I’m never using a BC again!

[Rick Brant]

A lot of my dives are debris removal at 15' or less. I need a tank as most entanglements take several minutes to clear. I'm definitely starting to lean towards no or minimal BCD as I am trying to keep my total rig weight down. I've already made 63cf my standard tank and I would go smaller if my shop rented anything smaller. I may have to try an Al plate with a weight belt and see how that works.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I might have to try doing sidemount no-BCD. I might want to remove a 1-2 lbs from my setup, but I could do a few dives with an empty BCD.

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A safety checklist or recommendations for anyone who wanted to follow in your foot-steps finning might be interesting. It's probably a simple checklist for anyone moderately experienced (50+ dives).

• Neutral Buoyancy - Ensure your buoyancy is neutral enough, you can easily and safely fin to the surface. Alternatively, if slightly negative, be able to drop a few weights to be slightly positive.
• Carry redundant flotation - Such as a lift bag or DSMB. This could be used to aid in surfacing in a pinch, but is mostly intended for surface flotation (such as cramps, or ending up a distance from your intended exit)
• Practice - Ensure the first few times are done in a safe environment, until you get the hang of how it's supposed to work. (you can also practice by wearing a BCD, but never inflating it at all during a dive).
• Experience - Probably not recommended for people who just completed their open-water training or doesn't dive regularly.

I intentionally labeled these as recommendations and not rules, since I'm sure highly experienced divers might have reasons to dive differently, or the dive-site may require more or fewer precautions.

Becoming proficient in freediving/skindiving really helps too. The body posture and finning technique would be about the same as freediving. Trying to do the sky diver thing wouldn’t work well with no bc unless you were right at the perfect depth. But if you want to hang around like a skydiver then just wear a wing. That’s not what no bc diving is about, it’s more about agility and covering a lot of ground with your body straight in an ultimate slipstream position, or in my case just less is more kind if thinking, and it works. Weighting is critical.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

 

[The Chairman]

I get yelled at when I dive without a bladder. It's happened twice now, and once after an instructor teaching a class, praised me for my trim and hovering. If you're weighted correctly, you can easily deal with having no bladder. If you need to float on the surface for any length of time, a bladder is your friend. Shore diving usually does not require you to float.

 

[tarponchik]

Well maybe you should join us for one of our dives and you can show me the proper way to do it.
The next one is 10/29 (tentatively) and I expect you to be there. OK
See you there!
Cheers

Thanks, but I am on the right coast and have to plans to travel to the left one I got my share of surf beating in Hawaii.

 

[The Chairman]

Thanks, but I am on the right coast and have to plans to travel to the left one I got my share of surf beating in Hawaii.

It's even rougher here in North Florida. No urchins, but we gots gators in our Springs.

 

[James79]

A lot of my dives are debris removal at 15' or less. I need a tank as most entanglements take several minutes to clear. I'm definitely starting to lean towards no or minimal BCD as I am trying to keep my total rig weight down. I've already made 63cf my standard tank and I would go smaller if my shop rented anything smaller. I may have to try an Al plate with a weight belt and see how that works.

If you find the old 1800 psi steel 53s they are the same size as an LP72, but weigh much less.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I get yelled at when I dive without a bladder. It's happened twice now, and once after an instructor teaching a class, praised me for my trim and hovering. If you're weighted correctly, you can easily deal with having no bladder. If you need to float on the surface for any length of time, a bladder is your friend. Shore diving usually does not require you to float.

Yeah they tend to get their panties all up in a wad over things like back pack diving with no bc’s.
Unless you’re in California, diving off one of the Southern California charter boats then they don’t give a damn and you can do whatever you want.
Kind if ironic really, in a place that’s warm and it would work better they don’t allow it, but in California where 7mil is the norm they could care less???

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

If you find the old 1800 psi steel 53s they are the same size as an LP72, but weigh much less.

Is that the one I sent you?

 

[Rick Brant]

If you find the old 1800 psi steel 53s they are the same size as an LP72, but weigh much less.

Thanks but I am pretty sold on rental tanks. I'm on Kaua'i and it is so easy to just grab a tank and go. I dive almost every day so dealing with fills is too painful.