Caveat: More often than not, I don't touch it until after I surface. I have very little extra air in my BC and often it's none. I learned how to dive without a BC by being perfectly weighted and believe the BCD's most important benefit is to keep me afloat while I await the boat! Those surface swims were literally "killers" in the old days. Snorkels were kinda important back then.That's the last I'll probably touch my BCD until I ascend.