OMS Dive Gear Performance Double Wing

A BCD should fit snugly enough that it does not ride up toward your ears when inflated, while still letting you breathe fully. Fasten the waist and cummerbund first, then adjust the shoulder straps so the tank sits close to your back and the shoulders cannot slide off. With the BCD fully inflated at the surface you should still be able to take a deep, comfortable breath; if it squeezes your chest, loosen it or move up a size.

Rinse the outside in fresh water and also flush the inside of the bladder, because salt water gets in through the inflator and dump valves. Fill the bladder roughly a third full of fresh water through the oral inflator, slosh it around, then drain it out through the inflator and each dump valve. Hang it to dry out of direct sunlight and store it partially inflated so the bladder walls do not stick together.

Integrated weight pockets carry the lead in the BCD itself, which many divers find more comfortable and easier on the hips, while a weight belt keeps the weight independent of your BCD. Either way, you must be able to release your ditchable weight quickly with one hand, and your buddy should know how your system releases. Non-ditchable trim pockets are useful for balance but should never hold weight you might need to drop.

Make sure the BCD is completely dry inside and out before packing so it does not mildew in transit. Remove all weights, deflate it fully, and fold or roll it around softer items such as a wetsuit to cushion the inflator and valves. Avoid hard creases in the air cell, and unpack and air it out as soon as you arrive.

Follow the service interval in the manufacturer's manual, which is commonly an annual inspection alongside the rest of your life-support gear. Have the inflator, dump valves, and bladder checked any time the inflator sticks, free-flows, feels rough, or the BCD holds air poorly. Between services, confirm that it inflates and deflates properly as part of every pre-dive check.

A jacket-style BCD holds air in panels that wrap around your sides as well as your back, while a back-inflate BCD keeps the entire air cell behind you. Jacket styles tend to feel very stable and upright at the surface, and back-inflate styles keep the chest clear and are often preferred for horizontal trim underwater. Neither is objectively better, so treat it as a fit and preference decision and try both if you can.

Most recreational BCDs use an adjustable cam band sized for common single-cylinder diameters, so standard aluminum and steel tanks generally work. Re-check the band tension after the first wetting, because webbing can relax slightly and let the tank shift. If you dive doubles or unusual cylinder diameters, confirm compatibility with the manufacturer before assuming it will hold.

Both versions are the same donut-style wing for double tanks, published in 45 lb (20 kg) and 60 lb (27 kg) lift. Pick the lift that matches your cylinder configuration and exposure suit so you are not carrying more air cell volume than the rig needs. Color choice is broader on the 45 lb size, while the 60 lb is published in Black and Red. Call 888-701-4017 if you want help matching it to your doubles.

The donut configuration connects both sides of the air cell so air moves quickly and easily from one side to the other. That reduces the possibility of air being trapped on one side of the wing when you roll or change attitude, which is why OMS builds this shape specifically for double tank configurations. The inflator hose sits at top center and the dump valve is at lower left.

Yes. The wing ships with a power inflator hose and a Low Pressure (LP) inflation hose, so the air cell is ready to connect to your regulator's LP port. The backplate, harness and any bolts or hardware are not published as part of the wing package, so plan on supplying your own plate and harness.

Yes. The Performance Double Wing uses an interior zipper backing that opens the 1000 denier nylon outer bag so you can reach the polyurethane inner bladder for inspection or replacement. The bladder itself is built with ultrasonically welded fittings and seams, and the outer bag's interior urethane backing protects it against abrasions and punctures.