What are the differences between a BCD and a Wing? And why would you prefer one over the other? Most importantly, Which one is right for me!?
If you wondering about any of the above we hope to resolves this queries with the below information.
 
The B

<p>What are the differences between a BCD and a Wing? And why would you prefer one over the other? Most importantly, Which one is right for me!?</p><p>If you wonder about any of the above, we hope to resolve these queries with the information below.</p><p>&#xA0;</p><h2 id="the-bcd"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">The BCD</span></h2><p>SINCE THE BEGINNING, the BCD or Buoyancy Control Device has been a staple part of Scuba Equipment in one way or another (Almost!)<br>It is an essential piece of equipment that allows us to adjust our buoyancy in the water by adding or dumping air from it; over the years, they have been adapted towards other functions. For example, most BCDs have excellent facilities to attach equipment and spacious pockets and integrated weight systems! You can also get gender-specific fits which generally provide a nice amount of extra comfort.</p><p>A significant thing to consider with a BCD is how air will move around the bladder underwater, as the bladder in a classic BCD will start on the back and come around to the front, allowing the air to move around freely inside it.<br>This can make it a little difficult to get into the most streamlined &quot;Prone&quot; position; by design, they tend to keep divers a little bit &quot;leg-down&quot;</p><p>So what are the pros and cons?</p><table style="height: 77px;" width="640"><tbody><tr><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 316px;"><strong>Pros</strong></td><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 317px;"><strong>Cons</strong></td></tr><tr><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 316px;">Easy to use</td><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 317px;">Usually bulky and heavy</td></tr><tr><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 316px;">The most common form of buoyancy control, so likely you will be familiar with it!</td><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 317px;">Can make getting the perfect in-water position a little tricky</td></tr><tr><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 316px;">Tend to have good-sized pockets and plenty of places to attach all your equipment</td><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 317px;">&#xA0;</td></tr></tbody></table><p>&#xA0;</p><h2 id="the-wing"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">The Wing</span></h2><p>The Wing style of buoyancy control stemmed from Technical diving and the associated requirements. However, the principles of buoyancy stay the same whether you are single tank diving in the Bahamas or Twin-Set-Side-Mount Cave exploring in the dark!<br>A Wing is essentially a stripped-down BCD with a few slight design changes. It&apos;s pretty basic, as it consists of a Bladder, Back Plate and Webbing Harness, although they do exist with some extra comforts added in such as padding, integrated weight systems and D-Rings to clip your gear on too.<br>They tend to be modular systems that allow you to add, remove, and customise parts to suit different diving needs and situations.</p><p>The major difference is that a Wing has the bladder and all inflation systems solely on your back. It makes it a lot easier to get into the horizontal &quot;prone&quot; position in the water, which is very important if you are cave or wreck diving because it significantly reduces the chance of snagging or becoming entangled. It also increases your efficiency in the water.</p><table style="height: 102px;" width="635"><tbody><tr><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 314px;"><strong>Pros</strong></td><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 314px;"><strong>Cons</strong></td></tr><tr><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 314px;">The modular system allows for a great variety of configurations to suit your needs</td><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 314px;">The modular systems start to rack up in terms of price!</td></tr><tr><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 314px;">It can be stripped down to be incredibly lightweight for travel purposes</td><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 314px;">&#xA0;</td></tr><tr><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 314px;">It makes it easier to get into the &quot;Prone&quot; position</td><td class="wysiwyg-text-align-center" style="width: 314px;">&#xA0;</td></tr></tbody></table><p>&#xA0;</p><h2 id="the-hybrid"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">The Hybrid!</span></h2><p>Recently hybrid versions which aim to take the best from both categories and combine them into one unit have started to emerge, and for the most part, they provide an excellent consumer balance between the two!<br>Generally, they retain the pockets around the waist but move the inflation solely onto the diver&apos;s back, which reduces bulk around the shoulders.</p>

BCD vs Wing

One of the main advantages of most wing systems is that fact that they are modular which allows them to be adapted and modified to meet specific diving requirements.The only downside to this is that they often require some degree of assembly which ca

