Question about bcd remove underwater

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In the PADI OW course you do it under water in "confined water" (pool) but not during the open water part of the course.

At the surface you do it both in confined and in open water.

R..
 
I am curious how y'all are taught this skill. I have seen it taught a couple different ways. I was taught to basically "sit" on my tank when donning the kit. Slip right into everything no problems. I did this underwater both in the pool and open water. And did this on the surface in the pool but not open water.
 
I am curious how y'all are taught this skill. I have seen it taught a couple different ways. I was taught to basically "sit" on my tank when donning the kit. Slip right into everything no problems. I did this underwater both in the pool and open water. And did this on the surface in the pool but not open water.
Yeah, same here. The big thing is make sure everything is well clear, preventing tangles, before you hop on.
It's not part of the course, but if for some reason you're doing this in water you can stand in, there are probably a number of ways you could do it.
 
Never done it underwater and probably never will. I don't think it is possible with D12, hogarthian gear and drysuit. Besides, I don't see any use for this skill under water. Ditching maybe, but putting it on again? Why?

Above water no problem. During a liveaboard or RIB diving it is a very usefull skill to master.
 
I am curious how y'all are taught this skill. I have seen it taught a couple different ways. I was taught to basically "sit" on my tank when donning the kit. Slip right into everything no problems. I did this underwater both in the pool and open water. And did this on the surface in the pool but not open water.

This was our method as well. hook/touch heels under the tank while sitting, clear/organize the shoulder straps and hoses, release heels and slide arms into the shoulder straps.
 
AJ:
Never done it underwater and probably never will. I don't think it is possible with D12, hogarthian gear and drysuit. Besides, I don't see any use for this skill under water. Ditching maybe, but putting it on again? Why?

Above water no problem. During a liveaboard or RIB diving it is a very usefull skill to master.

it's much easier in a one piece harness than it is with a jacket bc. You basically put it on over your head like the old guys used to do back in the day. Practicality underwater is fairly limited obviously
 
AJ:
Never done it underwater and probably never will. I don't think it is possible with D12, hogarthian gear and drysuit. Besides, I don't see any use for this skill under water. Ditching maybe, but putting it on again? Why?

At my local quarry recently, we had an instructor who was diving solo. He somehow got entangled in one/some of the cables going from the bottom up to one of the training platforms. He ended up ditching his rig, leaving it where it was, and going to the surface. I'm not sure why he didn't doff it, free it, then put it back on. Regardless, it seems like a good example of why one might want to be able to remove and replace underwater. What if you are swimming in a wreck and something hooks onto your rig from above/behind and you can't get it loose and you're stuck in such a way that your buddy can't get to the entanglement to free you? And/or viz has gone to zero and your buddy can't even see to tell what the problem is in the first place.

I did my "demonstration" underwater BCD remove and replace, for my DM training, recently. I did it using my Hogarthian BP/W rig. It was a single tank and a wetsuit. But, I don't see where it would have been that much more difficult in a drysuit and with my doubles. Do you think being very floaty in your drysuit after you remove your rig would make it impossible to put the rig back on? I agree that it would be more challenging, but I don't see it being impossible. Having deco/stage bottles attached would definitely make it even more challenging.
 
Yeah, same here. The big thing is make sure everything is well clear, preventing tangles, before you hop on.
It's not part of the course, but if for some reason you're doing this in water you can stand in, there are probably a number of ways you could do it.


Is this done on the bottom or mid-water?

I just watched a bunch of YouTube videos trying to find an example of sitting on the tank and found none.

All but 2 were done on the knees, on the bottom. 1 was done mid-water, in horizontal trim, but the diver simply rolled out of their BCD, so they were on their back with the rig on their stomach, and then rolled back over and into it. And they bounced off the bottom while doing it. The other was done mid-water, while vertical. In that one, the diver had the rig around in front of her, vertical the whole time, and actually seemed to maintain perfect buoyancy the whole time. She was not in a pool and you could see a grassy bottom below and the surface above and she never seemed to move towards either. It was pretty impressive, I thought. Especially as compared to the other videos I watched.

I still can't envision a process that involves sitting on the tank.
 
I know I'am very floaty with my drysuit without weights. I won't be able to get under water with my Santi BZ400 undergarments on. Beleive me, I tried. So ditching my set means getting an other set to retrieve it. If I had to ditch my set while being in a overhead situation I would really be in trouble. I would probably stick to the ceiling. In warm waters I could do it without too much trouble, even with a D12.

Still, I prefer not to get entangled. It's mostly a matter of looking ahead and being carefull where you go as far as I'am concerned.
 
I did mine in both pool and OW ocean. In my Self Reliant course we did this at mid depth and had to retain our buoyancy. You really need to perform this task in an environment that you will be diving in. It's not hard if if keep your cool and think about what you are doing. And be sure to hug your bc as you are removing it. Other wise you will shoot to the surface.
 
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