Dive A Wing

As Scuba Mike said there are a great many different styles of BCD on the market. When I first started diving it was with the normal style of jacket, large pockets loads of D’ rings etc, etc, but one thing that did bother me was the limited lift that it gave. Also it was no good when wanting to twin up as it just was not man enough for the job, so when a friend turned up with a Wing it immediately caught my interest.

AP Valves or better known by their name Buddy make some great kick ass BCD’s and along with their world famous Buddy Commando they also make a Tek Wing.

Now since I purchased mine they have altered it but the main innards have stayed the same.
The main difference with the wing is that it has nothing at the front, no pockets, so no more junk you never use, everything is behind you. When I first used the Wing it felt extremely odd but after a couple of dives I knew I would not go back to a normal jacket.

The first thing that is totally different is the straps. They do take a bit of time to sort out but once you have them squared away it is a very comfortable jacket to use. There are a couple of additional crotch straps that do take some getting used to but are essential for security and comfort. A word of warning, make sure you show people you are diving with the extra releases.

The bladders in these types of jackets are huge and they take a lot of inflating so it’s always worthwhile blowing it up using the hose inflater.

A lot of people seem to think that because of the way the Wing is configured it causes people to be in a face down or up attitude well having used the Wing for the last 4 years I have had no major dramas with it.

Once underwater I have found the Wing to be far more comfortable than a standard jacket again because everything is behind you and once you have the buoyancy sorted I have not been able to fault its performance.

And as far as lift is concerned well I could get all technical here but forget it, for the every day sport diver it has more than enough lift for everyday eventualities.

Bad points: None that come to mind. My older Wing is very basic compared to the new up-date version which even comes with integrated weight system.

Finally I have since used a normal standard BCD while doing some instructor training and found myself all over the place; it’s certainly what you get used to.

If you are interested in a Wing first find someone who has one, ask their views on it, and even better ask to try it a couple of times as it does take a little getting used to.

Wings are becoming more popular in Europe and since I have been in Australia the amount of interest my faded Wing is causing has surprised me; the Buddy Tek Wing is superb piece of kit with AP Valves' lifetime guarantee it is fantastic value for the money. It can be purchased ready rigged for twin diving and will take 10 or 12 litre cylinders.

For the more technically minded look at Custom Diver, OMS but be ready to part with some serious money.

If anyone from Buddy reads this you can get my address from Scuba Mike, all presents accepted!

Aussie Diver