Any 'pre-BC' old timers here?

[slackercruster]

In the beginning divers just strapped tanks on with little else other than mask, fins and a rubber wetsuit.

What was it like diving with no BC's?

Any special challenges? Any benefits?

Any of you still dive with out a BC? (Not counting drysuit divers.)

 

[J.R.]

In the beginning divers just strapped tanks on with little else other than mask, fins and a rubber wetsuit.

... awww... we had SNORKELS!!! (... and, come to think of it... weight belts...)

I don't know how you define "pre-B.C."... I dove with what is now refered to as a "snorkeling vest". No computer... (never did the double hose reg thing... started on an early single). We were taught how to 'buddy-breath'...

Diving wasn't all that much different from today...

Plan your dive... dive you plan.
We swam up... we swam down.
We had "J" valves rather than computers and pressure guages.

Do I still dive the "old way"... ... not with all this COOL stuff out there that makes things a lot easier and safer...

... and, errr... "OLD TIMER"... I'm not quiet 55... barely reachin' that "middle age" thing...

 

[Stu S.]

You had to kick to keep your head up out of the water on the surface. We would also use a snorkel and swim back to the boat, as the boat would not come to pick you up. We did not count on a lot of residual air after surfacing.

It was all fairly easy. You had to figure your weights correctly. Divers in the 1970's were, on average, younger than today. There was no particular benefit or challenge, it was just diving.

I use BC today, and no longer use the snorkel.

 

[fishb0y]

I wouldn't call us all 'old-timers'... I started collecting vintage gear about a year ago, now it is my preferred way to dive.

 

[miked]

Much the same as what J.R. and the others have described:
I had a "horsecollar" BC (?) but mine had "extra new technology" because it had an LP inflation hose, in addition to the CO2 inflater cartridge.
Also:
Single hose reg.(although the double hose regs were equally available), plastic backPACK, j valve, weight belt, and the snorkel.

No octo, no computer; wrist mounted depth gauge (bourdan(sp??) style where you read depth from a bubble/scale inside a circular tube).

I recall, upon the early appearance of the jacket BC, instructors calling it a "death trap"-and worse.

Now-I am reasonably "up to date" with my gear.

Mike


(...also still "young" at nearly 60 -of course, my body disagrees.)

 

[oly5050user]

In the beginning divers just strapped tanks on with little else other than mask, fins and a rubber wetsuit.

What was it like diving with no BC's?

Any special challenges? Any benefits?

Any of you still dive with out a BC? (Not counting drysuit divers.)

no big deal diving without a bcd back then,just weigh yourself for the depth you planned to be at.If you find yourself too shallow or a little too buoyant just pick up a rock or something to get a little negative.Then small horsecollars showed up that had a small tube that you can blow into to get positive buoyant.Larger horse collars showed up later that even had power inflators(called them "cbj' control buoyancy jackets)..tank had a hard back pack.
Modern design has made physical effort easier now,but same skills are required to be a proficient diver.Diving since 1967.

 

[Sam Miller III]

In the beginning divers did not have tanks, masks fins or snorkles, only goggles.

Suggest that your read Gilpatric's Compleat Goggler

The Japanese Ama are credited with the mask which was patented by a Frenchman.

Another Frenchman created and patented the fins

An American patented the Snorkle in 1930s- Named by Frenchmen after WW11 subs

Another Frenchman created first sucessful SCUBA in 1930s

Another Frenchman inproved on it in early 1940s

JYC & Gagnon created a Aqua Lung out of a R/D & Gasogen in 1943

Divers originally used sweat shirts, sweaters and long underwear for thermal protection. (See SDM 2001)

An American developed the first sucessful dry suit in 1940s

An American developed the first wet suit in early 1950s.

Many California divers used WW11 Mae West for floation and/or emergencies

First sucessful PFD was Sportsways in 1963.

The first training was LA county in 1954; NAUI 1960, PADI 1969.

All divers were water orientated and overall in better condition than todays divers.

Hunting was #1, spearfishing, lobstering and collecting.

Benifits?
Freedom from encumbersome straps.

Challenges?
Bouyancy control
Weighting for swimming an diving
Always carried and used a snorkle

Heck Yes I
*Use a Manta for Scuba
*Use a modified US Divers PFD freediving/spearfishing
Any responsible diver would use the tools avaliable to him to asure a safte return.
YA only get paid for a round trip!

SDM

 

[captain]

I started diving in 1957, I got my first BC, a Nemrod horse collar with it's own small inflation cylinder about 1972. I still dive without a BC when ever I am not wearing a full 5 or 7 mil wet suit but in the old days I did dive with a 5 mil (1/4"as it was called back then) without a BC. This was before divers were taught to do a safety stop so being a few pounds bouyant at the end of the dive was not an issue and made the swim back to the boat easier. For warm water dives that do not require exposure protection a BC is really mostly useless other than for surface flotation. I wear a UDT swimmers vest for surface flotation. I use only old steel 72 cylinders which has great bouyancy characteristics for diving without a BC, -5# full and 0 to +1# empty.

 

[joystershell]

... awww... we had SNORKELS!!! (... and, come to think of it... weight belts...)

I don't know how you define "pre-B.C."... I dove with what is now refered to as a "snorkeling vest". No computer... (never did the double hose reg thing... started on an early single). We were taught how to 'buddy-breath'...

Diving wasn't all that much different from today...

Plan your dive... dive you plan.
We swam up... we swam down.
We had "J" valves rather than computers and pressure guages.

Do I still dive the "old way"... ... not with all this COOL stuff out there that makes things a lot easier and safer...

... and, errr... "OLD TIMER"... I'm not quiet 55... barely reachin' that "middle age" thing...

What he said! Had a snorkleing vest, with either oral inflate, or deployment of CO2 cartridge. No octo. Ill fitting wetsuits. Porky the Pig purge valves on our masks. And we lived through the experience.

 

[Sam Miller III]

...No octo, no computer; wrist mounted depth gauge (bourdan(sp??) style where you read depth from a bubble/scale inside a circular tube).....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FYI

There were (are?) three types of depth guages;
***A) Capillary
***B) Bourdan tube
***C) Diaphragm

You described a common Capillary and refered to it as a Bourdan tube type... there is a considerable difference and was a considerable difference in price at the time you purchased it.. How could you forget?

sdm