Are Aqua Lung Dimension I3s Dangerous?

[Loren0913]

I recently purchased an I3 and when I was at the local dive shop (very knowledgeable technical divers), they strongly recommended that I get rid of it as they believe the set up to be hazardous for California diving. The concern was over getting the inflator caught on kelp, rocks, and just eventual equipment failure. Additionally, since it's not a common set up, my dive buddies won't be familiar with it in the event of an emergency. Their comments all make perfect sense and seem reasonable, but I haven't seen any info posted about divers having problems. I'm a new diver and could use some insight.

 

[tbone1004]

I tend to agree with your local tech divers on the i3 mechanism in particular, and the i3 in generalas it is a potential hazard especially with the kelp that could catch it and cause it to autoinflate or deflate.

I would recommend that if you haven't gotten the i3 in the water yet that you try to return it and purchase something a bit more suitable for your local diving.

 

[drmwc]

I have an i3. I don't dive it any more. However, it didn't feel dangerous on any of the dives did with it. I did some very low viz dives in it, and it never felt like snagging. The reason I no longer dive it is that I moved to a backplate and wing.

If you want to replace it, and it has got wet already, you could always replace the manual inflate with a standard inflator and not hook up the i3

 

[StefinSB]

While I successfully convinced my wife to switch from her i3 BCD to a backplate I do not think that the arguments of getting caught on kelp and rocks are valid. The i3 inflator lever really doesn't stick out and is on the side so why would it get caught on rocks? The lever is also quite small so the chance of getting caught on kelp is minimal at worst. A console is more dangerous in that aspect and I have plenty of buddies diving s console over rocks and through kelp. i don't like it because it has an, in my mind, uncessarily complex mechanism inside

 

[outofofficebrb]

I accidentally bumped it sitting next to someone on a boat -- so I'm in the yes camp. Also, in an emergency, even if someone is familiar with it, it doesn't seem to come as second nature to me as the traditional hose is. Lastly, repairs are a bit tougher if you're not near an AL shop with the right parts and bits.

 

[WarrenZ]

I don't think it is dangerous but it is more complicated than it needs to be which is more to go wiring and more cost to fix when it does. Not worth it to me.

 

[jd950]

My wife has one of the i3 BCDs and likes it. I had one for awhile and used it many times and liked using the mechanism more than dealing with a corrugated hose as I usually have a large camera or a spear or other stuff to deal with as well. I think it is probably a fairly robust mechanism. They are not hard to operate, have been reliable for my wife so far and am not worried about someone being unable to operate it in an emergency...they are not new on the market and people I dive with are all familiar with them and would know what to do and frankly, it would only take a reasonably intelligent individual a few seconds to figure the things out.

Having used them on boat and shore dives I don't think there is much danger. Sure, the lever could accidentally be engaged resulting in an unintended inflation or deflation, but on a boat or in the back of a truck I don't think that would be a big deal. Accidentally triggering one on a dive would suggest skill and situational awareness issues that raise safety issues well beyond the i3. Besides, I think they actually vent faster than a typical BCD and I assume we have all been trained in how to deal with a stuck inflator, so this would be similar and frankly, the placement of the hose attachment to the inflator mechanism is very convenient and would be easy to detach in an emergency.

I am diving my Zeagle currently but may well buy one of the i3 BCDs in the future as I found it easy to operate and to work "better" than the corrugated hose for deflation.

With all of that said, it is certainly not a necessary gadget. But I don't think it is dangerous and would not base my decision on that. "Technical divers" tend abhor anything new or different or "rec" so unless someone can present some credible example of the i3 causing an injury or death, I would not place much stock in their speculative assessment unless you want to sit at the cool table with them at lunch, in which case you would want to only use and like the designated cool stuff. No offense to tech divers...different strokes for different folks (pun intended).

 

[Rapid Star]

I used an i3 BC during my certification dives and liked it. I think the biggest concern expressed once I began to dive with others was unfamiliarity with the inflation method since it is on the side instead of the more standard low pressure inflation hose over the left shoulder. In an emergency may not be easily located or properly operated by someone who is unfamiliar with the i3.

 

[Nemrod]

Basically, no, they are not intrinsically dangerous.

N

 

[Oldbear]

I recently purchased an I3 and when I was at the local dive shop (very knowledgeable technical divers), they strongly recommended that I get rid of it as they believe the set up to be hazardous for California diving. The concern was over getting the inflator caught on kelp, rocks, and just eventual equipment failure. Additionally, since it's not a common set up, my dive buddies won't be familiar with it in the event of an emergency...

Loren,

Do not get drawn in with the notion that just because a salesman at a local dive shop is a "Technical" diver they are the "all-knowing" gurus of the sea and vice verse that a "Recreational" diver has limited knowledge. I have known some really intelligent divers and some that are just minutes away from Mr. Mayhem and being culled from the human gene pool. Their certification cards mean nothing it is how they apply their training and experience that separate the divers you want to be around and the dumb asses.

