Do I "Need" a BC

[gmerick]

On a recent LOB in the Lesser Antilles. Great diving for a week, good vis, low current. Diving was not guided. No crew members led or accompanied the dives.

I took note that the 6 crew members on board all had adopted essentially the same personal rigs, and all had dived these rigs, some multiple times during the trip. -- Transpak plastic backplate or homemade fiber or rubber backplate. Single strap harness - shoulders and waist. Standard weight belt. 1st and 2nd stages, SPG. AL63 tank. Single tank band. NO BC/bladder.

The crew were excellent coaches, and I reduced ballast on my travel BPW by 4 lbs on the trip. The last several days I was entering the water with an empty BC and heading straight to the bottom. I added minimal if any air to the wing, and totally enjoyed the freedom of the dive. Admittedly toward the end of the dive I was definitely breathing on the bottom of my lung capacity, but not uncomfortably so. On the surface when ending the dive, a deeper breath was quite sufficient to remain at the surface.

So the question is: Other than to keep the boat crew happy, do I really need a BC when diving with minimal thermal protection?

 

[Zane]

do I really need a BC when diving with minimal thermal protection?

nope.

 

[inquis]

For that little gas weight and minimal exposure protection, it should be within a comfortable breathing range from full to reserve. About a 4 lb buoyancy shift, which is about a half lungful. FWIW, I believe CO2 retention is less likely if you arrange for a normal exhale at reserve pressure; breath light only if you have to dip into the last 10 cuft.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Gallery of California Backpack Divers : 1999-2001

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

I find I dive a lot better with no air whatsoever in my BC. The only time it is inflated is for a splash in case something goes wrong or at the end of the dive waiting on a pickup or my turn at the ladder (usually not then as I tend to just swim to the ladder from underneath rather than fart around on the surface).

But, I dive "nekkid". No neoprene

 

[Endler's]

Like @MaxBottomtime showed; before BC's, divers would weight themselves to be neutrally buoyant @ their favorite depth.

Personally, 'would hate to surface when choppy & not have a bladder to inflate.

 

[grantmac]

Just wait until you ditch the plate and monkey dive

 

[johndiver999]

On a recent LOB in the Lesser Antilles. Great diving for a week, good vis, low current. Diving was not guided. No crew members led or accompanied the dives.

I took note that the 6 crew members on board all had adopted essentially the same personal rigs, and all had dived these rigs, some multiple times during the trip. -- Transpak plastic backplate or homemade fiber or rubber backplate. Single strap harness - shoulders and waist. Standard weight belt. 1st and 2nd stages, SPG. AL63 tank. Single tank band. NO BC/bladder.

The crew were excellent coaches, and I reduced ballast on my travel BPW by 4 lbs on the trip. The last several days I was entering the water with an empty BC and heading straight to the bottom. I added minimal if any air to the wing, and totally enjoyed the freedom of the dive. Admittedly toward the end of the dive I was definitely breathing on the bottom of my lung capacity, but not uncomfortably so. On the surface when ending the dive, a deeper breath was quite sufficient to remain at the surface.

So the question is: Other than to keep the boat crew happy, do I really need a BC when diving with minimal thermal protection?

I can and have dove without a BC. The main problem I have with it is you are SIGNIFICANTLY hindered in your ability to rescue a diver and bring them to the surface and keep them there, if you don't have a BC.

It just seems less than responsible to me for the crew to do that when they are potentially diving with unknow tourists, If an accident/injury ever occurred, I am sure a lawyer would love to focus on the other diver being under equipped and outside of any recommended practices.

I have seen the exact same with live aboard crew myself. I told them my negative opinion on the practice in a direct manner. Not that either of us were upset over it since it was not that big of a deal.

My comments were entirely disregarded anyway. LOL

 

[old frogman]

On a recent LOB in the Lesser Antilles. Great diving for a week, good vis, low current. Diving was not guided. No crew members led or accompanied the dives.

I took note that the 6 crew members on board all had adopted essentially the same personal rigs, and all had dived these rigs, some multiple times during the trip. -- Transpak plastic backplate or homemade fiber or rubber backplate. Single strap harness - shoulders and waist. Standard weight belt. 1st and 2nd stages, SPG. AL63 tank. Single tank band. NO BC/bladder.

The crew were excellent coaches, and I reduced ballast on my travel BPW by 4 lbs on the trip. The last several days I was entering the water with an empty BC and heading straight to the bottom. I added minimal if any air to the wing, and totally enjoyed the freedom of the dive. Admittedly toward the end of the dive I was definitely breathing on the bottom of my lung capacity, but not uncomfortably so. On the surface when ending the dive, a deeper breath was quite sufficient to remain at the surface.

So the question is: Other than to keep the boat crew happy, do I really need a BC when diving with minimal thermal protection?

Very few people wore BC until about the mid 1970s. About that time recreational diving dramatically increased in popularity mainly due to Jaques Cousteau's documentaries (I don't recall Cousteau's diving team ever wearing a BC). Anyway, many newcomers to recreational diving were not as physically capable or as astute as the previous generation. The solution was the BC and the second stage demand valve. Also, a whole bunch of new rules like, no deeper than 132ft (40m) in USA, introduction of the safety stop (for the less astute), etc. To be fair it did make diving safer everyone and it did help to keep the many newcomers safe from themselves.

 

[Nemrod]

On a recent LOB in the Lesser Antilles. Great diving for a week, good vis, low current. Diving was not guided. No crew members led or accompanied the dives.

I took note that the 6 crew members on board all had adopted essentially the same personal rigs, and all had dived these rigs, some multiple times during the trip. -- Transpak plastic backplate or homemade fiber or rubber backplate. Single strap harness - shoulders and waist. Standard weight belt. 1st and 2nd stages, SPG. AL63 tank. Single tank band. NO BC/bladder.

The crew were excellent coaches, and I reduced ballast on my travel BPW by 4 lbs on the trip. The last several days I was entering the water with an empty BC and heading straight to the bottom. I added minimal if any air to the wing, and totally enjoyed the freedom of the dive. Admittedly toward the end of the dive I was definitely breathing on the bottom of my lung capacity, but not uncomfortably so. On the surface when ending the dive, a deeper breath was quite sufficient to remain at the surface.

So the question is: Other than to keep the boat crew happy, do I really need a BC when diving with minimal thermal protection?

No, you do not with aluminum 63/80 or the old steel 72 cf tanks that are NLA when diving with relatively light exposure protection. I can get by usually with up to a 5mm suit without too much fuss. There were no BCs when I began diving in 1966. I did not start using a BC until well into the 70s and only then they were oral inflate horse collar types. Here myself and buddies. I am wearing a 1/4 inch genuine Rubatex suit. Rubatex gas blown neoprene did not compress as much at depth so not nearly as as much buoyancy swing as modern suits:



No BC here and I have a camera and using a Navy harness:



No BC here, me with my video cam:



Another friend with no BC and a Navy harness:



The BC is really only needed for buoyancy shift due to suit compression and negative full tanks. They are not a life jacket though I realize they are marketed and sold with that inference.