-   The shoulder straps attach to the backplate at the bottom (like a backpack), as opposed to being attached to the cummerbund/waist belt in a weight integrated (WI) BC. This allows a wider range of adjustability since the shoulder straps length can be adjusted without affecting the height or tension of the waist belt that much. With a WI BC, when you tighten the shoulder straps, you are really raising the cummerbund/waist belt higher on you since the shoulder straps have to be attached to the weight integrated belt in order to help hold up the weights. For me, being a tall person, I find this amount of adjustability of the BP/W makes it feel more “in place” on me than a WI BC.

-   Because the waist strap of a BP/Wcan stay lower on my body than a WI BC, and because the BP/W waist strap can be not as tight as the cummerbund of a WI BC, to me the BP/W feels less restrictive since I don’t have an elastic band velcro’d around me and constricting my diaphragm when I am trying to inhale.

-   In terms of trim in the water, I find that a WI BC positions the weights too far up on my body, sometimes causing floaty feet depending on what exposure suit I am wearing. I prefer to wear a weight belt in order to get the weight lower on me, so for me the WI aspect of a WI BC is pretty much negated. I also prefer to wear a weight belt because I like the idea of being weighted independently of my rig in the event I need to remove and replace it underwater, but that is not something that is particular to a BP/W.

-   The addition of a crotch strap makes a big difference. This is part of the equation of not having to have all of the straps really snug like with a WI BC. I recently added a crotch strap to my WI BC and it made a big difference in comfort. If you are concerned about a wedgie, your wetsuit is far more of a wedgie machine than a crotch strap will ever be.

-   Having two cam straps to hold the tank at two points makes a difference in terms of keeping the tank from wiggling around. It also helps prevent the tank from slipping out if one of the straps is not as tight as it should be.

-   The better WI BCs do have a kind of a backplate in them…it is a plastic plate sandwiched between then material that makes the harness and the bladder material. The backplate of a BP/W is typically larger and, for me, gives more of a solid feeling of the rig on my back in the water.

-   A WI BC, because of the amount of plastic used, tends to be positively buoyant by a few pounds or so (varies by BC) in the water. A BP/W, while weighing a similar amount on land, will be anywhere from slightly to 5 pounds negative in the water (depending if the backplate is steel or aluminum/composite. I don’t like having to carry extra lead just to compensate for a floaty WI BC.

-    I like the simplified inflate/deflate valve on a BP/W. I think some of the WI BC vendors are actually complicating the BC design by making the inflator buttons more stylish.

-  I have found that I do not need all of the  extra dump valves found on a WI BC.

A diver on a live-aboard out of Florida was killed from a bite to the leg during a shark dive put on by the live-aboard.   I’ve yet to participate in one of these chummed water shark experience without shark cages, but it just kind of seems like a bad idea, doesn’t it?  According to the article, the Bahamas Diving Association sent requests to dive operators to stop doing shark dives inthe name of safety.  It is not legal to do these types of dives in American waters.

Read the article here.

Whoa!

Photo by Kurt Jones.

According to surfshooter.com this is actually a dolphin.

Click the photo to go to the pics on surfshooter.com.

http://www.prolitegear.com/pl_id_hotsocks.html

The following two images in this post are from the AirspeedPress.com site:

I tend to be a DIY kind of guy, so my intentions were to see what is involved in making minor repairs and maintenance. The book is a lot more than that. It really in depth about materials, options (gloves, pee valve, etc.) and construction techniques. I found the book to be almost as much of a buyer’s guide as it is an owner’s manual. The book is motivating me to be more ambitious about the kinds of repairs I might tackle at home….and that is both good and bad (lots of other projects to work on here already).

If you are thinking about buying a dry suit, then I think it is worthwhile to get this book as a buyer’s guide.

http://www.airspeedpress.com/divesuit.html

Link to Petco’s site

- It is rumored that a hydro place can calculate the REE if it is not stamped on the tank. This used to be true at some shops, but it appears to no longer be true today. Calculating the REE is a complicated process involving complex weights and measures of the tank, and then performing complex engineering calculations. I spoke with one shop owner who used to do this with the help of a computer program. He said that DOT now frowns upon hydro shops doing this calculation, so for the most part it seems no one will do it now because (1) it is complicated, and (2) they don’t want DOT scrutinizing them. I would also think that a hydro shop would have to charge more for the hydro if they were doing the calculation, and for an older thank that higher cost of the hydro might be more than the remaining value of the tank.

- Once a tank falls out of the hydro date, it can be hydro’d again with a plus rating. I read some confusion about this - apparently some people have heard that if you don’t get a tank rehydro’d before the current one expires, then you can’t get a plus/+ rating on it again. My tank is living proof that this is not true - my hydro date expired in 1995 and the next hydro was in 2007.

- If you get a hydro without the plus/+ rating because of the lack of a REE number, then you can go back and get it hydro’d again with the REE and get a + rating. Some believe that once you get a hydro without a + rating, then you cannot ever get a + rating again. Again my tank is proof this is not the case since the first hydro I got after purchasing the tank was without the + rating, then I went back with the REE number and got a new hydro with the + rating. I believe the case of when you cannot get the + rating is if the tank passes the normal pressure test but fails the plus rating test. In that case the steel isn’t going to get any stronger, so you won’t be able to get a + rating on it again.

- Hydro policies are interpreted by the hydro shop, not the dive shop where you drop off and pick up the tank from. Dive shops have arrangements with hydro shops so that the dive shop can keep a working relationship with divers (i.e. keep divers coming in to their store), and also to provide the visual inspection for the tank. It is possible to go to hydro shops directly. You may get a better price, but make sure you know what is happening with regards to the visual inspection….like, do you need a new visual inspection in order to get a new vis sticker on your tank. Your local dive shop is the one who puts the visual inspection on the tank, so if your tank needs a visual, then just go through the dive shop. There is also some debate as to the need to do a visual whenever the valve is unscrewed from the tank. I have heard that whenever the valve comes off, you need a visual before it goes back on, even if your tank just recently got a new visual sticker. If you are looking for hydro places, then look for places that service fire extinguishers.

http://www.padi.com/padi/en/footerlinks/collegecreditsace.aspx

It may be possible to get the REE number for the tank from the manufacturer if you send them the tank serial number.