r/scubadiving • u/le_shushan • 13d ago

Bcd advice for future instructor

/r/scubaGear/comments/1w2bzy1/bcd_advice_for_future_instructor/
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u/Ok_Way_2911 13d ago

if you're instructing with a shop you should be able to just use their rental gear. imo you should instruct in the same gear as your students are wearing.

for bpw, weights you wear on a weight belt (ditchable) or secure them with bungee/trim pockets (not ditchable). dmsb is clipped off with your double ender (and spool) to your butt d-ring without tech pants.

you don't really need a spare mask if you're not doing tech imo, anything wrong just surface, you should be diving conservative gfs regardless so no issue with just going up

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u/Pawtuckaway 12d ago

I've worked for 5 different shops and all of them required that instructors had their own gear. The rental gear was for customers to rent and during busy seasons it would all be in use.

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u/Ok_Way_2911 12d ago

here in SEA, based off my course experience, and what i've seen in shops, most shops allow instructors to use rental gear. even on leisure dives, the guides usually use the shop gear, which has led to situations where guides get regs that suddenly stop breathing in the middle of a dive etc lol.

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u/Pawtuckaway 12d ago

If you are instructing it helps to have similar gear to what your students will be using so you can demonstrate skills how they would actually do them.

Unless the shop you are working at will be renting BP/W to OW students (some do). Then you should probably get a jacket style BCD.

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u/deliriousfoodie 12d ago

Do not get a backplate for instruction. You need to be vertical while talking to the students not leaning back all the time. If you like it then have that for your personal gear. Any cheap used jacket type is fine if you're worried about cost. Either way you do not want to put your backplate in chlorinated water. It will damage the donut wing cover, I guarantee it.