hello my zeagle ranger and lovely zena

[scuba pup]

Hello world !!!!!!
, and thank you ,
i have been reading and listening to all your comments and criticisms for a very long time ,years even,you have unknowingly assisted me on my decision on a new bcd for my self and wife so i thought it only fitting to show -if i can,my purchase
with the option to have any bcd in the world and substantial funds(buy it right buy it once) this forum has taken me to zeagle
i contacted the australian rep and with fast service BOTH the ranger and zena are sitting in my lounge .i dive tomorrow mmmwwhahahahaah
to explain simply we just got back from kapalai dive resort in borneo
(our honey moon)my wife wanted her own equipment and i thought i would update mine (a very very original scubapro from 70-80s which i love thank you )
highly visible both on and under the water was the basic thought , as an instructor ,i wanted bullet proof (emergency service acceptable)
I believe this is what we got
thanks guys:smile y32:http://http//www.facebook.com/photo....2&id=520647326http://http//www.facebook.com/photo....5&id=520647326http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sctm/v204/62/52/520647326/s520647326_668585_3062.jpg[IMG]file:///F:/My%20Pictures/scuba/CIMG1569.JPG[/IMG][IMG]file:///F:/My%20Pictures/scuba/CIMG1563.JPG[/IMG]

[scuba pup]

still trying to up load pics ...more to come

[scuba pup]

still trying
hey i think that worked
[IMG]file:///F:/My%20Pictures/scuba/CIMG1571.JPG[/IMG]
[IMG]file:///F:/My%20Pictures/scuba/CIMG1560.JPG[/IMG][IMG]file:///F:/My%20Pictures/scuba/CIMG1560.JPG[/IMG]

[Zenagirl]

Nice! Love the red on the Ranger! Gee, if my husband ever convinces me to exchange my Zena for a Ranger, I might have to go red too.

Enjoy both BCs, use them in good health, and post a review once you've done a few dives. It took my husband about 4 dives to adjust from his old jacket style BC to his new Ranger LTD, but by the 5th or 6th dive he was totally hooked.

[scuba pup]

ok first dive !
objective sort out buoyancy and first opinions
my wife has never had her own bc so to her this was another dive but with integrated wts .she loved the freedom she felt ,having nothing really sitting on the front and with the corset comfort was the best out of any other jacket ,having a back wing was a noticeable difference as well as the integrated wts not having a wt belt was strange to her
i have always dived with my simple bc and the random times ive had to change ,have never been a fan.this bc is a lot bigger than my old one
so the change over is going to be interesting ,
it has pockets (big enough for every dive slate padi ever gave out), buckles ,shoulder dumps ,back dumps .feels tuff and robust and importantly comfortable....all cool!!
not having a wt belt is very weird , felt like something is missing
IN THE WATER - swimming on back easy very minor difference ,in actual fact felt more flat on back
.i under stand what people say about feeling pushed forward but found this quite minimal - ya just lean back !!!
i usually dive 9lbs ,so to start i loaded 3lbs in each side and put 1lb in each trim (just to see )+full tank.{yes thats 1lbs lighter}
my wife didnt notice a thing she usually has 12lbs which i evened out front and back(6lbs in front 6lbs in trim pockets)
i droped 1 ft but no further -after 5 min of playing trying to sink
we added 3lbs each
thus stayed
this is a very shallow site (a training site )so compression of wet suit may or may not occur
we used square block wts and these i felt sliding around in the large front pockets ,-no we didnt get the yellow thingys .(they are extra ) and they look to be the same size as the pocket ,so the weight would still slide around ,soft weights might be the answer or might create something else
i felt very head down during the dive (tank set too high?) and still a little buoyant(11lbs now for me ,)
as my tank emptied bout 100bar started to become more buoyant than i like - quite frustrating
YES THIS IS ONLY MY FIRST DIVE WITH THIS JACKET-dive 2 on Wednesday
ill try starting with 12lbs evenly placed and see how that goes
every thing else i love or will get use to
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BUT as another thread mentioned any buckle that has velcro stuck on back came off !!! both the zena and the ranger !!!!wondering whats the point !
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so till wednesday DIVE 2
ps this is only an opinion

[kingfish]

congrats on your new bcd's.
When i first got my Ranger i had quite a bit of trouble until i went online to the Zeagle site and read about the propper way to fit it to yourself.
http://www.zeagle.com/clientuploads/...ers_Manual.pdf

I felt too top heavy as well and i found my biggest mistake was tightening up the shoulder straps too much and wearing the bcd too high which made the tank sit too high and throw the balance out.

The top tank band i have just below the curve of the top of the tank and i always put the bcd on and tighten the straps etc as per the instructions.

This has helped me alot and i love my bcd now.

Jas.

[kingfish]

Oh i forgot...i have the yellow thingies, and they have a velcro section inside them to stop the weight shifting around too much.

Jas.

[Zenagirl]

Kingfish is 100% correct, you definitely need to make sure that both the Ranger and Zena are pull DOWN to fit properly. The cumberbun on the Ranger should be low on your body.

The Zena is best adjusted when you go horizontal in the water, pulling down the corset completely and tightening the straps from the bottom up, with the shoulders being last. The middle strap should fit on your wife's waist, below her ribs.

You might find that you might have been a little excited or nervous about your new gear and was holding your breath a little, which would account for being a little lighter than normal.

[scuba pup]

DIVE 2-3
today i loaded my jacket with 14 lbs
made my self 2 pouches out of sun shade cloth and zip tyed the weights in
thats 4lbs in the rip dump each and 3 in each trim
mounted the jacket high top band right on the crest where the tank curves and deliberately adjusted the cumberband low and tight
(i cant get it super tight im right on the line with small to med 29-30 inch waist, yes it is the right size )

sank easily (empty bc)
felt flat and very level under actually needed to put a couple of shots in ,when torpedo rolling or corkscrewing found that the weight in the trims whip you round ,weird but kinda fun.
didnt notice my front weights moving at all my pouches must a worked ,cool


DIVE 3
now this is interesting ,we had half hour surface where i changed tanks etc
and did every thing identical
i still had the weight the same (14 lbs)
back swimming easy
sinking almost fast ish
i felt heavy - i know iam heavy (rem. started 9 jumped to 11 now 14)
had to add lot more air ,
recon i could loose maybe 2lbs ?
and them will be right on the line
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thought ..the pull dump feels tight ,hard to get it to vent .
it does have an over pressure valve ???
just felt like it keeps inflating, when testing it was as tight as a basket ball .,at this point i stoped ,.........can it inflate more???


and obviously when attached to the tank by itself and with weights in ,it dont wanta stand up .

can i trim this right ..?
well see in dive 4

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opinions views and thoughts .....only

[scuba pup]

ps a fellow instructor loved the fact that she could find me easily in 2-3 vis
fish pointed and said " there he is "
lol