Horse Collar BC's

[digordie]

Hello,
I would like to know if anyone can give me advice about using a horse collar type bouyancy device with a drysuit? I have read through the archived postings but did not find a direct answer to my questions. I do have a regular jacket style bc but I think that a hore collar would provide the redundant bouyancy that I need--for emergency purposes only. The drysuit should provide adequate bouyancy on its own unless I have problems, correct? Most of the old postings state that people used them back in the seventies--I have photos of my dad in the early 60s using them! However, they still sell them--why? Is it a good idea to use this with my drysuit? searching on the net I have found that many military divers use them--does that mean they think they are tough/safe devices to be used under adverse conditions? Should I stick with my jacket bc? I was thinking of replacing it--it is over 15 years old now....

Thanks.

 

[lucid]

Forget the Horse collar. Be a real man and just use clorox bottles.

 

[digordie]

very helpful....

 

[rmediver2002]

The reason the military used (and in some cases still uses) the horse collar BC is that for commercial diving operations one of the OSHA requirements for SCUBA equipment is the ability to float an unconscious diver in the face up position, difficult to do when the buoyant effect is placed anywhere other than the divers front / chest area.

Another function for the most part abandoned with newer styles of BC retained in the horse collars are the use of compressed air or CO2 cartridges as an alternate means of inflation.

As far as using it with your dry suit, you could but whether or not it would provide a benefit to you is another subject all together.

The horse collar would provide a redundant buoyancy system for you, but you may find it easier to avoid using the dry-suit as your primary buoyancy method as the air shifts around much more depending on your orientation…

Hope this is some help to you,

Jeff Lane

 

[digordie]

Being able to float on the surface in the face-up position would seem to be an advantageous thing.

The horse collars I have seen lately--here in the UK--are made by AP Valves www.apvalves.com that have inflation via the BC inflate hose.

True about using the drysuit as primary inflation. I try to keep as neutrally bouyant as possible with proper weighting anyway.

I also like to keep as streamlined as possible. Having trained (and done the majoriy of my diving) in the Caribbean and Florida I am just getting used to the "tekkieness" of UK diving. They present the image of being deadly serious about their "kit"--another subject.

Anyway, I am not keen on having loads of stuff all over in addition to being stuck inside a drysuit. Mind you, I have not dove in it yet--waiting for the ice to thaw. I was just thinking that the horse collar would decrease my drag etc. I guess that is why some people use wings. But most of the people I have seen using wings have loads of other stuff clipped all over them--seemingly negating the drag reduction benefits of using a wing in the first place.

Thanks for the reply.

Grant

 

[Northeastwrecks]

digordie once bubbled...
Hello,
I would like to know if anyone can give me advice about using a horse collar type bouyancy device with a drysuit? I have read through the archived postings but did not find a direct answer to my questions. I do have a regular jacket style bc but I think that a hore collar would provide the redundant bouyancy that I need--for emergency purposes only. The drysuit should provide adequate bouyancy on its own unless I have problems, correct? Most of the old postings state that people used them back in the seventies--I have photos of my dad in the early 60s using them! However, they still sell them--why? Is it a good idea to use this with my drysuit? searching on the net I have found that many military divers use them--does that mean they think they are tough/safe devices to be used under adverse conditions? Should I stick with my jacket bc? I was thinking of replacing it--it is over 15 years old now....

Thanks.

I'm actually hoping that this is a troll in the spirit of the "ExtremeTech" stuff a couple of weeks ago.

Are you planning to use your dry suit as the primary means of controlling buoyancy? That seems to go against most of what I've read and everything I've been taught or experienced while using a dry suit.

I saw a horse collar for sale on DiversDiscount.com. It was cheap, but I have no idea how functional it is.

I'll wait and see whether this is a troll before going further.

 

[digordie]

No, absolutely not. I hope I have not given that impression--I know that putting any air in your drysuit can be potentially dangerous. I just wanted to get peoples' opinions on using horse collars with drysuits.

 

[usil]

Whats wrong with diving with just your drysuit???

 

[Scubaroo]

usil once bubbled...
Whats wrong with diving with just your drysuit???

What happens if you have a drysuit flood? Do you carry any redundant buoyancy? How are you going to swim a suit full of water with no lift back to the surface?

 

[usil]

noit talking seriously rigged tech divers, what do the majority of divers do with wet suits on ?? I don't see many dual bladder BC out there. + can't you swim your rig with no bouyancy??