An Epiphany Moment...
This is how my buddy described his first dive in a backplate and wing.
I have often wondered as to the wisdom of suggesting that new divers should dive in a BP & Wing, feeling that it's something that you "discover" the more you go diving. I think it's also true for many that feeling of being flat in the water is not something they feel comfortable with straight off.
I have often read of YDers recommending to new divers, asking about their first set of kit, to get a backplate and wing and others criticise them for doing this.
My buddy who has been diving for a number of years but not done so many dives in that time has been increasingly conscious of trim (he always had very good buoyancy) but found it a real effort to dive flat in a regular BCD. He recently invested in a backplate and wing and we toddled off to Stoney yesterday for an extended swimming pool session.
After initially resisting my suggestion to loose a lot of the extra weight he was carrying, he saw things my way
and within seconds fell into very flat trim and described how comfortable it was to dive that way....with no weight belt on at all.
The initial downside for him was his SPG and the difficulty he had unclipping it reading it and re-clipping it but after a 40 minute dive he had that fixed.
I get the thought that he'd wished he'd gone for one of these rigs earlier but at the same time I still wonder whether the direct step to BP & wing is advisable or whether the halfway house of the BCD helps.
Any other first hand experiences of people who bought a BP & Wing as their first set of kit like to comment or from those who bought a BCD config then moved to BP & Wing.
Thanks
Mal