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 A stainless steel backplate, wing and manifolded twinset | |
| Uses | Scuba harness and buoyancy compensator |
|---|---|
| Related items | Buoyancy compensator (diving) |
A backplate and wing (often abbreviated as BP&W or BP/W) is a type of scuba harness with an attached buoyancy compensation device (BCD) which can be used to establish neutral buoyancy underwater and positive buoyancy at the surface. Unlike most other BCDs, the backplate and wing is a modular system, in that it consists of separable components. The core components of this system are:[1][2]
- The backplate, a plate, usually made from stainless steel, sometimes aluminium or carbon fibre composite, which is held against the diver's back by the harness, and to which the diver's primary cylinder or cylinders are attached.
- A harness, which attaches the system to the diver, and may support other accessories.
- An inflatable buoyancy bladder known as a wing, between the backplate and the cylinder(s), used for adjusting the buoyancy of the diver when in the water.
- A set of cambands or cylinder bands, to hold the cylinder(s) in place.