BC full or not - Split from overweight

[Soggy]

I taught my students to enter the water with deflated BCs. They were always able to signal OK to the DM after entry. They were always able to easily stay afloat if desired.

I agree, Walter. I can jump in the water with full double 130s, two deco bottles, and a scooter and a deflated BC and still easily stay afloat initially to indicate that I'm ok, if necessary.

 

[Missdirected]

Wow, there are so many ways to get ticked as stupid.

If there is no environmental or safety reasons to descend immediately, I like and will always jump in BC inflated. I like waiting for my buddies, I like checking my regs in water before I submerge, and I hate my ears screaming when my full steel tanks take me for a ride after a plunge with no air in either BC or drysuit. Often I am also very hot in drysuit after gearing up, and if current/chop or other divers do not prevent, I like to use a minute or two to cool off or calm my breathing before heading down.
I hate to start a dive in hassle and hurry – like it’s embarrassing to stay on surface like a noobie. Slow and nice does it for me. I try to choose my charters accordingly.

I can think of a couple of dives off the top of my head that I'm not going in with BCD inflated :no Nothing to do with feeling like a newb but everything to do with the conditions of the water. That said, once I am in I will still give the salute to the DM on board to signal I am okay.

 

[The Kraken]

Many divers elect to inflate their B/C's when doing a boat diver to allow them to descend more slowly because they have more difficulty in equalizing than other divers.

It can be a health and safety issue.

But, anyway . . . . :focus:

the K

 

[Walter]

Sorry Dennis, but if they have to inflate their BC to stop from descending too quickly, they are overweighted.

 

[Simeon]

I can think of a couple of dives off the top of my head that I'm not going in with BCD inflated :no Nothing to do with feeling like a newb but everything to do with the conditions of the water. That said, once I am in I will still give the salute to the DM on board to signal I am okay.

If you read my post I said there are exceptions. One has to take conditions into account, and if you aren't comfortable, stay on the boat. I certainly will not float with double steel 130s in fresh water in my drysuit. I will plummet like a rock and my ears will be shot, so I will take that into account when I choose.

What comes to this lady, if she was first time in steel tank and had wetsuit... It's possible it was very freaky experience especially if she was of small stature. Steel tank could have, for example, tended to pull her on her back which is very disconcerting for a lot of people. It could have started/worsened when they dropped some of her weight, presumably from he waist??

 

[The Kraken]

Sorry Dennis, but if they have to inflate their BC to stop from descending too quickly, they are overweighted.

If properly weighted at the end of the dive in order to hold a safety stop, properly, would the diver not be "overweighted" at the beginning of the dive?

the K

 

[Soggy]

If properly weighted at the end of the dive in order to hold a safety stop, properly, would the diver not be "overweighted" at the beginning of the dive?

the K

I would expect any person of reasonable fitness to be able to swim a few lbs of gas. An Al80 has a 6 lb buoyancy swing. 6 lbs should not cause you to uncontrollably plummet to the bottom, nor should 10 lbs. Plus, it's not like you are sucking air out of your BC before jumping in...there's normally some residual gas in there and in a drysuit before jumping in. As I said, I don't inflate my BC before jumping in and don't plummet to the bottom with double 130s, 2 deco bottles, and a scooter.

 

[The Kraken]

I have no doubt, Soggy, all divers are not equal in experience, skill and problem solving.

Forgive me if I sound crass or callous with respect to this grievous incident, but it is solely the responsibility of the diver to control the aspects of his/her dive . . . from the concept, to the planning, to the dive and to the pos-dive procedures.

If there are elements involved in this incident that lend fault to others than the victim, I'm sure they will be addressed in due course.

the K

 

[mania]

Walter
But with the so-called tech stuff you are always overweighted. I mean doubles, stages, maybe a scooter....

So then what should I do while jumping off the boat with full gear? This whole bunch of heavy things would take me down faster that I can think.
Soggy maybe you are not overweighted but I'm - no question about it. I'm not such a big woman and this whole bunch of things weights more or less the same I do


Mania

 

[Soggy]

Soggy maybe you are not overweighted but I'm - no question about it. I'm not such a big woman and this whole bunch of things weights more or less the same I do

Sure, I am overweighted. You have to be when diving big doubles. That doesn't mean you plummet to the bottom when you enter. There's a lot of gas trapped all over the place (drysuit, wing, random places) and I usually have to initiate my descent consciously. Obviously, if I know that I'm going to be hanging out on the surface for any length of time, I inflate my wing. But, in any sort of rough sea, the surface is by far the most dangerous place to be.