Newb BC question

[Scubabub]

Hello,

I'm new to diving (only 10 dives). The BC I used in my open water course and got certified in was used and not in all that good of shape. The chest and shoulder straps would come loose and it was to be honest a cheap old BC. While it worked, it wasn't comfortable and I was always messing around with it while diving. So I decided to get a nice new BC that I could enjoy for years to come. I went with the Scubapro Seahawk. The Seahawk is comfortable, easy to use and generaly just makes my diving more enjoyable.

However, as you recall I'm a newbie diver and fiddle around with my inflator/deflator a bit more than I should. When I was cleaning my gear after use I turned my BC upside down to see if any water had gotten in the bladder. Water came pouring out of the inflator/deflator. While it wasn't a ton it was more than I expected.

Is this a result of my inexperience more than anything else or is this a common thing that just happens? My old BC used to get water in it also. I thought that it was more the BC than me since it was cheap and old.

Any advice and or tips are appreciated.

 

[ScubaScotty561]

as far as i know its normal. A lot of bcs are made so you can unscrew the inflator and jam a garden hose in there to flush it out. I'm not familiar with the seahawk but if that were me i would rinse the bladder out.

 

[TSandM]

This is normal, and you can get a LOT of water in the BC if you are trying to vent air that isn't there (holding the valve open while no air is escaping allows water to enter the bladder). Rinsing the inside of the bladder should be part of the post-dive cleanup. You can buy adapters that allow you to attach a garden hose to the Schrader valve on your BC, so that you can get the water in the bladder while simultaneously cleaning the salt out of the valve.