Best type of BCD for UW work??

Hey all,

I am getting ready to invest in some new scuba gear. I was told by some folks that when you do UW photography, you should use the "old" jacket style BCD over one of the rear flotation ones.

If this is true, then it is perfectly fine with me. When I did the NAUI refresher course, all they used was the back flotation, and I absolutely hated them. :evil: Maybe they are great while swimming underwater, but I was told that when you are vertical and trying to shoot, they force you forward. I found the "forward face force" to be true when you got back to the surface.

After watching the sites of Oceanic and Mares, it seems that the old jacket style is slowly coming back, because it looks like more of these have been added in recent years.

Also, I was told that you should not use the integrated weights, rather, use the old style weight belts. Is this true???

Thanks for any feedback!!!

Cheers,

Mark in Austin

Mark,

I think that the best advice as to what gear you should get, is what are you most comfortable in. Buoyancy control is paramount when you are getting into photography, as you don't want to damage the reef you are taking pics of, and you don't want to ascend / descend out of control while concentrating on your subject.

Back-mount and jacket style BCD's do float you differently, but with pracitce you will be able to maintain any position with either style. I dive with a back-mount and have no problems maintaing a horizontal, head-up, or head-down position in the water.

Positioning of your weights has a big impact on this. When all of your weight is in the integrated pockets, you are limited. By using a weight belt; or moving weights to trim pouches, ankles, or your tank; you adjust your neutral position. With dry suit diving up here in Canada, I wear a lot of weight and spreading it out makes it a lot more comfortable as well.

My advice is to try out different styles (in a pool, or out in the water) and look for flexibility in weight positioning. Find what works for you, and use it. If you're not worrying about floating, you can spend more time worrying about exposure, composition, lighting, etc ...

Good luck,

Jeff

It's all in the balance, and fit, and each persons body, and most importantly, how much weight you need, i.e. how cold the water is.

For me, I do not like the 99% of weight integrated BCs, that allow the weight pockets to be up towards the front of my hips. I feel the weight, so far down off center, really locks you into a vertical orientation.

After trying on a whole bunch, and diving with 8 or 10 over the years, I always go back to my zeagle ranger. Rear inflation, low drag, weight pockets at rear of hips, and such a snug fit, that the tank feels at one, while swimming underwater.

But that's just my body.

Don

There's an excellent 6 page thread about this in the Galley:

http://www.wetpixel.com/PNphpBB2-viewtopic...ic-t-2876.phtml

I myself use an OMS IQ-paq with a backplate, single tank adapter, and travel wing and I love it.

Cheers

James

There are experienced photographers using just about every style of buoyancy control device, so I don't think there is a single answer to your question.

For me, however, there's no question that a backplate and wing (Halcyon) is the best solution. The main considerations are:

1) Drag. Wrap-around jacket BCs have a lot more drag than more streamlined backplate and wing combinations. Pushing a SLR housing set for wide angle with two long arms against a current is bad enough. If you're diving with a single aluminum tank and a wetsuit, a small wing with only 27-30 lbs lift is more than enough.

2) Trim. A stainless steel backplate will weigh about 3 kg, and that weight is distributed more or less in line with the buoyancy of an aluminum tank. Most people find that a properly-set up backplate and wing rig promotes much better and easier horizontal trim u/w, which is what you want.

Being able to hover horizontally close to the bottom (with knees bent and fins up, of course) is critical both for shooting macro as well as w/a (where you will often want an upward angle). When I see a shooter with his fins and legs down and mashing the coral as he/she tries to shoot close in on macro or get a low angle for w/a, they usually seem to be wearing a PADI-style jacket BC with all their weight either on a belt or in integrated pockets, and have terrible trim.

3) Reducing danglies. DIR-style configurations with everything clipped off is similarly critical if you want to get closer to the reef for either macro shooting or to get a low angle for w/a without damaging stuff underneath. Having your SPG on a short hose clipped off to D-ring on left side of waist - and your back-up 2nd stage on a necklace under your chin - means that there is nothing dragging on the bottom when you are close.

>>Maybe they are great while swimming underwater, but I was told that when you are vertical and trying to shoot, they force you forward. I found the "forward face force" to be true when you got back to the surface.

