to BP/W. The Seahawk was super comfortable and simple to use but limited in terms of the type of diving you should do with it. When I first switched to a BP/W I thought why have I gone and done this, I have to attach pockets, there are additional things to maintain (bolts etc) and it's more difficult the place onto the cylinder. A few months down the line and i'm glad I switched, the SS plate affords me the opportunity to opt for a balanced rig as opposed to wearing a belt or loading pockets. The ability to customise the BP/W allows me to move D rings to more comfortable positions, the inflator hose is shorter and less intrusive, the webbing harness is much better for attaching accessories where you can reach them, it's easier to configure a long hose and best of all, I have the ability to upgrade when I eventually start learning techical diving.
The reason I say this is because when I first switched to BP/W I too felt a little uncomfortable at some of the percieved disadvantages but I found that it was only once my diving advanced that I understood these are not disadvantages at all but in fact they are benefits and can expand your diving. Having two tank bands is one of those benefits. The Seahawk tank bands were fine for me and I had no problems but I have heard of other people having the main one come loose. The band its self may be easier to apply to a cylinder but it's very difficult to adjust which I found when moving from 15L cylinders to 12L or vice versa. The two cam bands on my BP/W are only marginally more cumbersome to fit to a cylinder than the Seahawk and there is some redundancy with having two. Plus the option to use stainless steel buckles etc...
The reason I say this is because when I first switched to BP/W I too felt a little uncomfortable at some of the percieved disadvantages but I found that it was only once my diving advanced that I understood these are not disadvantages at all but in fact they are benefits and can expand your diving. Having two tank bands is one of those benefits. The Seahawk tank bands were fine for me and I had no problems but I have heard of other people having the main one come loose. The band its self may be easier to apply to a cylinder but it's very difficult to adjust which I found when moving from 15L cylinders to 12L or vice versa. The two cam bands on my BP/W are only marginally more cumbersome to fit to a cylinder than the Seahawk and there is some redundancy with having two. Plus the option to use stainless steel buckles etc...
