Air in BC? What do you do?

[ReefHound]

I roll and go and if I have a buddy or buddys then we have it worked out that they will do the same and we will meet on the anchor line at 30 feet or whatever

The key thing here is you have it worked out beforehand. The person who siad her buddy went straight down and left her sounds like she wasn't expecting that.

 

[calscubagirl]

The key thing here is you have it worked out beforehand. The person who siad her buddy went straight down and left her sounds like she wasn't expecting that.

It was definitely not in the plan.

 

[Charlie99]

I just test my inflator with a little puff of air, but don't add significant air to my BCD, even if I intend to hang out on the surface for a while. With proper weighting when using an 80cu ft tank you will be somewhat less negatively buoyant than the 6 pounds of air. Your wetsuit has some extra buoyancy if dry, and in any case it has more buoyancy on the surface than at 10' or 15' depth. I also tend to have a full lung, further adding buoyancy.

The net effect is that I easily hang out at the surface, and then can descend with a hard, full exhale.

 

[lamont]

I inflate my BCD enough so that I can press back on the bladder with my elbows and ensure that its holding air properly. I'm also typically jumping in with doubles and lot more overweighted initially than your average single tank diver. We don't usually have ripping surface currents here (more usually we have ripping bottom currents) and can stay together on the surface. I've got dive buddies that have equalization issues which require slow descents. I also don't like the idea of hot dropping since if your valve is only partially turned on the first stage my quit on you 30-60 feet down. With doubles and an argon bottle this shouldn't be fatal, but I'd rather stay in control all the way down. And if the current is really ripping you can use a scooter to stay in control. Never encountered a dive here that required hot dropping, so don't see much benefit of it (other than keeping Nemrod and Walter from calling me names).

 

[Walter]

We won't call you names, we'll just make a mental note and move on. Why would your valve only be part way on? Check your valve, then don't lat anyone touch it. I believe you've never been on a dive that required a hot drop, but I have. Even when it doesn't require a hot drop, I don't unnecessarily inflate my BC, even when I dive doubles.

 

[redrover]

The boat from which you are diving. She was specifically asking about giant stride and back roll entries from a boat. Beach entries are another question entirely. If you are swimming on the surface to a descent point, I'd recommend a little air in the BC.

Do you also object to advice about rigging tag/current lines on boats because they don't apply to beach diving?

I don't understand why you'd want to sit on a rock ledge to don your fins, but then I haven't seen the entry point you describe. Were I to dive at that location, I'd listen to folks experienced in diving that site, I'd examine it myself and I'd make my decision based on my evaluation of all factors.



I dive from boats - big and little, some have swim platforms and ladders, some have one, but not the other, some have neither. I dive from shore - sand beach, rock beach, no beach, dock, steps, I've rappelled in full SCUBA to the water, I've made giant stride entries from water level and from 15 feet high. I've dived wet suit, dry suit, no suit, warm water, cold water, modern gear, vintage gear.

Now Walter ,
My feelings weren’t hurt at all. I wrote tongue in cheek expecting it chuckle worthy, I’m so glad to see the ROFL. I was sure you had and probably still did a great variety of dives, that’s why you, of all people surprised me. :1poke:

I also considered the boat only application when I began my first response and went back to check and make sure what triggered it was there. Diverblam says she is soon off to her new dive career. She could mean that to be a clerk in a dive shop but I assumed it to mean a professional diving career. Perhaps there is a Professional Boat Dive Only career. In any case I would expect anyone seeking a diving career would desire broad experience, hence my second post; to consider yes or no does not fit all situations. Also she claims the same category of number of dives as I. The feeling I got was that she was not choosing to because it made sense but following example from desire to be like them – the dive career. So for consideration I put in my 2cents of why I make my choices. If I indicated I was giving a direct statement of what should be done, I regret it. (Such a nuisance, all these disclaimers fearing flaming.) Then she said doing so was bothering her for the reasons others spoke of.

Nope no disagreement to specific measures to specific situations. Heck, I thought that was my point.

