Now..how do you take off you BC underwater with the weights inside the pockets? cuz I would just start floating up up and away?
You are quite correct that having all your weight in the integrated pockets can leave you with a floaty you and a sinky BC. In overhead environments (caves, inside wrecks, etc.), this is something you would likely avoid, but in plain old open water situations, it's not necessarily a show-stopper (although I am among those who consider it at least somewhat undesirable).
There's really just one thing to remember:
Don't get separated from your air. 
When you're in a situation like that (you floaty, your gear sinky), you want to do things a little more carefully than someone who is more or less neutral together or apart. For example, when you take off the BC and swing it around in front of you, *never* take both arms out at the same time. Instead, do something like this:
- Undo the straps, clips, velcro, etc. (but not the shoulder straps!).
- Pull your left arm out of the left arm hole.
- Swing the BC (and tank) around your right side. (If you did these two steps backward left vs. right, you'd have your reg hose wrapped around your neck, trying to pull the reg out of your mouth.)
- *Before* you pull your right arm out, put your left arm through the right-side arm hole.
- Pull your right arm out and put it right back through the other arm hole. You're now "hugging" your BC and tank, and you can deal with the original problem.
When you go to put it back on, of course, you do it all backwards. The first thing you do is pull your right arm out and slide it back through the other arm hole (where your left arm is), then pull your left arm out, swing the BC around, and so on.
By *always* having at least one arm through the arm holes on your BC, you make it much more controllable. If you *do* end up "hanging upside-down" from your BC/anchor, there are a few things to remember:
- Don't let go! (Yeah, that one's pretty obvious, eh? :biggrin
- Your fins still work. (I occasionally see students get in this predicament and try to pull themselves back down to their BC. Don't wear yourself out trying to do a pull-up (pull-down?); just start kicking and swim yourself back down.)
- As soon as you're in reach, hook an arm through. (Don't rush to put your BC back on -- it only makes you make more mistakes. Just put an arm through one of the arm holes and hook your elbow on the strap. From there, you can figure out which end is which and get back together.)
Of course, if you're diving weight-integrated, be sure you know how the fasteners work, and be sure to check yourself each dive. On more than one occasion, I've had people tell me they didn't realize they were missing a pocket. With weight-belted people, it's usually quite obvious if the belt is missing; make yourself go through the "is my weight here and correct?" check even with a weight-integrated BC, and you avoid some potential problems.
(I would note that I've found several abandoned weight pockets on the bottom in my dives, but never have I found an abandoned weight belt. I would also note that I have recovered several just-lost weight belts from the bottom, but I have never been sent down for a just-lost weight pocket. Think about those two sides of the coin for a while. :biggrin
! In fact my instructor kept flooding his mask laughing at me (I'm so glad I could be of entertainment value to someone
. That was sooooooo embarassing:small:. To this day, I use a weight belt when I assist with classes, where there may even be just a hint I might have to demonstrate that skill. I have seen some with weight integrated BC's keep the BC VERY close to them & their center of gravity& do OK with it.
