eelnoraa
Contributor
Haha, same here. My orignal backpate is not with me too. My 2nd bp isn't with me either. I am on my 3rd and 4th backplate. I still have my first wing, but I added a 2nd and a third.
Why is this not the standard?
- Thread starter NickPhillips
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Haha, same here. My orignal backpate is not with me too. My 2nd bp isn't with me either. I am on my 3rd and 4th backplate. I still have my first wing, but I added a 2nd and a third.
OP
NickPhillips
Registered
So I am curious how many of you dive with long hoses (7ft) even when rec diving?
I am a rec diver. I dive a 7' hose full time. It's much better in pretty much every respect.
chrpai
Contributor
I dive a 7' hose on every dive. It works great for me.
I too adopted the 7' hose. I like both it, and the bungeed alternate.
In fact I can't imagine diving without that bungeed second stage, it is such a perfect set up. No hesitation at all, or need to waste a second locating it in a situation.
Once I tried the long hose, and understood how to use it, stow it, and deploy it, I saw how sound the concept is, and it is now as much a basic part of my gear as my prescription mask. I could dive without any of them, and have, but would rather not.
In fact I can't imagine diving without that bungeed second stage, it is such a perfect set up. No hesitation at all, or need to waste a second locating it in a situation.
Once I tried the long hose, and understood how to use it, stow it, and deploy it, I saw how sound the concept is, and it is now as much a basic part of my gear as my prescription mask. I could dive without any of them, and have, but would rather not.
I am totally a recreational diver, yet still find the more tech gear quite well thought out.
Personally, I could dive almost any rig, with a bit of practice, having tried tons of different gear configurations since '70, but at this point the BP/W and long/bungee combo fits me best, as it fits any situation I may encounter u/w in the foreseeable future.
Personally, I could dive almost any rig, with a bit of practice, having tried tons of different gear configurations since '70, but at this point the BP/W and long/bungee combo fits me best, as it fits any situation I may encounter u/w in the foreseeable future.
Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
To answer the OP's question we'll have to look at history.
Before the 70's all people used was a back pack and generally no BC device of any kind, or before that the tank was just strapped to a divers back with 1" webbing.
They trained divers from the start to be able to dive this way. Companies tried for several years to develop a buoyancy comensation devices wether it was a hard shell units or something that resembled a modern wing. Horse collars were used for years but they were bulky on the front and tended to get in the way. They were a hang over from the military inflatable life vests and were not really designed to be used underwater, but I think some people figured out ways to use them for BC. Somewhere along the line somebody got a brilliant idea to produce an all in one unit that included a plastic pack to secure the tank and a sewn on BC that resembled putting on a vest and all the components were permanently assembled. The SP stab jacket was one of the first jacket BC's.
This was a hit because of convenience and at the same time there was a huge campaign to get more and more people into diving, so combined with dropping some standards to be more inclusive and easier to use more convenient gear that's the direction that diving went and still continues to go that direction today.
The BP/W phenomenon or craze is only about 10 to 15 years old and that's due to the popularization of the DIR style of diving. If it wasn't for DIR and instead left to traditional tech or cave diving, BP/W diving would not be where it is today; used for all diving including recreational.
However BP/W's are still only used by a very small fraction of the diving public.
Before the 70's all people used was a back pack and generally no BC device of any kind, or before that the tank was just strapped to a divers back with 1" webbing.
They trained divers from the start to be able to dive this way. Companies tried for several years to develop a buoyancy comensation devices wether it was a hard shell units or something that resembled a modern wing. Horse collars were used for years but they were bulky on the front and tended to get in the way. They were a hang over from the military inflatable life vests and were not really designed to be used underwater, but I think some people figured out ways to use them for BC. Somewhere along the line somebody got a brilliant idea to produce an all in one unit that included a plastic pack to secure the tank and a sewn on BC that resembled putting on a vest and all the components were permanently assembled. The SP stab jacket was one of the first jacket BC's.
This was a hit because of convenience and at the same time there was a huge campaign to get more and more people into diving, so combined with dropping some standards to be more inclusive and easier to use more convenient gear that's the direction that diving went and still continues to go that direction today.
The BP/W phenomenon or craze is only about 10 to 15 years old and that's due to the popularization of the DIR style of diving. If it wasn't for DIR and instead left to traditional tech or cave diving, BP/W diving would not be where it is today; used for all diving including recreational.
However BP/W's are still only used by a very small fraction of the diving public.
Having said that, my choice does not have to be applied to anyone else, especially rec divers.
I just spent a week on Bonaire with 17 divers, mostly very experienced, using everything thing from double hose/plastic hardpack/harness 60-70's rigs, to tech rigs, to resort rentals, and various combinations in between.
Buddy Dive ops no longer even ask, when they see us rigging up. They just say something to the effect: "Oh, you guys again. Welcome back"
I think any well trained, experienced diver aught to be able to safety adapt to whatever rigs they see around them, or be able to learn by asking another diver if their rig is totally offbeat, or beyond their experience.
It is not up to me to decide what another diver should have for gear, and I only talk about my choices when asked.
I just spent a week on Bonaire with 17 divers, mostly very experienced, using everything thing from double hose/plastic hardpack/harness 60-70's rigs, to tech rigs, to resort rentals, and various combinations in between.
Buddy Dive ops no longer even ask, when they see us rigging up. They just say something to the effect: "Oh, you guys again. Welcome back"
I think any well trained, experienced diver aught to be able to safety adapt to whatever rigs they see around them, or be able to learn by asking another diver if their rig is totally offbeat, or beyond their experience.
It is not up to me to decide what another diver should have for gear, and I only talk about my choices when asked.
Them
Contributor
FWIW, I'm a total noob of a diver and will be using the 7' primary/necklace setup as soon as UPS does their thing.
Why? Apart from the groupthink here on SB I had two trivial-in-themselves experiences during my OW class that convinced me that the long hose setup offers advantages even if you will be doing the PADI forearms-linked OOA ascent.
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