<p>One of the main advantages of most wing systems is the fact that they are modular, which allows them to be adapted and modified to meet specific diving requirements.<br>The only downside to this is that they often require some degree of assembly which can be a daunting task if it is your first wing!</p><p>Luckily it is usually relatively straightforward but does take a bit of time and patience. We&apos;ve gathered some helpful guides and videos to try and make this as easy as possible!</p><p>Please bear in mind that your wing may be different from the ones described. If you&apos;re unsure, the best thing to do is obtain guidance from your specific make and model manufacturer.</p><p>&#xA0;</p><h2 id="backplate-and-webbing"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">Backplate and Webbing</span></h2><p>The most basic form of a wing and the one that requires the most amount of assembly! Likely you&apos;ll be starting with just a roll of webbing, a backplate and a bag of metal pieces that may not logically present themselves.</p><p>Hollis has published <a href="https://www.hollis.com/media/wysiwyg/HO/manuals/solo-harness-user-guide-12-4175-r01_8-15-14.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">their instructions on how to assemble the Solo Harness</a> to a Backplate.</p><p>&#xA0;</p><h2 id="attaching-the-bladder"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">Attaching the Bladder</span></h2><p>Once you have your Backplate and Webbing assembled into a Harness, the next step you&apos;ll likely take is to attach the Harness to the Bladder.<br>The simplest way to do this is by using a pair of Book Screws to attach your Harness to the Bladder;<img src="https://hsfiles.gorgias.help/help-centers/364/articles/n2zev84413/1580913723878/screen-shot-2018-01-05-at-11-54-37.png" alt="Screen_Shot_2018-01-05_at_11.54.37.png" width="626" height="438" class="fr-fic fr-dii"></p><p>With some systems, you can omit the use of Book Screws and instead use the Tank Bands (Cam Bands) to hold everything together. This is an effective way of keeping everything together; however, it is worth noting that your wing will only be securely held together when attached to a cylinder when using this method. To this end, we would generally recommend using Book Screws with most systems.</p><p>&#xA0;</p><h2 id="threading-the-tank-bands"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">Threading the Tank Bands</span></h2><p>This is usually a straightforward step, and relatively evident by this point, you&apos;ll be looking to loop your tank bands (Cam Bands) through your assembly. Generally speaking, you will want to have the buckle end of the strap on the same side as your inflator hose.<br>The hardest bit of this for most people is threading the buckle; usually, numbers on the slots serve as a guide to threading the buckle, but they are not always clear!</p><p>&#xA0;How to thread a buckle can be found<a href="https://support.mikesdivestore.com/en-US/how-to-thread-a-tank-strap-cam-buckle-16876" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> here</a></p><h2 id="other-accessories"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">Other Accessories</span></h2><p>We&apos;ll briefly cover some of the other accessories or parts you may have in your assembly, although the way these attach is now generally specific to the make and model of wing you have.</p><h2 id><br></h2><h2 id="weight-pockets"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">Weight Pockets</span></h2><p>an integrated weight system is an excellent addition to a Wing, especially if it is removable, so you can take it off when you don&apos;t need it! Usually, these will be threaded through the waist strap and attached to the backplate by a set of screws - please see your specific manual for exact instructions.<br>The Apeks manual for the <a href="http://www.apeksdiving.com/us/images/downloads/Instruction-Insert_WTX_Surelock_Weight_System.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">WTX Surelock Weight system</a> serves as an excellent general guide. There is also a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfpgcooHpRc&amp;index=9&amp;list=PLar7uElU4SIWd46qrEFBi8gMMk1Cg1_nz" rel="noopener" target="_blank">handy video from Dive Rite on attaching their 16lb weight system.</a></p><h2 id="-1"><br></h2><h2 id="single-tank-adaptor"><span class="wysiwyg-underline">Single Tank Adaptor</span></h2><p>These are used if you have a large wing made for using twin sets. By attaching a Single Tank Adaptor, you can adapt these&#xA0;wings to be used with a single-cylinder. Usually, these will bolt through the Bladder and Harness in the same slots you may place book screws in and provide two pairs of vertical slots that you can thread your tank bands through.</p>

Guide to assembling your Wing

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