PLBs Can Save Your Life

[Dan]

I’m wondering about the practicality of some of these back inflate BCDs, besides not having enough waist pockets to store things, also for being able to stay afloat in upright position without finning. I get the impression that as soon as you stop finning, the back inflation configuration would force you to face down. The back inflation BCD seems to be good for keeping yourself horizontal while underwater, but not ideal for keeping yourself vertical at the surface.

I took Rescue Diver course last week with a buddy with back inflate BCD. I saw him constantly finning at the surface and pushing his back to stay upright & afloat while I was just chilling out vertically in upright position with my jacket BCD without moving my fins, just bobbing vertically like a cork.

It may be fine to keep finning at the surface for a few minutes while waiting for the dingy / boat to pick you up. However, if you are lost at sea, floating & finning at the surface for hours, that would be very exhausting.

 

[RB7]

I have the Mares back inflate BCD (Pure SLS) and after lots of experimenting i realized that not filing the BCD to the max helps avoid the tilt forward behavior of the BCD on the surface. Also adding a few pounds in the back trim pocket helps. It still isnt as upright as a regular jacket bcd but is more comfortable as you dont have to keep finning.

I’m wondering about the practicality of some of these back inflate BCDs, besides not having enough waist pockets to store things, also for being able to stay afloat in upright position without finning. I get the impression that as soon as you stop finning, the back inflation configuration would force you to face down. The back inflation BCD seems to be good for keeping yourself horizontal while underwater, but not ideal for keeping yourself vertical at the surface.

I took Rescue Diver course last week with a buddy with back inflate BCD. I saw him constantly finning at the surface and pushing his back to stay upright & afloat while I just chilled out vertically in upright position with my jacket BCD without moving my fins.

It may be fine to keep finning at the surface for a few minutes while waiting for the dingy / boat to pick you up. However, if you are lost at sea, floating & finning at the surface for hours, that would be exhausting.

 

[CT-Rich]

Back inflate BCDs are most comfortable on the surface when only partially inflated. Divers new to them tend to over inflate them, which causes them to roll forward and face down. If you are completely unconscious, you may well end up face down in the water on the surface.

If I were to be stuck alone in open water and awaiting rescue, I would likely ditch weight and adjust trim my BCD to minimize the effort to keep my face out of the water. I am diving with eight a Drysuit or a 5mm wetsuit and a steel 120. With no weights, avoiding rolling face down will require little to kno effort.

Others with more knowledge, or that have spent more time playing around with this may have more precise in put. Generally speaking, if you are unconscious on the surface in open water, you are screwed unless you have a buddy looking after you. Your BCD is not a life vest.

 

[tursiops]

I’m wondering about the practicality of some of these back inflate BCDs, besides not having enough waist pockets to store things, also for being able to stay afloat in upright position without finning. I get the impression that as soon as you stop finning, the back inflation configuration would force you to face down. The back inflation BCD seems to be good for keeping yourself horizontal while underwater, but not ideal for keeping yourself vertical at the surface.

I took Rescue Diver course last week with a buddy with back inflate BCD. I saw him constantly finning at the surface and pushing his back to stay upright & afloat while I was just chilling out vertically in upright position with my jacket BCD without moving my fins, just bobbing vertically like a cork.

It may be fine to keep finning at the surface for a few minutes while waiting for the dingy / boat to pick you up. However, if you are lost at sea, floating & finning at the surface for hours, that would be very exhausting.

I have the Mares back inflate BCD (Pure SLS) and after lots of experimenting i realized that not filing the BCD to the max helps avoid the tilt forward behavior of the BCD on the surface. Also adding a few pounds in the back trim pocket helps. It still isnt as upright as a regular jacket bcd but is more comfortable as you dont have to keep finning.

A BCD -- of any style -- is NOT a life preserver, and is not designed to float you face-up.
Yes, a jacket is more comfortable at the surface, but back-inflate can be managed. the trick is inflate it just enough, and then lie back onto it.
Some folks use their SMB as a front-flotation device; lay it flat and hang their arms over it. Stick it upright when you see/hear a boat or plane.

 

[Dan]

A BCD -- of any style -- is NOT a life preserver, and is not designed to float you face-up.
Yes, a jacket is more comfortable at the surface, but back-inflate can be managed. the trick is inflate it just enough, and then lie back onto it.
Some folks use their SMB as a front-flotation device; lay it flat and hang their arms over it. Stick it upright when you see/hear a boat or plane.

Thanks for the tip on using SMB as a front-flotation device. That's another reason I ditched my open bottom DSMB and start using the oral-inflated, closed-bottom DSMB.

To insure my jacket BCD would make me to float face-up when I'm unconscious, I position the tank straps to as high as possible so the tank would sit low relative to my back and also I have 4 pound weights in the BCD back trim weight pouches. This set up works well with my 1mm all the way to 7mm wetsuits. In addition to the 4 pounds of trim weight in the back pouches, I put 6, 8, 10 and 12 pounds of weights in my weight integrated pouches (total weights of 10, 12, 14 and 16 pounds, respectively) when I wear 1, 3, 5, and 7 mm wetsuits, respectively.

