Bad BCD

[buleetu]

hi all

i was diving with a different dive shop today in sharm el sheikh, i wanted to dive in sharks bay so it was eaisest for me to use the shop on the beach rather than my normal place here in makadi bay

it was the biggest mistake of my life though, i think i could have been killed if anything went wrong or something under the water

the equipment looked old enough but that was fine because everything seemed to be in good working order while we were setting up, i done my usually gear check and there where no problems except maybe for the fact that it all looked a bit old

the thing was when i got into the water my bcd was leaking heavily from the dump beside the low pressure connector, the place we inflate the bcd manually, i had to keep putting more air in every so often because before i knew it the bcd was nearly empty again and i would become negative and begin to sink

this was really silly of me to stay in the water when i discovered the problem?? wasnt it??

should i have called the dive?

thanks guys

 

[String]

A leaking BC is rarely anything more than an annoyance. You mean the low pressure inflater too - you don't put HP gas into a BC.

This sort of thing should have been spotted in the kit check before you dive. Usually leaking dumps just need tightening or bits of sand washed out.

 

[stefo2]

this was really silly of me to stay in the water when i discovered the problem?? wasnt it?? thanks guys

Yeh, kind of. If you notice at the surface that there is something wrong with any piece of equipment, you try to fix it or simply swap it. The dive OP probably had a spare set of everything on board, and it would have only been an inconvenience, e.g. the group having to wait for you.

 

[Teamcasa]

A leaking BC is rarely anything more than an annoyance. You mean the low pressure inflater too - you don't put HP gas into a BC.

This sort of thing should have been spotted in the kit check before you dive. Usually leaking dumps just need tightening or bits of sand washed out.

That is what I would say.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Not so very long ago we dove without any buoyancy control device. The BC is neither mandatory nor life support equipment for properly trained divers.

After having recent sewing repair done to my in/de-flate velcro hold downs, I showed up for a dive without the in/de-flate unit; just a inch and a half hole in the BC shoulder. Did the dive any way with no real probs. Yes I rototilled a little the first half of dive. I took a couple pounds off my belt to start, so I had to swim down a little towards the end. My life was never in danger.

If you ever have the chance, everyone should try diving old school (no BC); just don't try it the first time over a beautiful reef.

 

[NudeDiver]

When I was in Australia, a dive master I frequently dove with, a tall skinny stick of a guy, dove with no BC at all. Just a tank and a weight belt (with like, 2 pounds on it). It was a strange sight for me to see.

I have no concept of how that works though

 

[buleetu]

quote string "You mean the low pressure inflater too - you don't put HP gas into a BC." haha sorry low pressure connector

if ye dive with no bcd doesnt that mean ur gonna have to swim a lot, it would be very tiring wouldnt it, i cant imagine diving without some sort of bcd, what happens if u need to bring someone to the surface because there knocked out or something, it would be really hard work

that guy in the dodgey shop yesterday would have had us in the water with just one 10 litre tank between us if he had his way, i think he is a bit of a mad yolk to say the least

he actually offered me the chance to go and do a nightdive with him and the russian couple, i think they were doing there specialty dive for the advanced ow course, i thought about it for a few minutes but then thought better not, imagine having the bcd problem in the pitch black, i think that i would have been very foolish to do that dive, as much as i want to do a night dive sometime, i think perhaps i should do some night snorkling first

 

[ScubaSteve]

...............The BC is neither mandatory nor life support equipment for properly trained divers........

I agree however a newly certified diver that trained with the BC would hardly qualify as a "properly trained diver" yet IMO. It is experience and comfort that would allow them that title. The initial certification entitles you to go and learn more than the basics. It is a Learner's Permit. Just my opinion.

.........If you ever have the chance, everyone should try diving old school (no BC).......

Similar to above, it should not be done by a newly certified diver. They have enough to worry about without saying "forget about your training and just dive without that"....I have never dive without a BC and had never even thought about it before. Now, I think maybe I will. You have convinced me....but I am not newly certified.

.......he actually offered me the chance to go and do a nightdive with him and the russian couple, i think they were doing there specialty dive for the advanced ow course, i thought about it for a few minutes but then thought better not, imagine having the bcd problem in the pitch black, i think that i would have been very foolish to do that dive, as much as i want to do a night dive sometime, i think perhaps i should do some night snorkling first

While it was probably wise of you to steer clear of the night dive right now, this is not that uncommon. I know a lot of people that were taken on night dives shortly after OW certification. There is nothing stating that it cannot be done. I personally feel it is usually not recommended however it is not a terrible thought.

 

[String]

if ye dive with no bcd doesnt that mean ur gonna have to swim a lot, it would be very tiring wouldnt it,

No. You weight yourself properly. On a small single tank even if you completely empty your BC if you're constantly swimming chances are you're overweighted.

i cant imagine diving without some sort of bcd, what happens if u need to bring someone to the surface because there knocked out or something, it would be really hard work

Again, they shouldn't be massively overweighted. And if needed dump their belt.

but then thought better not, imagine having the bcd problem in the pitch black

Shouldnt make the slightest bit of difference.

 

[Scubadad1]

Why dive without a BCD? There are usually two ways to do things - an easy way and a hard way. Things move on and equipment generally gets better and more reliable.

Hopefully Beleetu's guide/instructor was keeping an eye on his group and there was no danger. I have had a guy in my group whose BCD kept auto-inflating. I asked him if he was OK to continue after he disconnected his low pressure inflator and he was OK. I still kept a close watch on him and we finished the dive with no problems.

I think the thing is that if you feel unhappy with the dive then you call it - at the end of the day it is up to you in most cases. Do what you feel happy with and what you feel is safer. No instructor or guide would ever argue with this.