Need tips on gear removal at depth for OW

[meekal]

Thank you so much to all of you who chimed in here with tips for me. I now have some clear ideas in my mind .

don't forget the wisdom from "SparticleBrane" - breathing is one of those MAKE or BREAK parts of the exercise. after everything is 'unclipped' and you're ready to swing the BC around, make sure you EXHALE FULLY (no, don't hold your breath, just EXHALE FULLY) so that you'll be maximum sinkable (is that even a word?) - and keep the BC close - super close - i mean REAL CLOSE - to your body to minimize the amount "CENTER OF GRAVITY" shift that will occur. once the BC is in front of you (and on your knee, or being 'hugged' to keep it close to your CENTER OF GRAVITY" - take a few normal breaths. when you're ready to put it back on, just reverse the procedure, making sure you EXHALE fully, keep it close, etc etc etc....

REMEMBER - this maneuver is not a race.... do it slow and deliberately.... breath normally while unclipping everything - exhale fully as you're about to swing the BC around - get it where you want it to be, take a few normal breaths.....

 

[RS]

I like Allison Finch's post. It connects the skill to reality. I have a Knighthawk (WI) and am already starting to think of moving to a BP/W, or at least back to the weight belt. It's a little un-nerving to think of having to remove and compensate for 36 lbs of bouyancy control when something is going wrong.

 

[TomP]

Ditto AWAP.... Overhead is the way to go. works just as well on land too.

Edit to add:

It works equally well with
Jacket style BC
Backplate and wing
Backpack and horse collar

I'll also add my vote to weight belt over integrated

 

[deepblueme]

Anyone here ever been hit in the head by someone doing the "overhead" method?

 

[Prostar]

Hanging on by your teeth, priceless. For everything else, Scubaboard.

Air goes in, air goes out, the world is good. Now just slow down a bit and use some of those nice techniques others have posted here.

The self teaching moment you experienced is one of the best you can have. Now you know what to watch out for and some things you can do.

Now, go forth and blow bubbles!

 

[TomP]

Anyone here ever been hit in the head by someone doing the "overhead" method?

Doubt it. Its a very efficient, elegant, and controlled manuever.

 

[Nemrod]

Loose the jacket and wear a weight belt. N

 

[Hoosier]

Yet another reason to get a bp/w.

Wrong. BP/W isn't magic...

If you don't wear a weight belt, you have to go through the same hassle.

 

[halocline]

Yep, if you're talking about a SS plate, maybe with a few pounds in pockets, it's not that different from a weight-integrated BC in terms of the buoyancy when removing it.

It is simpler to get your arms in and out of a harness than most jacket-style BCs, although removing a hog harness at depth can be a real PITA for some people, myself included. But, the BP/W crowd, also myself included, will happily interpret almost any diving scenario as "yet another reason to get a BP/W"

 

[Captndan]

i had the same problem the first time i tried that skill in ow. like meekal and sparticlebrane said, its all breathing. i was concentrating on what i was doing and not on shallow breathing. guaranteed when you were doing it you had lungs full of air. focus on shallow breaths and minimal air in your lungs when you dont have your weights on.