Do not ever say you are a rescue diver

[boulderjohn]

Enter the water with a full BC is best practice? Maybe that is being taught when you take scuba lessons, but it has way too many potential drawbacks, to do this in most situations.

I sometimes go in with air in the BCD. I sometimes go in with no air in the BCD. It depends upon the situation. Sometimes one choice is best. Sometimes the other is best. It would be a mistake to make blanket statements that one is always better than the other.

 

[doctormike]

Sudden pressure increase is tough on the overpressure valve, and on the bladder.

Have been diving for decades, OC and CCR, never seen that happen. If your bladder and valves are so marginal that they can't withstand a splash, they need service. And of course, you don't need to have the bladder inflated to the maximum capacity, just enough to float you on the surface.

But I guess if the concern was increased wear on those parts, I'm fine with that tradeoff for a safer entry.

Can take a while to deflate if immediate descent is needed.

Again, I pointed out the exception for hot drop or military maneuvers. Other than that, shouldn't take more than a few seconds to dump when you need to. In what other circumstance is that too slow?

Air in bladder, probably good, depending on the dive; but full bladder, no need for this and possibly bad.

I wasn't implying that you should do the actual dive with a full bladder. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. Put air in the BC, splash, and then dump enough to do the dive.

 

[tursiops]

I wasn't implying that you should do the actual dive with a full bladder. Sorry if I didn't make that clear. Put air in the BC, splash, and then dump enough to do the dive.

I did not imagine you meant to do the dive with a full bladder. My objections are to jumping in with a full bladder.

 

[USdiver1]

The first rule of RD is never talk about RD!

Think I heard that in a Brad Pitt film.

 

[doctormike]

I did not imagine you meant to do the dive with a full bladder. My objections are to jumping in with a full bladder.

Aha! Got it. I think that we are basically in agreement, although I don't really think that a full bladder is that much of a problem, have been doing that for years. In fact, if you get a spike in bladder pressure, that's what the overpressure valve is for! But I see your point.

But I do think that implying that you should always splash with an empty bladder is risky, which is what prompted my original comment.

 

[tursiops]

But I do think that implying that you should always splash with an empty bladder is risky, which is what prompted my original comment.

Agreed. If nothing else, a few puffs of air into the BCD/wing checks that the LPI hose is connected and working. Empty is rarely necessary, the last thing I would ever want to do is suck my bladder dry...

 

[RobPNW]

During buddy checks, I test inflate my bladder about 2/3 full and then test deflate briefly and leave it about 1/3 full before jumping in. No risk of sinking and not a lot to bleed out before descending. Works for me.

 

[Nemrod]

I have no over powering need for a BC. Nor to announce to one and all all of my Merit Badges.

And, going backwards in this thread, taking on a buddy is a serious contract between persons. It is not like, you are my buddy until or if you get in trouble and then you are on your own. This not to say one needs to kill or injure themselves to help out a buddy but regardless, a buddy, insta-buddy or not, there is a responsibility there. Pretty sure that was part of Basic SCUBA training as well. There is always a Solo Cert.

Saying that, I have had a couple of insta-buddies bust the contract by entering a wreck after agreeing that we would not and then disappearing in a cloud of silt and rust. I did not follow them in .

 

[drrich2]

I never inflate my BC wing before entry and in fact I suck it flat.

At some past point, I've read of someone getting badly sick from breathing off a BCD, presumably due to microbes in the bladder. People vary widely in what measures they use to clean those. I don't know how much of a real world risk this is. When I want mine empty (e.g.: for a back roll with negative entry), I stand beside my rig, hit the inflator button to release pressure, and mash the sides of the wing.

I'd be curious as to whether deliberately sucking air out of a BCD bladder into your lungs is a substantial risk, or no big deal?

 

[brsnow]

is a rescue diver like those with the fire department or a person with the rescue cert card? Trying to get clarity. Thank you