Kudos to you for asking the question and not blindly accepting a hypotheses that someone "believes" to be true without actually knowing.

I would like to address your questions about the I3 being a hazardous BCD for California:

1) Inflator getting caught on Kelp - I have never seen the I3 get caught on anything while diving, nor have I heard of it either. The lever design is streamlined with the "good diver's profile". If anything would get caught on kept it would be the knife that is mounted right above the inflator lever...the same place that just about every other make and model places it on a BCD. This claim has the essence of BS.

2) Inflator caught on Rocks - In theory this could happen (well in theory all of the salesman's concerns could happen...but in theory I could win the lotto that is why I keep playing). The occasional bumping into a rock while diving will not set the I3 off and hopefully you have or are mastering your buoyance to you have control and are not "bumping" into things. Now if you where squeezing through a tight hole, diving in a small cave, or dragging your side perpendicular to a rock face then I can see how the I3 could either inflate or deflate unexpectedly. I would recommend that if you want to dive in such proximity of rock get the specialized training to do so...there you will utilize equipment other than an I3 equipped BCD. And if you are being dragged perpendicular to a rock face you might have bigger problems than your I3...just saying.

3) Inflator ... just equipment failures - This one is true but there is an "If". I have seen and had to deal with I3 failures on shore and in the water from mechanical failures. The internal components of the I3 are not very robust against a "sandy" environment. I live on an island and my Open Water Students do their "Open Water Dives" from a sandy beach. The water can be very turbid as you enter and exit the ocean. And sand gets everywhere including inside the cover plate over the I3. You can soak the BCD in a fresh water tank, rinse it with a hose but once the small grains of sand get inside the I3 mechanism the only way to remove it is to disassemble the inflator. It is not hard...just three screws if memory services me right. But how many divers will do that? Right around 100 dives for us the inflators started to self inflate due to the sand inside, which also prematurely (in my opinion) worn down the inflator thus requiring servicing and replacement parts ($25). Your typical "hose mounted power inflator" is sealed much tighter and people go for years...many years before they have them services...if they ever do. Now "If" you are just a "boat" diver then potentially you will have years of good use of the BCD with I3.

BTW - If you had a run away inflator you would just disconnect the low pressure inflator hose - which is currently being taught as part of the curriculum in the PADI Open Water Diver's Course. This not a dive ending event, you can still deflate with the I3 lever or the quick dump on the shoulder and orally inflate as needed. All Open Water level skills.

4) Dive buddies not knowing how to respond to an emergency because they are unfamiliar with the equipment - From the very first day you started diving, right after you learned how to assemble the equipment, I hope you learned the "Pre-Dive Safety Check" with your dive buddies. And wasn't the very first thing on the list BCD? If your dive buddies are unfamiliar with your dive gear, just explain it to them before you get in the water. I hope you are not just introducing your self, shaking hands, then jumping into the water. Remember your safety is YOUR responsibility. I teach Open Water courses in a BCD while in the pool where the student is learning to dive, but when they have mastered their skills and we go the ocean I am usually in some other equipment configuration and during the Pre-Dive Safety Checks we discuss the variations. You will not always be familiar with every type of equipment you see on a dive buddy...unless you dive with the same dive buddies all the time, in which case they WILL be familiar with your I3.

Now let's say you have an emergency and some new "underwater dive buddy" comes to your rescue. What is it they have to do? Take you to the surface, they can use your shoulder dump if they had to deflate your BCD and could not figure out the I3 lever. Make you positively buoyant at the surface, they can drop your weights if they cannot figure out your I3.

Yes the I3 is prone to being bumped and inflating while on a boat or even just laying them down on the their side. Hopefully you do not dive this close to your dive buddies...while stay close to your dive buddy is a good thing this might be a little to close. The I3s are in no way so poorly designed that they will make a "rescue" over burdensome and but the owner at risk. Take a Rescue class.

So here are your options as I see them:

A) You have to be comfortable with your equipment; if the comfort is not there DO NOT use it.
B) There is little truth (as I see it) in what the salesman said based on his beliefs...he should not believe everything he thinks is true. Good thing you are going to the internet here as you will get the TRUTH on the internet.
C) If you like the BCD but are not overly in favor of the I3, you can replace the Oral inflator tube with a Aqua Lung/Sea Quest power inflator for about $60 or sell it and start over.
D) If you dive in a turbid environment or sandy beach, clean the inside of the I3 or it stands a higher risk of self-inflating than I think it should by design.

While our island dive shop does not sell unless someone requests it, nor does our rental fleet have the I3 any longer, I have seen one very special use where the I3 has been a leading factor to a diver's ability to dive, that is with physically challenged divers who do not have the range of motion in their hands to operate a "traditional" power inflator. It is in this arena that the I3 excels.

Well that is my 2 cents.

Happy diving...

~Oldbear~