First BC in 1968?

[Luis H]

The question should really be, "Can you think of any buoyancy device before October 1968?"

It is the date of the Saf-T-Ballast that makes it a candidate as "the first BC device". The fact it has an LP provision does not make that a requirement for all BC devices that came before or after. An LP inflator is not necessary on a BC device, so if another BC device predates the Saf-T-Ballast that does not have an LP connector, it would still be an older "BC device" than the Saf-T-Ballast.

I regularly dive a horsecollar that has no provision for an LP hose. It's no problem adding air orally while underwater. Hence, my statement that an LP inflator is not a requirement to be called a "BC device".

Would the Fenzy from 1961 count?

It didn't appear in the US until a bit later, but it was around Europe since 1961.
I think the Nemrod followed also in the 60's.

 

[Akimbo]

The question should really be, "Can you think of any buoyancy device before October 1968?"….

Sure. The first buoyancy device was probably surplus inflatable Mae Wests intended for surface use only (no over-pressure valve). It was OK to pull the CO2 cartridge at depth because the fixed gas volume at the surface was a little less than the max volume of the vest. There just wasn’t a good way to vent the vest on ascent to control rate and there wouldn’t be much lift at greater depths.

The first emergency floatation device that could be inflated at depth was the Bouée Fenzy in 1961 in France. It had enough gas to fully inflate quite deep, an overpressure valve, and a manual vent at the top so you could dump air to reduce ascent rate. The earliest ad I have noticed was in Skin Diver Magazine July 1968, page 57. Nemrod and SeaTec came later.



duckbill: My comment/assertions were based on the opening post.

... This is the first device on the market I can recall that was intended as a Buoyancy Compensator rather than an emergency floatation device that could be inflated at depth like the Bouée Fenzy….

…Can anyone think of an earlier BC, home-brew or on the market?

I am sure many of us discovered the advantage of using an emergency floatation vest (Bouée Fenzy) as a BC, but it was never (to my knowledge) sold for that purpose. Most divers were loath to use the limited supply from the small inflation bottle as a BC since you might need it in an emergency and couldn’t tell how much air was left. You could orally inflate the vest (Fenzy et-al) for buoyancy compensation, but that required more effort so most of the divers I knew (including me) rarely did.

As far as I can determine, the Saf-T-Ballast was also the first product that used gas from the first stage instead of a separate bottle on the vest… unless anyone can recall a product that predates 1968.

According to The History of Buoyancy Compensators, Scubapro introduced the Power Inflator in 1971. I can’t remember if these are the power inflators we added to Bouée Fenzys in the early-mid 1970s or some clone. I “thought” we got them off early O’Neil drysuits, but could be (am probably) wrong.

 

[Thalassamania]

I can still remember trying to seal my frozen lips, late in a dive, around the inflator tube of a Mae West, rather frustrating.

 

[Akimbo]

I can still remember trying to seal my frozen lips, late in a dive, around the inflator tube of a Mae West, rather frustrating.

I just stopped wearing them entirely after my first year of diving until the Navy made me use them again. Dropping my belt made me more drown-proof in a ¼” wetsuit that that ill-conceived piece of crap.

I remember getting major ridicule from my second class diving school instructors when they saw my Fenzy, which was a very generous gift. They got real quiet when I told them the French Navy had been using them for years and I showed them what it could do. Besides weight, it was so obvious how superior it was in every respect to a cartridge vest that nobody could deny it.

 

[Scared Silly]

A hard shell BCD from ScubaPro - not sure about the date.

Vintage Scubapro 1960's James Bond Movie BC Backpack | eBay

 

[Akimbo]

A hard shell BCD from ScubaPro - not sure about the date.Vintage Scubapro 1960's James Bond Movie BC Backpack | eBay

They used all Voit gear on Thunderball as part of a marketing deal. That cowling and BC was an At-Pac wanna-be and wasn’t introduced by Scubapro until 1975 or 76. The At-Pac was introduced in 1972.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

A hard shell BCD from ScubaPro - not sure about the date.

Vintage Scubapro 1960's James Bond Movie BC Backpack | eBay

This wasn't a hard-shell BC either; it was a soft back-mounted BC with a cowling over it.

SeaRat

 

[eoth]

Sorry for reviving such a old post. Cant speak on any earlier BC but I can say that this did actually exist. I have a pair of orange tanks labled "SafTballast" in my basement.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I see from re-reading this thread that I promised to post photos of the White Stage BC that I have, but did not do it. Well, here are those photos.

SeaRat

 

[Rich Keller]

So far it looks like the earliest BCs were all back plate/wing type designs.