Do I "Need" a BC

[old frogman]

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

Good point. However, in the old days the BSAC (British) used to teach the diver rescue drill. Part of the drill required ditching weights which made you both positively buoyant on the surface (wet suit). However, if you are not wearing a wet suit it could be a problem.

 

[David Carron]

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

If you don't need to adjust buoyancy using your BC then, well, you don't.

The idea of potentially finding myself trying to float around at the surface, perhaps for extended periods of time, perhaps stressed, perhaps trying to assist another diver, without a life-jacket seems a bit sketchy though.

 

[happy-diver]

In between negative entries and straight up the ladder it's been minimal minutes I've spent on the surface
but with a lack of watermanship of many and where the divers age is overtaking their experience, of many

In a fluid situation all should wear a bc capability or not

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

Here is our little group from 2019. Nary a BC in sight. I'm fine diving without a BC while using up to a 5mm full farmer john/hooded jacket down to about 50ish feet or so controlling bouyancy by lung volume alone. Although I used to do it with 1/4" suits back in the day as well. The trick is to weight yourself so you are neutral at 10 feet with 500psi left in your tank. That said, I use a BIU all the time for dives deeper than 50', dives where long surface swims are necessary, and dives where I may be putting stuff I find in a bag thus adding weight during the dive. BC's are wonderful inventions and highly useful, needed on some dives and not needed on others. My 2psi.

 

[Nemrod]

The idea of potentially finding myself trying to float around at the surface, perhaps for extended periods of time, perhaps stressed, perhaps trying to assist another diver, without a life-jacket seems a bit sketchy though.

Depends. In older times we used a surface assist such as a diver surf board, an inner tube or other various floats. And in those times, much like surfers (who do not where life jackets either) scuba divers where watermen (people).

Here is a dive I have done several times, I did have a surface float with dive flag as required by Florida law and I had no BC. I also did have a SMB in the event I became seperated from my dive float and flag:



Not a good pic but I am heading out, yes, I am solo:



I am probably done with such long surface swims, at least in this area. Between boats and sharks it is just not fun anymore. I do enjoy my VDH/Oxy wings with the Oxy UL textile plate, like diving without.

A dive like this is not for beginner divers nor non-swimmers. I have competed in long distance ocean swimming and triathlons, at that time this distance was well within my limits. I was in the water during that dive for around 4 hours. Such a dive now is probably beyond my limits.

 

[therookie]

I would love to someday learn how to dive safely without a BC - for a dive in the proper surface conditions, to an appropriate depth, and any other factors not mentioned in this thread. My preferred area for diving is almost always calm and many of my favorite dives have been in the 50-ish foot range, so I think it would suit my diving preferences well.

Someday...

 

[jadairiii]

With todays small wings, the real question is "why wouldn't you?" Starting out when BC's first became popular, they were huge! Horse collar BC's had upwards to 50lbs of lift, the original wings had 40 to 60lbs of lift. Jacket bc's are all over you and again, drag.

Now, you can get a wing that is 30lbs of lift or less. Minimal drag.

You dive enough, you know, almost to the 100 psi, how much gas you have used, so why dive an SPG? If you're solo, no need for a octo. And if you are diving on a reef you know well, no need for a computer or depth gauge. All you need is a watch and a compass.

And dont forget the speedo (if you need a suit at all), who needs all that drag of boardshorts!

 

[rick00001967]

the simple answer is NO. i dived with an ex navy seal (or at least he claimed to be) that never used a bcd, but did have a manually inflatable device on him. "horse collar" i believe they are called.

however, as you said, it also depends on the exposure protection worn, and how deep you may be diving with that protection. i cannot see how anyone could dive in a double layer 7mm suit, hood, and gloves, with out a bcd to 130 feet.

i would also point out that in an emergency (whether you are in trouble or another diver) your heart / respiratory rate will increase substantially which would make it tough to control buoyancy. as you said, you were already breathing about as shallow as you could. so what happens when you have to rescue / assist someone during a dive?

the other obvious issue could be at the surface. perhaps on a dive in easy conditions it would be fine. but what about in 6 foot seas when you are separated from the group and have to wait for pick up. or god forbid you lose sight of the boat and have to wait for rescue?

so can you dive without a bcd. yes you can. but should you? makes no sense to me to do it today.

 

[lexvil]

This is all pretty silly, do “need” an octo? A knife or other cutting tool? Exposure protection? You don’t need it until you do and when you do you’ll be glad you have it! Learning to dive without using it is a good thing but leaving the flotation function behind when the rest of the rig needed to attach a tank to you is 80% of the package.

Yes I started before b/c’s, computers, SPG’s etc. I think it’s silly to consider diving now without them since they have proven to be reliable.

This is sort of like walking to the store, 3 miles away because people did it before they domesticated horses let alone reliable cars.

 

[Nemrod]

This is sort of like walking to the store, 3 miles away because people did it before they domesticated horses let alone reliable cars.

From the increasing diameter of people today, perhaps it would not hurt them to actually walk to the store. Convenience does not equal necessity.