What in the he%$#

[Blue Space]

I am brand new to diving and very confused. I think i've read almost every post here in the last two days which has been a wealth of information. But theres one thing that really bugs the heck out of me and thats the debate between bp/wing BC's and the traditional ones. Ok besides the obvious its a little more streamlined than traditional BC's but my question is. Is there a difference in safety between these two. And if the bp/wing is better in some way why don't the LDS sell them. I hope this dosent cause a huge debate I just want some information so I can make an educated decision for myself. Any input would be great!!

 

[MechDiver]

My LDS does sell them.

If you have indeed read almost all the posts, then you already know the answer to your other question, but just for kicks:

A bp&w is not, IMO, inherently "safer" than a convential BC, as its still up to the wearer to take care of that. If anything, it has less garbage to get in your way, which could make it safer. What do you think?

MD

 

[Blue Space]

First off I don't even know what troll means. Second I would not have ask the question if I already new the answer. Like I said before i'm NOT looking for a mass debate just honest information from divers that have the experience. Isn't that what this board is all about? I don't want to buy equipment then find out later I made a mistake my wallet can't support those kind of mistakes;-0

 

[WreckWriter]

My LDS sells them too. Several LDSs around here do.

Troll (in this context)= a post (and often a user) created specifically to cause friction and trouble.

Sock puppet= closely related to parenthesised point above.

WW

 

[Ontario Diver]

I don't think Mech was accusing you of being a troll (BTW a troll is someone who post things just to raise a little sh** and get folks angry)

Any how, there is very little "safety" difference between a jacket style and a wing style. Mech's point about how you use it is right on.

That said, there are performance differences between the two that you might want to be aware of....

Jacket styles wrap your body in bouyancy. With a jacket style, you'll probably find it easier to float vertically on the surface because it will act like a life jacket. They do tend to have more drag than a wing.

Wing styles are easier to achieve a horizontal body position whilst in the water. I find them more comfortable because there is no "squeeze" when it is inflated.

Jackets may have pockets, wings may have D-rings.

At the end of it all, try both and see what you like. If you are going to be a technical diver, you might want to start with a wing, if you are going to be a photog-dog, a jacket may suit you better.

Me, I dive wings. If you have any more Q's or you want more info just post or PM me. As well, you may what to check out a few of the magazine sites and check out what they say.

 

[AzAtty]

Blue Space is not a troll, so cut him some slack. He's just beginning his training and he has some legitimate questions. He has already PM'd me with questions concerning diving in Arizona, where we both live. BTW, I told him he could get good answers here, so don't make me look like a schmuck...or I'll sick Lawman on you.

If you ask a dive shop that doesn't carry bp/wings, you'll probably get the response that the bp/wing setup is for technical divers, and the average recreational diver doesn't need that sort of setup. And they'll tell you how uncomfortable they are, etc., etc. The buoyancy and other factors have been discussed. If you're planning on diving double tanks in the near future, you should consider purchasing the bp/wing combo to begin with.

Check the shop you're training with for the bp/wing. If they don't carry them, PM me and I'll tell you where to find Halcyon, Dive Rite, Deep Outdoors and OMS in/around Phoenix.

 

[PnL]

Our LDS sells them although they are pretty much set up for recreational diving. The owner does a lot of cave diving and when I told him I was getting a BP/wing setup that he doesn't sell, all he could tell me was "you're gonna love it, its so comfortable underwater". I was a bit surprised that he didn't try to sell me something he had.

Backinflate is definitely prefarble for me as it doesn't squeeze you on the surface like a jacket style BC. Sure you can loosen it so it doesn't squeeze you, but when you let the air out of the BC it fits loosely around you and the tanks shifts around.

Best way to decide is to try them out and see which is better for you. All the BP/wings give you over other commercial backinflate BC's are less failure points and a simple design that works very well - no gimmicks or flashes.

 

[CincyBengalsFan]

Blue Space once bubbled...
I am brand new to diving and very confused. I think i've read almost every post here in the last two days which has been a wealth of information. But theres one thing that really bugs the heck out of me and thats the debate between bp/wing BC's and the traditional ones. Ok besides the obvious its a little more streamlined than traditional BC's but my question is. Is there a difference in safety between these two. And if the bp/wing is better in some way why don't the LDS sell them. I hope this dosent cause a huge debate I just want some information so I can make an educated decision for myself. Any input would be great!!

Your new to diving right? Take your time getting into it first of all. Try to find a dive shop that lets you "try before you buy". Try everything out..Rent a few times..Then decide to buy what is comfortable with you. If you think you may get into any kind of tech diving...Go for the BP and Wings...Otherwise..Don't bother.

 

[Cave Diver]

Something to keep in mind. There are a lot of good back inflate BC's out there too. It doesnt necessarily have to be a backplate setup.

The backinflate BC's *somewhat* bridge the gap between BP/W and jacket style.

 

[Arnaud]

Blue Space, there's another alternative to jacket or back inflated BCs vs. bp/w. It's DiveRite's Transpac or OMS' IQ. They're basically a harness without a plate. Some love 'em, some hate 'em. Since you seem to be looking for an understanding of what's out there, I thought you may want to look into these as well.

You'll find a lot of litterature on the board on the three types. At the end of the day, they're all BCD. Get your own opinion. Try them out and have fun in the water!