An Epiphany Moment - Thoughts about the Backplate and Wing

[Mal Bridgeman]

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

[Finless]

Confucius, he say "how know you the good times are if ......."! Erm, sorry, I meant Yoda.

[EDIT]On a serious note, I had no problems with trim, that I can remember, with my BCD. Some newer ones have trim weight pockets. Weights can be put on the cylinder?

[Howard Payne]

I started on an Oceanic Chute wing style BCD with trim pockets which wasn't bad, but switching to a Halcyon Eclipse was a bit of a revelation. Doesn't really matter what brand - they all do much the same thing. For me - it always feels like you're "hanging" stable under a wing and a plate whereas BCD's always seem to put the weight and the buoyancy in the wrong place. Trouble with introducing a wing and plate to new divers is that, on land, they're not that easy to get in and out of to start off with and how well they work really does depend on how well they're fitted and adjusted. A lot to take in when they're a bit task loaded already. Upside is that one size does fit all which in a school is a real benefit if you're prepared to put the time in "fitting" them to students. Friends who've tried my Eclipse have all liked it immediately. You feel very unencumbered in the water as well which I really like. The move from singles to doubles is easier and cheaper if you've started this way coz you're only adding a new wing (plus about a grands worth of other junk )

[Brick]

I trained in a BCD through my club but when it came to buying kit, after taking a lot of advice, I got myself a backplate (one of Woz's finest) and a wing (Dive-Rite travel wing). I found it much better in the water and instantly shed many kilograms of lead from around my waist. Since I've become kit officer, the club has invested in a number of Buddy travel wings (not quite a backplate and wing, put a fair compromise!) which I find quite nice as well. I think I still prefer my dive-rite wing for singles and my evolve for twins, but they're much better to take abroad and faster to adjust for the multitude of different sized people we have in our club!

I believe that the arch-rivals (Cambridge) are now training their novices from scratch in halcyon kit and are teaching them the DIR way - rumour has it that their DO is trying to become a GUE instructor and is spreading their principles...

[jb2cool]

Both myself and the girlfriend went straight for the wing/backplate system as we wanted something that would stay with us as our diving progressed. I'm happy i did this.

Finished my Open Water (All done in a jacket BCD) and wing ever since. Not really noticed much that i had to adjust in terms of technique but i dive flatter with this than i did in the jacket.

I love the fact that i don't have any junk around my front, i'm freeeeeeeeee....

[David Pye]

That's the main thing that annoys me about my Scubapro Glide 2000.

Far too many dangly bits round the front. Once you've got a stage, a dsmb+reel and a torch clipped onto it, it's a complete mess.

As far as position goes, I don't feel too tilted, though I'll be getting a wing next time I do get anything.

Oh, and I should also mention that at under a year old, the fabric is already shedding threads

David

[Mal Bridgeman]

Originally Posted by jb2cool

Both myself and the girlfriend went straight for the wing/backplate system as we wanted something that would stay with us as our diving progressed.

Hi

Great Point!!

How did you know at that stage that your diving would progress and what progression meant?

Mal

[nigelH]

Originally Posted by Mal Bridgeman

How did you know at that stage that your diving would progress and what progression meant?

Well I didn't so at home I have a nice Scubapro Club BCD, which still does occasional warm water stuff or gets lent out, the twinset/long hose rig with the original Combro backplate that introduced me to wreck penetration and deco and my current go anywhere do anything rig the Inspiration.

Grief knows what I will be diving in another ten years.

[Janos]

My ephipahny moment was went some f'er walked off with my 15l tank at Horsea and I had to borrow a 10l tank from my instructor.

Via some fluke I trimmed out perfectly and it was marvellous!

Having discovered what perfect trim felt like I then moved lead around when using a 15l tank until I was able to trim out in that too.

Brilliant.

Janos

[Woz]

Well I thought "I don't know what all this wing fuss is about where do you put all your crap there's no pockets it's just fashion" mutter mutter mutter and I dived twin 12's on my XL Commando which was, well, adequate, then borrowed a mate's BP and wing (which I had sold him) took it down the pool and immediately became a Trim God. And bought one myself.

For twinset diving you can't whack a wing. However I still say for single cylinder diving a stab is the tool for the job, especially if you can get a couple of trim weights high up on it. Dived a single in Menorca with 8lb on trim weights on a camband near the top of the cylinder and my Trim God-like status was still perfectly evident.