My tank nearly slid off my BCD yesterday. What would you do?

[DaaBoss]

I am sure you didn't mean the way it reads

"I have an idea. YOU test it and let me know if it safe before I try it".

Well, yeah.... I did mean it, since I'm just now looking for my own equipment,
.... and so, I don't have a way to test it myself..... and I don't yet know

for sure that it works!

 

[RJP]

This situation happens to [-]everyone[/-] some people eventually.

Fixed it for you.

I'm closing in on 1,000 dives. Never happened to me. So you're suggesting that I will eventually forget how to do something I learned on the first day of OW class (properly attach tank) and have done correctly on every single dive since?

 

[mizzie]

Pretty much the same thing happened to me during my OW checkout dives. I had a BCD that had been in storage for a while (recently serviced) and, although I did wet the straps before putting it on the tank and I cinched them as tight as I could, the straps were a bit stiff and the tank slid down. Fortunately, we were on our way up anyway and my instructor fixed it on the surface.

Have used it a few times since with no issues.

 

[flots am]

I believe the practice started years ago when older style valves had a tendency to jam when fully open, and turning at back 1/4 turn prevented it from jamming. Not a problem with today's valves.

Valves that need service will sometimes jam open of you leave them all the way open when diving. I consider this a feature, not a defect. It's a "valve service required indicator" just like the idiot light on a car dashboard.

I always leave the valves fully open on rental tanks as a public service. If it sticks open, I drain it completely, take off my reg and tell them it needs valve service and an inspection.

This saves the next person from getting a bad tank valve.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

I am in the remove bcd and replace the tank properly school. Tanks get loose when not properly mounted, or mounted without saturating the tank band. A check on the security of each diver's tank should be part of a pre-dive buddy check, and every dive should start with a pre-dive buddy check. The loose tank problem is much more common than it should be. Often a tank is mounted too low to begin with, and than can cause it to dislodge with minimal movement Have at least 3 inches of straight tank side above the tank. ( more if you are tall enough to do so and not have the valve hit you in the back of the head).

 

[drbill]

I use a soft harness (old X-Tek) with dual tank bands... solves the problem.