Diving Safely Without A BC

[Steve_C]

If I am at 40 ft looking at something or taking a picture I do not want to be sculling, I do not want to be finning, and I want the same thing to be true at 60 and 80 on the same dive. I see no point in ditching the BCD unless you are in the quarry playing with your kids as one OP said and I forgot to bring it.

 

[2airishuman]

The usual reason that is given is streamlining. There is also somewhat less setup before the dive. Tank backpacks can stay with the tank when it is storage or being filled, unlike a BC that has to be removed.

 

[Steve_C]

Removal of a BCD takes 30 seconds. Setup is a couple minutes. But to each their own.

 

[OldPhotog]

I learned to dive before the invention of the BCD. From a somewhat foggy memory, we planned to be a tad heavy at the beginning of the dive (helped on descent), then positive at the end of the dive (helped on ascent and staying on top). I remember the joy of being weightless, so there must not have been any overwhelming finning to stay either up or down. Still, I never considered learning to "hover" like a helicopter. We were more like an airplane, exploring a brave new world. I still find a BC to be an encumbrance and want to try a BP/W setup before settling on a purchase. But I always felt safe and never in jeopardy.

 

[Storker]

Tank backpacks can stay with the tank when it is storage or being filled, unlike a BC that has to be removed.

Removal of a BCD takes 30 seconds. Setup is a couple minutes. But to each their own.

AFAIK, those of my clubmates who dive twinset don't remove their tanks from their BP/W between dives, so that's not universally true.

 

[cool_hardware52]

I learned to dive before the invention of the BCD. From a somewhat foggy memory, we planned to be a tad heavy at the beginning of the dive (helped on descent), then positive at the end of the dive (helped on ascent and staying on top). I remember the joy of being weightless, so there must not have been any overwhelming finning to stay either up or down. Still, I never considered learning to "hover" like a helicopter. We were more like an airplane, exploring a brave new world. I still find a BC to be an encumbrance and want to try a BP/W setup before settling on a purchase. But I always felt safe and never in jeopardy.

Your experience largely mirrors mine, and I'll guess you were an active free diver before scuba. Every early adopter of scuba I knew came from the ranks of freediving.

Spot on about weighting. I'd would usually shoot for being very slightly positive at the start of the dive, and rely on the compression of our 1/4" 2 piece "beavertail" wetsuits to get me neutral by ~10 feet. The tanks were of modest volume, either repurposed fire bottles or 2250 72's The more wetsuit I used the more positive I wanted to be starting the dive.

My dad was a general contractor that did a lot of work for a large mechanical engineering/ fire protection / contracting firm. These guys had access to the high pressure fittings and compressors one needed to get fills.

I can still remember standing knee deep in Newport bay with rolled up wetsuits and a bunch of lead testing the suits for buoyancy.

I can say that a modern BP&W with a small wing gets pretty close to the old blow molded backpacks in terms of minimum encumbrance.

Tobin

 

[OldPhotog]

Your experience largely mirrors mine, and I'll guess you were an active free diver before scuba. Every early adopter of scuba I knew came from the ranks of freediving.
Spot on about weighting. I'd would usually shoot for being very slightly positive at the start of the dive, and rely on the compression of our 1/4" 2 piece "beavertail" wetsuits to get me neutral by ~10 feet. The tanks were of modest volume, either repurposed fire bottles or 2250 72's The more wetsuit I used the more positive I wanted to be starting the dive.
I can say that a modern BP&W with a small wing gets pretty close to the old blow molded backpacks in terms of minimum encumbrance.
Tobin

Steel 72's. I never had one of those fancy "blow molded backpacks". Mine was a rectangular piece of metal, coated in plastic, hard rubber, some substance. But just a flat plate with a harness.

 

[REVAN]

I started diving after the BC revolution, but for money sake, my first diving (after cert) was done with a back plate and no BC. This was actually a fortunate move, as I had to learn how to weight myself properly. I just got used to keeping track of the pounds each time I changed to a different tank or added, or removed a pony bottle or other piece of equipment.

After a couple years, I eventually got the money together for a good BC setup and dove that for many years, even doing quite of bit of tech. I got tired of all the heavy tech gear and started a process of slimming things down, and found that the less I had, the easier and more enjoyable my dives were getting. I eventually got rid of the BC and started diving just a simple tank and harness like I had in the beginning. I hadn't realized just how good I had it when I couldn't afford the BC. I've been diving without BC now for a little over 10 years now and have little interest in going back. It's the most fun I've had scuba diving, so I hope you can enjoy it the same as I have.

For me, I won't even consider using a BC unless I'm diving over 3mm of neoprene head to toe and double thick over the chest. I've often dove up to a single 120 cubic foot tank no BC; I had no issues with that. Other conditions are generally not a factor. I have better diving ability without the BC, so rough water, strong currents, I'd rather not have the BC as I see it as more of a liability than an asset. As for those who say you'll be crawling on the bottom if you don't have a BC, they are ignorant. I generally display better buoyancy control and ability to hover over the reef than the others who are using BCs. The main reason, I pay more attention to my weighting.

So, when is it safe to dive without a BC? Any time you have taken the effort to accurately plan and account for your weight and buoyancy shifts over the course of your dive. Rules of thumb, not more than 3mm full neoprene and a single tank non-decompression dive are easy to get the accounting right and conduct safely. More neoprene is possible, but takes a bit more attention to depth profiles.

My advice is to start easy and work your way into it. Do some test dives to establish a baseline, and then track the weights as your suit, tanks and gear changes. With a little practice, you'll develop a library of info to take the guesswork out of your planning. I shoot for being neutral at 15 feet with shallow breathing when the tank has 500 psi. That will allow me to do my safety stop without having to do anything to hold myself down. I consider this to be the ideal condition for diving without a BC. At the beginning of the dive, I'll breathe a little higher on the lung to maintain buoyancy. It's easy and comfortable. I don't even think about it anymore. It's automatic for me.

 

[cool_hardware52]

As for those who say you'll be crawling on the bottom if you don't have a BC, they are ignorant. I generally display better buoyancy control and ability to hover over the reef than the others who are using BCs. The main reason, I pay more attention to my weighting.

Bingo. I'm frequently accused of being a weight nazi, but getting it right pays benefits, even when using a BC. Easier buoyancy control, improved safety and comfort at the surface are all possible.

Tobin

 

[REVAN]

Bingo. I'm frequently accused of being a weight nazi, but getting it right pays benefits, even when using a BC. Easier buoyancy control, improved safety and comfort at the surface are all possible.

Right. The easiest buoyancy control happens when you don't use the BC. If your weight is ideal, you won't use it because when your weight is right, it is just right. Eventually, you start to wonder; I haven't used this thing in a long time, is it worth taking it along on every dive when I'm not using it?

You should realize that a BC (as they are made these days) will actually destabilize your buoyancy control. It should be called a BA (buoyancy actuator) because it does not compensate the buoyancy for you. You have to do all the compensation for the instability the actuator creates whenever there is air in the bladder while you are underwater. The more buoyancy you actuate, the more you have to use it to stay on top of the destabilization it injects into the diver system.

This is why I am so much in favor of diving without it. A little attention to my weighting conditions in the planning phase of the dive, and then I don't have to mess with anything during the course of my dive. I spend less time fiddling with gear when underwater and more time spent just enjoying the dive. For me, it makes for a more enjoyable underwater experience.