I still have no plan of diving with drysuit. I can dive to high 50's Fahrenheit with 7mm wetsuit. I think that's as low of temperature as I would like to dive. Cold water diving add additional risks like IPE, regulator free flowing, etc., that outweigh the reward.

 

[CuzzA]

I've mentioned this before here, I carry a 4' and 8' SMB. When awaiting a long pickup, I use the 4' like a pool noodle and hang my arms over it while the 8' is used to signal the boat. Works great.

If you're unconscious on the surface without a buddy, you've got big problems regardless of the style of BC you use. Waves will surely be hitting your airways and there's no guarantee a jacket would keep your face out of the water. Life jackets have the bulk of the flotation in the front around the chest for a reason. To maximize the chance an unconscious victim will float on their back preventing their head from rolling forward.

 

[MrBigfins]

Thanks for the tip on using SMB as a front-flotation device. That's another reason I ditched my open bottom DSMB and start using the oral-inflated, closed-bottom DSMB.

To insure my jacket BCD would make me to float face-up when I'm unconscious, I position the tank straps to as high as possible so the tank would sit low relative to my back and also I have 4 pound weights in the BCD back trim weight pouches. This set up works well with my 1mm all the way to 7mm wetsuits. In addition to the 4 pounds of trim weight in the back pouches, I put 6, 8, 10 and 12 pounds of weights in my weight integrated pouches (total weights of 10, 12, 14 and 16 pounds, respectively) when I wear 1, 3, 5, and 7 mm wetsuits, respectively.

I still have no plan of diving with drysuit. I can dive to high 50's Fahrenheit with 7mm wetsuit. I think that's as low of temperature as I would like to dive. Cold water diving add additional risks like IPE, regulator free flowing, etc., that outweigh the reward.

I dont dive dry either, but living in swpa I have no choice but to regularly dive cold water.
While there are other factors to consider when diving cold, they aren't as drastic as you may think. As far as free flow, by the correct gear and it's not an issue. I have a legend supreme and have not had issues, I also have an Atomic on my pony that I have used at it at 70' in 42ish water without issue. 39f is as low as I've gone, surface interval is worse than the dive.
IPE can happen warm water, cold water, diving or swimming, even wading. The rewards can be crystal clear freshwater that dont involve a plane ride.

 

[outofofficebrb]

@Dan_T I saw someone diving with shorts they just pulled on over their wetsuit for the cargo pockets that were on it. They had them full with safety equipment. It was quite streamlined considering.

I’m wondering about the practicality of some of these back inflate BCDs, besides not having enough waist pockets to store things, also for being able to stay afloat in upright position without finning. I get the impression that as soon as you stop finning, the back inflation configuration would force you to face down. The back inflation BCD seems to be good for keeping yourself horizontal while underwater, but not ideal for keeping yourself vertical at the surface.

I took Rescue Diver course last week with a buddy with back inflate BCD. I saw him constantly finning at the surface and pushing his back to stay upright & afloat while I was just chilling out vertically in upright position with my jacket BCD without moving my fins, just bobbing vertically like a cork.

It may be fine to keep finning at the surface for a few minutes while waiting for the dingy / boat to pick you up. However, if you are lost at sea, floating & finning at the surface for hours, that would be very exhausting.

I dived with a jacket BC for about 30 dives before I got a back inflate. Granted, they were various rentals, and I didn't actually own one. However, I don't miss the pockets - in fact, I like not having the bulk around my chest and arms. I've been diving with a back inflate for the past 250 dives or so and I've not had any problems staying afloat in the upright position without finning, both at the surface and underwater. As @CT-Rich mentioned, this problem at the surface happens when people are used to jacket BCs where you can inflate it full, so people don't tend to pay attention to just how full or empty it is and go for it. Using that same method won't work for a back inflate. For a back inflate, you inflate enough to be upright or out of the water. I've never had a problem at all. I can relax and not kick. We were diving in the Similans recently and there, they do live drops and live pickups and don't use dinghies for liveaboards. That means we were bobbing in the water and waiting for a long time.

In the water column, same thing, I can be upright no problem, or I can be trim. In both situations, where you have your weight might make a difference. I dive with some thick boots and 5mm even in tropical waters though with use it is probably closer to 3 or 4mm now. I need 3kg so I pop one at the tank and the other 2 in my integrated weight pockets. It works well with my Ladyhawk this way.

There are some back inflate BCs on the market that come with pockets just like jacket BCs if you are ever interested in trying them.

 

[MaxE]

I can confirm that the new ACR PLB 400 will fit in the custom divers PLB canister. It also does have a hole on the lid to secure a bolt snap through. The webbing on my BPW will slide through the slot and hold it vertically and there are two pieces of webbing on one side of the holster so it can also be held horizontally. I ordered it Wednesday and it arrived today,

 

[outofofficebrb]

I can confirm that the new ACR PLB 400 will fit in the custom divers PLB canister. It also does have a hole on the lid to secure a bolt snap through. The webbing on my BPW will slide through the slot and hold it vertically and there are two pieces of webbing on one side of the holster so it can also be held horizontally. I ordered it Wednesday and it arrived today,

When is your next dive with it? I would love feedback on integrity and how it all "fits" and feels with your gear as you dive. Thanks!