Diving before BCD's?

[gcbryan]

What was the technique for diving before BCD's? I know the physics involved so I can imagine possible techniques but I'd like to hear from some of your who have done it that way.

I'm guessing it involves correct weighting for max depth, more effort to get down on initial descent, picking up rocks on the bottom for ascent (?), staying shallower in the first place and maybe coming up with more air in tank (less buoyancy change).

Clue me in.

 

[Wayward Son]

I didn't have a wetsuit & didn't need weights. I just went diving.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

A lot of divers in California still go without BCs.
http://diver.net/backpack_divers/

 

[captain]

The BC was originally invented to overcome wet suit compression and loss of bouyancy at depth. If you were diving with a single steel 72 and no wet suit no BC was necessary. Even with a 3 mil wet suit it is possible to dive with no BC relatively easily if properly weighted. With thicker wet suits weighting was based on being fairly neutral at depth. You swam down or pulled yourself down the anchor line until the suit compressed and lost bouyancy. It is not that hard to do but does require more precise weighting. I usually have a different weigh belt for different equiptment configurations. Also the most suit compression and loss of bouancy (50%) occures in the first 34 feet. There is a lesser percent loss of bouyancy the deeper you go. Also there was a time when the safety stop was not part of diving. You went straight to the surface provided you did not exceed the NDL. Any dive that required a decompression stop was planned for so as to be neutral at the stop depth.

 

[Charlie99]

. If you were diving with a single steel 72 and no wet suit no BC was necessary. ..

..Also there was a time when the safety stop was not part of diving. You went straight to the surface provided you did not exceed the NDL.

Also simplifies deco planning if you are finning hard to stay level and are getting chilly. You surface due to cold or low air before deco is a problem. :lol:

 

[Barracuda2]

What was the technique for diving before BCD's? I know the physics involved so I can imagine possible techniques but I'd like to hear from some of your who have done it that way.

I'm guessing it involves correct weighting for max depth, more effort to get down on initial descent, picking up rocks on the bottom for ascent (?), staying shallower in the first place and maybe coming up with more air in tank (less buoyancy change).

Clue me in.

You about hit them all. Through experience, we weighted ourselves according to max depth. If we were underweighted, we grabbed a rock if available, or surfaced and got more weight. If over weighted, crawled (bounced) around on the bottom, or surfaced and dumped some weight. Yes, you fought to get down, and were always positive bouyancy at the end of dive. As was said, no such thing as a safety stop back then, so we just came up after we pulled the J valve (no pressure guage then either)

 

[Jason B]

Cave divers used clorox bottles.

 

[cool_hardware52]

What was the technique for diving before BCD's? I know the physics involved so I can imagine possible techniques but I'd like to hear from some of your who have done it that way.

I'm guessing it involves correct weighting for max depth, more effort to get down on initial descent, picking up rocks on the bottom for ascent (?), staying shallower in the first place and maybe coming up with more air in tank (less buoyancy change).

Clue me in.

When I started diving, ~1969-1970 we used no BC's at all. We selected weight so that we were neutral to slightly positive at the surface at the start of the dive with a full steel 72.

This would leave you slightly positive at the end of the dive for the swim back to the boat. Short exposures, shallow depths, minimal wetsuits, shorties, So Cal in the summer time. Not much neoprene means not much loss of buoyancy due to compression.

Not a lot of hovering. One thing to remember is that almost all Scuba divers in the early days were long time free divers, for many scuba was just sort of an extension of free diving. Free divers don't expect to hover much, always swimming.

When the horse collars became available they were viewed as a safety float for the surface.

Tobin

 

[Cacia]

I dive sometimes with these old schoolers who use the Hawaiian backpacks and they are always finning a bit....a faster style of diving as they are hunting and spearing. I was kind of fascinated watching them because they are without alternates. One of them looked me dead in the eye and shock his snorkel at me and said "this is your most important peice of safety equipment". (the only thing I did not have!)..kind of funny....no wetsuits, nothing, so I guess the snorkel would be important if you had to float out there forever!

 

[SwimJim]

I dive sometimes with these old schoolers who use the Hawaiian backpacks and they are always finning a bit....a faster style of diving as they are hunting and spearing. I was kind of fascinated watching them because they are without alternates. One of them looked me dead in the eye and shock his snorkel at me and said "this is your most important peice of safety equipment". (the only thing I did not have!)..kind of funny....no wetsuits, nothing, so I guess the snorkel would be important if you had to float out there forever!

Finally, a use found for a snorkel, besides snorkeling. When I started, a BC was kind of an after thought. It was used on the surface for floatation more then anything else.

Jim