Diving Safely Without A BC

[gypsyjim]

I looked. It is titled the "PADI Standard Safe Diving Practices Statement of Understanding." In rev 5/09, v. 2.0, paragraph 3 lists required equipment:

• Bc with power inflator
  
• SPG
• Alternate air source
• Dive computer or tables.

Of those 4, in '70 all that was available was that last item, a dive table. Most of us survived. Many of us did stupid, unsafe things before we knew any better, but diving without a BC was not typically a problem because we learned without any such aid.

My very first experience with a BC was a near disaster, since I had absolutely no training on that new fangled contraption.

I still know vintage fans who safely dive the simple "Sea Hunt" style in warmer waters, double hose, single tank on a back plate, no buoyancy,
SPG's certainly made monitoring your gas more simple, but we dived without for quite some time, learning to predict our consumption pretty acvurately. We did have a J valve on our 1st stage, to add a bit of safety edge, in case we misjudged our consumption.

 

[REVAN]

Oh, I should mention that you should be okay with the skill of ditching some weight in emergencies (really a skill all divers should be good with).

Also, if the water is rough and/or I feel there is any chance I may have to spend some extended time on the surface (and especially if I have very little weight to ditch in the first place), I like to have my snorkel with me. A normal snorkel, I'd carry in a pocket to keep it out of the way during the dive. Presently, I like to use one of these inexpensive DIY loop snorkels because it doesn't get in the way or flop around while I'm scuba diving and I can have it in place ready to go at any time.

Note - You may need to rewind this to start at the beginning. It's starting at 4:30 for me, but I can't find a reason for it.

 

[REVAN]

Has anyone given this a try yet?

If anyone is inclined to try some minimalist diving using a simple harness/backplate, it would be great to hear from you on this thread regarding your no-BC diving experiences.

 

[rx7diver]

Gallery of California Backpack Divers : 1999-2001

I *really* enjoy this page. Eric (ZKY) has linked it several times. I've pulled it up maybe a dozen times, and studied the pics each time. There are so many equipment configurations—even with this simple equipment! Snorkels, no snorkels. Shoulder release on left, shoulder release on right, no shoulder release. Standard length (36"?) hose, reeaaallllyyyyy long hose. Etc., etc., etc. These minimalist divers seem to be having so much fun with their different simple gear configurations.

The only thing missing is a video showing how this type of diver actually moves underwater. And there is a perfect video which someone (MaxBottomtime?) has linked before (and which I cannot find at the moment) that shows exactly how effortlessly and purposefully this type of diver can move underwater when hunting/harvesting. I will edit this post with the video link when I find it—if someone else doesn't link it first.

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[undrwater]

I've been wanting to try for a while (I have a plastic backpack), but it's not something I'd be comfortable doing without some mentorship. @REVAN , I saw your snorkel design several years ago, and I was just thinking about it the last couple of days, thanks for reposting it.

There are a couple of people locally who have dived this way, I'll have to look them up.

 

[REVAN]

Here is one of my videos shot last winter using my new custom kit that doesn't use a BC. I locate a pod of dolphins about 1:30 into the video and swam with them for several minutes. Unfortunately, my pressure gauge popped out of my waist strap. It's not a big deal, but could have been a little cleaner looking for the video. Aside from that minor detail, this is the most streamlined scuba kit I've ever seen.

 

[pinshootr]

Thought you were diving a BP/wing anyways ??? So why all the questions about a BCD ???

 

[Storker]

A wing is still a Buoyancy Control Device. It's not a jacket BCD, though.

 

[AfterDark]

My 2cents on this is, I was certified without a BCD before the autoinflator and did many dives without a BCD. After the first time using a BCD horse collar style; I never wanted to dive without a BCD again. Maybe twice since I first used that horse collar have I dived sans BCD and those were short shallow dives. The SPG and BCD are the two best things to happen to diving. The modern dry suits and undergarments followed by the PDC are three and four followed by the BP/W style BCD IMO.

 

[REVAN]

My 2 cents is that the BC is a good idea that was unfortunately implemented in about the worst possible way. The modern BC leaves a lot to be desired to the point where many recreational dives can actually be conducted better without them.

@AfterDark , if you are diving in cold water with a wetsuit, your position makes sense. For me, I live in the desert. I mostly dive warm water and I need to travel to dive. The weight and space savings with the luggage situation when using a simple harness instead of a BC are huge plusses. Then there are the benefits in water of better mobility as well. There can be many reasons to go no-BC, just as there can be many reasons to use one in other diving situations.