It's true that rear flotation style BCs and backplate+wing combinations, as well as most jacket BCs, will not float you face-up at the surface if you are unconscious. But I've never experienced the "forward face force" phenomenon you describe, either with my old Seaquest Balance, or with any of the backplate + wing rigs I use now. In any case, I do most of my shooting horizontal, and underwater. (If I'm shooting at the surface - for example snorkelling with pelagics, then I'm not wearing a BC anyway.)

Take a look at the Halcyon or DiveRite websites, or any of the DIR/GUE sites, for more information about this sort of rig.

My gear (all Halcyon):

1) Stainless-steel backplate and harness for local diving

2) Aluminum backplate and harness plus trim weight packs mounted on tank cambands for any place I have to fly to.

Both of these are used with an Eclipse or Pioneer 30 or 27 lb wing for single aluminum tank wetsuit dives. I prefer the Eclipse, which also requires a single-tank adaptor. For twin tank dives, I rent a larger 45-55 lb double-tank wing, and use it with an aluminum backplate.

Frogfish

I use the backplate system. Personally I prefer back-inflation BCD because I don't like the squeeze from jacket style BCD.

The advice above are good. One thing you have to consider about the backplate system is the weight of the plate. It can be tiring moving it around on land and of course adds on to excess baggage. This is especially true when you use a stainless steel one.

DiveRite Transpac II is also good if you don't want a backplate system and it is lighter. My advice is to go for a modular design. In that way, it would be cheaper to change the wings alone than buying another BCD if it is punctured accidentally.

its not true that the backplate system doesn't allows you to float upright, its only a matter of getting used to it. infact, i feel the jacket bc which is actually giving more problem. as the tanks are not really 'secure' shifting occurs.

ever since i tested my friend's BP system, i bought my own, and i swore by it. though i still wear jacket style bc for training purposes. i personally prefer the weight distribution and streamlining of the backplate system.

even the new designs of the 'higher' end jacket bcds are adopting the back inflation system.

in the end, its really your choice. its what you feel most comfortable in is important. as you would want to concentrate on taking the photos then bother about your bcd at that point of time.

oh.. one more thing, backplate system was invented first.

oh.. one more thing, backplate system was invented first.

Technically correct, but if I'm not mistaken, the original backplate harness systems were used with a horse-collar buoyancy control device, or without any buoyancy control device it all.

In this sense, the modern backplate rig - sandwiching a wing between the backplate and the tank (or tanks) is very much a new configuration. In addition to the advantages mentioned (claimed?) by myself and others higher up in this thread, another plus is that the modular design means you can switch wings so that you have the optimal buoyancy - and no more - for different kinds of diving.

Diving with a wetsuit and a single aluminum tank - the standard configuration for most tropical resort or liveaboard diving - a small narrow wing with 27-30 lbs lift is more than sufficient. For twin steel tanks, you can switch to a larger wing with 55-60 lbs of lift or even more.

I prefer a stainless steel backplate for the easy trim it provides when diving with a single aluminum tank. The 3 kg weight of the backplate is perfectly distributed along the length of the tank, counteracting its buoyancy. Another plus is that the twin tank cambands and crotch strap incorporated in most BP+wing configurations not only holds the tank securely and safely, but also eliminates the problem of a near empty tank trying to float away at the end of a dive. Itr's common to see divers using conventional jacket BCs with their tanks jutting out at 50-60 degree angle after 40 minutes underwater - not exactly ideal for minimizing drag in a current.

It's true that flying with a stainless steel backplate is a problem, so I also have a 1 kg aluminum backplate for air travel. Adding two 1 kg weights in trim weight packs, one mounted on each of the two tank cambands, gives me almost the same trim as the SS plate.

One point to keep in mind with "DIR" designs like the Halcyon (which use a single continuous length of webbing and have no plastic clips), however, is that it is necessary readjust the harness when diving with a thicker or thinner wetsuit. If the harness is correctly adjusted for a 3 mm wetsuit, it will be too tight and difficult to get out of when you're wearing a 5 mm or 7 mm suit. Adjusting the harness is not difficult, but once you're suited up it's too late.

Frogfish