Alex_Garland
Registered
Hi all,
I purchased a SCUBAPRO Seahawk BCD back in February 2015, and it worked great until this week, without any servicing aside from thorough rinsing and drying after each dive trip (about 120 dives altogether).
During a trip to West Palm Beach, FL, this week, I was doing a shallow shore dive off the Blue Heron Bridge and noticed a leak near the inflator hose valve that attaches to the vest. The BCD was not retaining air very well. The following day, I was getting set up on a boat and started fiddling with the valve to see if it could be tightened, and the inflator hose snapped off. The plastic in the screw-on mechanism seemed to have corroded clean through (see attached photo).
Obviously this piece of equipment is well past warranty, but I will call SCUBAPRO to see what can be done to fix it. I will have a cost-benefit decision to make depending on what they say. I was wondering if any of you have had a similar experience with your BCDs? If so, have you found it worthwhile to get them fixed, or do you think it's better to buy a new one in these situations?
Either way, I'll also have to decide whether to start servicing my BCD. There doesn't seem to be a consensus of opinion on this; I know many divers who have gone either way. What are your thoughts?
If I choose to buy a new BCD, what should I do with the old one? Can used up BCDs be recycled?
Many thanks in advance.
I purchased a SCUBAPRO Seahawk BCD back in February 2015, and it worked great until this week, without any servicing aside from thorough rinsing and drying after each dive trip (about 120 dives altogether).
During a trip to West Palm Beach, FL, this week, I was doing a shallow shore dive off the Blue Heron Bridge and noticed a leak near the inflator hose valve that attaches to the vest. The BCD was not retaining air very well. The following day, I was getting set up on a boat and started fiddling with the valve to see if it could be tightened, and the inflator hose snapped off. The plastic in the screw-on mechanism seemed to have corroded clean through (see attached photo).
Obviously this piece of equipment is well past warranty, but I will call SCUBAPRO to see what can be done to fix it. I will have a cost-benefit decision to make depending on what they say. I was wondering if any of you have had a similar experience with your BCDs? If so, have you found it worthwhile to get them fixed, or do you think it's better to buy a new one in these situations?
Either way, I'll also have to decide whether to start servicing my BCD. There doesn't seem to be a consensus of opinion on this; I know many divers who have gone either way. What are your thoughts?
If I choose to buy a new BCD, what should I do with the old one? Can used up BCDs be recycled?
Many thanks in advance.