Diving Safely Without A BC

[AfterDark]

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.

No disagreement with any of this. Cold water is my element. I'll will add that the one time I traveled by air to dive (pre-911) I took my BC packed in a hard case with my mask, fins, snorkel and regulator hoses. The 1st and 2nd stages and console were carry on. It wasn't a big deal...then. These days I don't think it's worth the hassle to even fly. Last time I flew was 2003, no dive gear, never again. If I can't drive there, then I'm not going.

Diving without a BCD is a skill worth learning and honing if, you have the conditions to dive that way. If that's what fits your needs then enjoy, there is nothing unsafe about it. Carrying some kind of inflatable device for surface use if needed in an emergency is a good practice. Something I do in addition to a BC.

 

[undrwater]

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.

Can you provide more detail why you feel this way?

 

[AfterDark]

Can you provide more detail why you feel this way?

I don't like crowds, waiting or rude pushy people in uniforms.

 

[undrwater]

I don't like crowds, waiting or rude pushy people in uniforms.

I meant why you preferred having the BCD to not having it. I'm guessing a big part is the cold water.

 

[Bob DBF]

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

All were available, however whether or not you had them was another story.

• Horsecollar BC power inflators were available, the classic Stab jacket was in '71.
• SPG available in the late '50's. 2 or more times the price of a reg set.
• Regs had enough ports by '70 but the alternate was not a common practice.

The fact they were available does not mean they were used commonly. Most training assumed you did not have these conveniences available. Also a more common school of thought was that these, as well as the J-valve, were a gear solutions to skills problems.

My interest in a BC started when I started wearing a lot of thermal protection, I think it was a Seatec with an inflator in the late '60's. I didn't use a safe second until after I finally got a c-card in '80. Sometime inbetween I picked up an SPG when I was doing more deco dives. If I was diving warm water with an old 72, dropping the wetsuit, BC, SPG, and alternate would be old home week.

I need to add one important note, diving without an SPG make sure your J-valve is working and set properly. Back in the day, your unbalanced first and second would warn you when the tank was low, balanced regs will not.


Bob

 

[AfterDark]

I meant why you preferred having the BCD to not having it. I'm guessing a big part is the cold water.

Yeah I'm sorry wrong answer. I guess I answered that in my edit of the post you quoted. I added to it while you were quoting it. It is the cold water related gear. Even in the summer I'm using a 7MM farmer style suit which means 14MM around my torso and hips. A BCD really makes diving in this gear much easier. The 1st 5-10years I started diving I was using a short UDT vest with a oral inflator only. It was a PITA to use underwater but it was really helpful on deep dives where without it I would need to bring enough weight to start the dive, doff some at depth and then recover it at the end of the dive to conduct a controlled ascent. No small feat in 10' or less vis.

I do think even in warm water I'd op for some kind of BCD, I never did dislike those old horse collars and for warm water diving where minimal gear is an option one of those would suit me fine. I like positive buoyancy and being able to control it.

 

[charlier]

Gallery of California Backpack Divers : 1999-2001

Sweet photographs. Your photographs provide fond memories.as a grad student in the mid-1980s diving in lovely southern California.

 

[george_austin]

Not an issue as I too learned to dive in a 1/4 inch wetsuit with gloves, boots and hood but you had your weighting dialed in to be about 4 lbs heavy with a full steel 72 so theoretically you'd be about 2 lbs positive to neutral ( give or take ) with 500 psi left in the cylinder. And yes, all we had were aviator vests but that was for emergency surface floatation. Point being- you need to comfortably swim to boat or beach on the surface with 500 psi left - WEIGHTING WEIGHTING WEIGHTING - don't teach it nowadays cuz you got the crutch
I still dive often without a BC and yes, you do swim more and not hover excessively- it is what it is.
My sweet spot is about 35 fsw at the beginning of a dive. At 100 fsw, I'm about 4 lbs heavy but that certainly isn't unmanageable. If I'm swimming around at 100fsw, I can tell the moment I hit 1150 psi in that tank - seems to be a 2 or 3 pound shift to positive buoyancy - like clockwork. I'm still talking about being in full 1/4 inch rubber -
In the summer months in Southern California, I'm in a 2 mil or trunks and t shirt and I maybe go to 4 lbs on the belt with the steel 72.
It's not a safety issue unless you think so in your particular case but I would recommend you start with baby steps if you are thinking of it- pool, shallow dives - and then if you think you can do it with total comfort, join us doing some deeper stuff. There really is nothing like diving a "deep" wreck in California with crystal clear water at 74F in swim trunks, a T shirt, mask, fins and (snorkel) and a plastic pack or a flat plate and a double hose reg.
You're just swimming around like a fish.

Caveat Emptor - we've been diving like this for over 40 years - so your mileage may vary
Above all, don't do it if you're not totally comfortable.

 

[gchilcott]

I dove for years with a neoprene drysuit, backplate and no BC. You need a little gas in the suit, but it's easy to manipulate, making level trim a trivial skill. I ran with a crowd that all dove this way, didn't use an octopus, clipped the SPG right at the plate on the waist belt. Depth gauge, timer, compass and knife were worn on a single console that was fitted to the left forearm. Most of us had some trim weights permanently mounted to the backplate, and weight belt with some of it ditchable. It made for a sleek rig that was still really easy for diving in cold water. We dove a fair amount in fast current, and were able to do much better without the drag of a nylon suit, jacket BC, hoses, etc.

Things to think about:
- must be able to swim up with failed drysuit from least buoyant condition (max depth with full tank)
- don't use too heavy of a tank (we usually used single AL80's and LP72's)
- right amount of ditchable weight
- dive teammates that are competent and comfortable with buddy breathing from a single regulator
- custom close-fitting suit helps with air management
- not a good configuration for doing entire ascent without breaking from level trim

This works better with a neoprene drysuit and having the minimum amount of lead is important. A drysuit has a lot less neoprene than a john/jacket wetsuit (reducing buoyancy change with depth), and has enough inherent shape that a big volume of air can't accumulate anywhere even if diver is oriented vertically.

A small (e.g. 25 lb) wing might be a worthwhile thing to add, but with a rig like this it would rarely have much gas in it.

I'm diving a DIR style doubles rig now with a nylon drysuit. I understand the advantages, but I don't think the old way is crazy with the right teammates, proper weighting and an appropriate dive plan for the gear configuration.

 

[REVAN]

I used to dive similarly with a Tri-lam drysuit in Seattle. A drysuit and no BC actually works quite well. If I had to do it over, I wouldn't use a tri-lam again. They simply have too much drag. There are better options now.