emergency canisters...anybody heard of this?

[jsado]

So, I was showing my gear to my brother in law who was PADI certified through the police dept 20 years ago. He was really confused by my equipment. He wanted to know where my emergency canisters were. I guess, there used to be cords you pulled in an emergency situation, that blasted air into your BC and you rocketed to the surface. Is anyone familiar with this? Does anyone still use this? He also couldn't believe that when we ascend nowadays, we just kick our fins - not inflate the BC.

Have things changed this much or is he losin it. He's considering getting back into scuba. I recommended a refresher course.

 

[Rainer]

To ascend, I neither inflate my BC, nor do I kick. But that's just me. Rocketing to the surface is about the last thing I'd want to do on a dive...

 

[Gudge]

Many BC's used to be fitted with small CO2 cylinders that could be used to inflate the BC in an emergency by pulling on a cord. They were very common when oral inflation was the normal method of BC inflation. As power inflators became more and more common the CO2 cylinders gradually dissappeared. The last time I bought a BC with one of these fitted was 1984. I bought the same model BC for my wife two years later in 1986 and it did not have one fitted.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I might kick up a little and Deflate to go up.

Emergency canisters was that like a co2 cartridge that inflated a life vest maybe? Sorry I'm probably too new. Maybe an old timer...Opps I meaned more seasoned member will answer.

 

[daniel f aleman]

Gudge has it exactly right - the quick inflate CO2 cylinders were standard equipment <1985, especially on horse collar BCs.

 

[captain]

Many of the earlier BC's had CO2 inflators that could be used to inflate the BC. Because of the small size of the CO2 cylinder it was mostly only good for inflation on the surface or at 30 feet or less. Some had dual cylinders for inflation at deeper depths. Such inflators are still in use by the Navy on some of the BC's they use. This was not or is not the normal method used to add bouyancy to the BC it was only for emergency use in the event you could not inflate it any other way. I have a Scuba Pro stablizing jacket and a Seatec horse collar BC that have CO2 inflators.
The Seatec BC I am wearing in my avator picture has CO2 inflation.

 

[mstevens]

The SeaQuest BC I bought in 1980 had a CO2 cartridge with a pull cord. Even back then it was commonly understood that actually using that feature would be dangerous and unnecessary. It was totally mysterious why they made them that way.

I did once yank mine at the swimming pool - I jumped off the high board and it inflated before I hit the water. Blowing the cartridge on purpose was the best way to prevent its ever happening accidentally at depth.

 

[captndale]

The purpose of the CO2 inflator was never to make a quick trip to the surface. That has always been recognized as dangerous. The CO2 inflator was used to provide quick buoyancy at the surface in an emergency before power inflators became commonplace.

 

[ianw2]

In the early '70's, I wore a Mae West vest. Many of them were fitted with a CO₂ cartridge. I remember that it was primarily for use at the surface in emergency conditions. I don't ever remember firing one off, except in class.

Ian

 

[captain]

The SeaQuest BC I bought in 1980 had a CO2 cartridge with a pull cord. Even back then it was commonly understood that actually using that feature would be dangerous and unnecessary. It was totally mysterious why they made them that way.


The CO2 inflator was a hold over from before the BC was invented and all divers wore was a surface flotation vest similar to todays snorkle vest. Many of the divers in the early 1950's used military surplus aviators inflatable life jackets before the flotation vest was available from the diving equipment manufactures. The BC as it is generally know today did not appear until the early 1970's