BC Failure

[DevonDiver]

I would say a non-working BC is trivial for some divers and/or some profiles; ......

I'd say it was more likely to be trivial if you had planned and equipped for the dive with no BC. If you're weighted and configured and actually on a dive and suddenly lose BC/buoyancy function, then it is likely to be a less trivial scenario for any diver.

 

[=C=]

You must have been (and still be) narc'd.

I've been told repeatedly and empathically by other members of SB that issues like this cannot possibly occur...and that such concerns should be discredited when considering equipment configurations and options...

I've found this to be pretty common actually. Seen it personally a hand full of times on a handful of divers. We usually catch it on shore during the check and it gets waived off as nothing and forgot. Jumping off a boat into a swell is a whole different ball of wax.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

I'd say it was more likely to be trivial if you had planned and equipped for the dive with no BC. If you're weighted and configured and actually on a dive and suddenly lose BC/buoyancy function, then it is likely to be a less trivial scenario for any diver.

On either of the dives I mentioned, all I need do is drop one weight (3 or 4lbs) in a spot I can return for later.

Without the inflator unit I could easily purge some air into the opening while head down and then continue diving head down with the air in the kidney area.

Without the kidney dump I could dive head up and still have some buoyancy lift when adding air.

With 5 mm or less wet suit I probably would only increase my turn/ascent pressure by 2-3 hundred for the vast majority of my dives down to 100 fsw.

I find so much lead on the bottom that leaving a piece or two is no biggie.

 

[Rdahlgren45]

do you get your gear checked yearly?

 

[redacted]

do you get your gear checked yearly?

I check my gear at least every day that I dive or pack it.

 

[kpdivers]

I will ALWAYS orally inflate my BC before getting wet and just touch the inflator valve for the final burst of air to pop open the spring briefly. No worries at that point.

 

[DevonDiver]

I functionally check all my gear before every dive - like I was taught to on my OW class many years ago. It's kept me safe thus far..

 

[Max Speed]

I will ALWAYS orally inflate my BC before getting wet and just touch the inflator valve for the final burst of air to pop open the spring briefly. No worries at that point.

Why do you orally inflate it?

 

[TSandM]

Orally inflating your BC, either at the beginning or end of the dive, is a very good habit (which I keep intending to adopt and forgetting to do) because, if you end up in a situation where you NEED to do it, you will think of it.

 

[Crush]

Why do you orally inflate it?

I was taught to always put air into my wing with the power inflator, then dump some, then orally inflate it, then dump some as part of a pre-dive check. This is a good test to see if anything sticks in the open or closed positions. Also, if diving a drysuit, put air into that and dump some, prior to diving.