BCD Issue

[Tank33064]

I'm a new diver and new to this site. I was wondering what on earth I can do to stop my BCD from pushing my face into the water while I'm on the surface? I literally strained my right hamstring on my last dive trying to keep my face out of the water while waiting for the boat to pick me up.

 

[Colliam7]

There are several possibilities. Rather than innundate you with all of them, could you provide a bit of information about the situation: what kind of BCD were you wearing? How much weight were you wearing? What exposure protection were you wearing?

 

[oly5050user]

Sounds like user error. Happens with back inflate bcd and user wears too much weight and overinflated to maintain buoyancy on surface. Do a proper buoyancy check as you were supposed to learn how to do in class. Can also try this: start with empty bcd. Orally inflate to gain enough positive buoyancy to easily stay on surface,lean back. How many breaths does it take ? More than 2 or 3 you are wearing too much lead. I suggest working out buoyancy issues with a mentor or take a peak performance buoyancy class from an instructor that knows what they are doing.

 

[Rapid Star]

It sounds like you are using a back mounted / wing style BC which is what I use so I have a good idea of what you problem might be. Do you have weights in the trim pockets (located on the rear part of the BC)? If not that is most likely your problem. The first time I used a back mounted BC I had the same issue and adding weights to the trim pockets solved that right away. If you already have weights in the trim pockets try looking at how your weight is distributed between the trim pockets and the weight pockets in the front. You may find that redistributing some of the weight will help as well.

Hope that helps you!

 

[Tank33064]

I'm a new diver with 12 dives. I love it and everything is going great with the exception of one thing. Everytime I'm at the surface my BCD keeps pushing my face in the water. I actually strained my right hamstring struggling to keep upright on my last dive. I would love to just be able to relax and float. My BCD is an HD 200.

 

[Rapid Star]

It sounds like you are using a back mounted / wing style BC which is what I use so I have a good idea of what you problem might be. Do you have weights in the trim pockets (located on the rear part of the BC)? If not that is most likely your problem. The first time I used a back mounted BC I had the same issue and adding weights to the trim pockets solved that right away. If you already have weights in the trim pockets try looking at how your weight is distributed between the trim pockets and the weight pockets in the front. You may find that redistributing some of the weight will help as well.

Hope that helps you!

 

[Marie13]

How fully are you inflating your BC? Try just enough to keep you afloat. And lean back. It's not going to keep you bobbing upright like a jacket style.

 

[Beau640]

I had that problem when I first got certified as my first BCD was a back inflate BCD and in my open water class they kept repeating, "fully inflate your BCD at the surface." A back inflating BCD is designed to keep you horizontal. If you fully inflate it, it's going to flip you forward onto your face at the surface. Make sure you are not overweighted. Make sure you have weight in the trim pockets and not all in the integrated weight pockets. Then at the surface make sure you only inflate enough to keep you from sinking. This should not be anywhere near fully inflated.

After you do all of that, throw yourself back so that you are relaxing like an otter. It seems silly but learning to do that resolved my issue. Also remember you are not at the surface very long so it's not usually that big of a deal. If for whatever reason you can't get the proper position you can always put the reg back in your mouth and just relax at the surface face down.
http://www.deepseawaters.com/images/seaotters3.jpg

 

[tmorg]

All of the above is good advise. If you are using intergrated weights maybe try just using an old fashion weight belt on a couple of dives . It solved the exact problem you are having for me and I have not looked back. Good luck

 

[tbone1004]

most common cause of this is being overweighted causing balance issues when you try to stay at the surface. Make sure you are properly weighted, and if you are, then consider moving your weights around. I prefer my weights when on a belt to be as far back as possible to help prevent that. Also instead of trying to stay vertical, "sit" in the BC.
this is obviously in sidemount, but the body position is what matters. You are basically trying to recreate the seating position you would be in an office chair when slightly leaning back