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Shooter · 05-21-2008, 08:10 AM,

I need to get one of those. Who is the local aga dealer?

grumpie · 05-21-2008, 08:20 AM,

call me 763-428-7674-

SmithDiving · 05-21-2008, 12:01 PM,

Nice thread people. I think that maybe there aren't alot of jacket supporters here because the active mnscuba users tend to be more experienced divers (too bad). I think it is generally easier to teach and learn to dive in basic equipment and then progress to more advanced? gear after the basic skills have been mastered somewhat. I have tried teaching buoyancy and trim to new divers in BP&Ws & it is much more difficult to "get" control IMO.
My take on pockets & attatchments is that alot of divers go through a progression of 1 - no extra gear, 2 - a few items like a slate or light, 3 - stuffing or hanging evertything but the kitchen sink, to 4 - as little extra gear as possible. I don't think the lack of pockets should be that big a deal. As Lonnie points out there are lots of options for keeping all the extras stowed, plus you get to use all those neat shiny clips and rings. Nothing wrong with tie-wraps either.

beeger · (This post was last modified: 05-21-2008, 01:54 PM by beeger.)

My personal opinion is that jacket BCs should go the way of horse collars. I really think that teaching students in back buoyancy BCs is a better way to go. Most of these (but not all) seem to fit people better than jackets. This will likely give the student a more "positive" feel in terms of fit: better comfort and control, which can lead to a greater sense of confidence. What's the documented #1 reason new divers stop diving? Lack of comfort and confidence in the water.

I'm a die-hard backplate/harness/wing guy for everything I do, and have been for some time ... fresh/salt, warm/cold, tec/rec, but I do understand the logistic challenges of getting these setup correctly for multiple students in an OW class, especially when you are dealing with rental gear. I'm sure it can be done, and I think it's an even better idea, but at the speed with which most OW classes are taught, it would take some coordination.

NorthlandDivers · 05-21-2008, 02:21 PM,

We teach our students with the back inflation style of bc. We also have a BP & W in our teaching gear as well. I have been using the back inflation BC's for years and really like them. Everything fits better, I don't get any ride up, and I don't feel like I'm being squeezed when I put air in the wing. If you learn on the back inflation style of BC it's a really easy transition to BP & W.

arcFlash · (This post was last modified: 05-21-2008, 02:33 PM by arcFlash.)

BP&W looks uncomfortable. Some of these BC's have more pad then my couch.
That's very appealing to some. I almost fell for it. My rig is comfortable but you wouldn't know it by looking at it.

A diver I know tried a wing at Dog Days and was use to filling his jacket FULL so his head was a foot out of the water. When he did this in the wing he was fighting to keep his face out of the water and didn't see the problem. Only added more air. I helped him understand and he corrected the problem but didn't like it for that reason.