I’m unable to step down that far with out hanging on to something with out cumbersome fins. I can do a climb down of sorts with out fins, lean back or sit on to don fins, stand, step forward to edge and step off. And boat dives; sit on ledge, don, stand, step forward, step off.
In this case I did climb down with fins following the example of experienced diver after exclaiming “with fins?” who had the leg length to step down quite easily in fact. And I learned another reinforcement to consider more experienced divers recommendation but keep my physical limitations in mind.
Walter I’ve been lifted up off my securely planted in anticipation best wet lava shod feet by 2 inches of smooth ocean, drug out 50 yards, dumped into nasty boulders, unable to hold onto said boulders and tumbled a while in crashing surf. It definitely convinced me to respect the power of the ocean. Sitting down I can get a secure grip on the lava before I get nailed in case I get lifted. It is possible with that tank I would have weighed enough to not get lifted off my butt.
I was unable to feel securely balanced at the step forward to the edge part. As I said, wave action was pushy, I don’t have far to go tanked before unable to recover balance and I'm going down where that tank is headed.
Call me chicken but I felt I could get knocked unconscious crashing and burning on the lava, tumbling into the water or time it just right to be slammed into the wall after making it that far. My choice was to have a lot of floatability, just in case. I think you’ve conceded to the ok to add air in this case

Walter you may have missed it earlier but I did concede to you and others, you had a point with step and drop. Thank you for explaining it, one more valuable thing I learn here. Can we be friends?:blinking:

 

[limeyx]

You get scattered off Cape Hatteras or Cape Lookout in the Gulf Stream, they might find you before you die of dehydration or exposure but it's not assured. They might not ever find you, wouldn't be the first.

Then what happens when you come to the surface after your dive?

 

[Nemrod]

"Never encountered a dive here that required hot dropping, so don't see much benefit of it (other than keeping Nemrod and Walter from calling me names)."

Hot dropping must be some sorta DIR term. Never heard it before this thread. Well, ya see, bottom time begins when you leave the surface and continues until you begin your acscent using tables. If I spend ten minutes getting to the bottom, checking valves and ears and asking my buddys over and over if they are OK and practicing finning techniques then by the time I get to the bottom in 100 feet of water half my useful time is just about gone. Why fool around? Get with it and get on down there.

Half open valve, you know, if that happens I will just surface, these what if scenarios are just that, what if the sky is falling Chicken Little?? Besides, I thought you guys could reach your valves? How many times you got to check something before you decide it either is or is not? N

 

[lamont]

Hot dropping must be some sorta DIR term. Never heard it before this thread. Well, ya see, bottom time begins when you leave the surface and continues until you begin your acscent using tables. If I spend ten minutes getting to the bottom, checking valves and ears and asking my buddys over and over if they are OK and practicing finning techniques then by the time I get to the bottom in 100 feet of water half my useful time is just about gone. Why fool around? Get with it and get on down there.

Don't know where to start with this one. If I spend 10 minutes at 5-10 fsw waiting for my buddies ears to clear, that isn't bottom time (i've got a buddy this happens to all the time when his head hits the cold water, he's fine after he adjusts). And nobody is discussing how fast you drop down the line, and definitely nobody is discussing okaying your buddy every couple feet.

Half open valve, you know, if that happens I will just surface, these what if scenarios are just that, what if the sky is falling Chicken Little?? Besides, I thought you guys could reach your valves? How many times you got to check something before you decide it either is or is not? N

Generally I like control over ascent and descent at all times. Jumping in negative means that you start out not in control and have to establish it, which opens up the possibility of issues. If there's no benefit to dropping in negative, then no matter how slim the issues are its better practice to be in control.

And I was entirely correct that you'd call me names...

 

[Walter]

Don't know where to start with this one. If I spend 10 minutes at 5-10 fsw waiting for my buddies ears to clear, that isn't bottom time

Of course it is. Bottom time begins when a diver begins his descent.

Generally I like control over ascent and descent at all times. Jumping in negative means that you start out not in control and have to establish it, which opens up the possibility of issues. If there's no benefit to dropping in negative, then no matter how slim the issues are its better practice to be in control.

And I was entirely correct that you'd call me names...

Why aren't you in control when you enter with no air in your BC? I am. He didn't call you names, he merely compared a series of what ifs to a fictional what if.