Dacor Seachute BC

[Nemrod]

The Dacor Seachute was an interesting BC and some of its features may be lost on the "new generation" of divers. When true BC's started becoming popular vs safety vests, one version of BC was a "pillow" BC that was strapped on the front of the diver but did not have the horse collar shape, buoyancy was directed to the stomach/chest area (see a 1976 Seatec catalog). This model was somewhat popular with cave divers prior to the wing. Anyway, Dacor comes out with this Seachute BC, it was made up of 2 bladders within a "common" external cover. The upper bladder inflated around the neck like a safety vest and the lower bladder was the "Buoyancy Compensator", much like the pillow BC.

I know there must be some old timers that actually have dived with this bc and can give a dive report on how they operated. The link is from ebay, I AM NOT THE SELLER, but it really gives some good pictures of the unit.

Vintage Dacor Seachute Horse Collar 40 lb Buoyancy Compensator Vest Model BC4 | eBay

I purchased one of these in the day when they first came out. I worked at a dive shop at the time and got it at a discount, good thing because I was poor and come to think about it, I think I still am . It was then and remains to this day my favorite BC. The upper section was inflated for emergency via a CO2 cartridge or for additional surface floatation using an oral inflator tube. The lower section was used for buoyancy compensation and there was a generous zipper pocket as well. I used a power inflator inserted between the elbow and the corrugated tube. The Sea Chute was excellent and as long as I was not over weighted and was not using heavy high pressure cylinders (which did not really exist in the say) the tendency to roll was minimal. Certainly if I was to affix myself rigidly in the water a tendency to roll would be noted but a diver is not rigidly fixed in the water but is a dynamic system in motion all the time. I think of it now much like the current crop of mini-wings that have about 18 pounds of lift, I think the Sea Chute was about 12 pounds of lift from the lower section. In use, weighted correctly, steel 72 or aluminum 80, it was superb and no type of BC I have used since held me so perfectly horizontal in the water with so little effort. And unlike today's wings, especially the small 18-24 pounds lift wings, it would float my head well above the water on the surface with the upper chamber inflated with no tendency to face plant me. Some time in the 2 oughts it fell apart and it was given a proper burial at sea. RIP dual bladder Sea Chute, you were my favorite squeeze ever.

There, I have made a post for the year to remain active. See y'all again in another year. Be safe, be well,
James, Nemrod