Question on weighting for no BC diving

[aquacat8]

Ah, double hose, that explains it. Do you find the venting behind the head better for photography?

 

[herman]

Several of my DH regs have a LP inflator port if I want to use a bladder but I still prefer not the have one. The amount of drag from even a small wing (mine is 15 LB) is hard to believe until you remove it. I use one when on boats, mainly because the OP requires them but also as a float if I need to hang out at the surface waiting on the boat.
I prefer the venting behind the head for several reasons, it's quieter and fish seem to be less bothered by the exhaust than from a single hose making them easier to shoot up close.

 

[aquacat8]

What you say makes me want to try a double house sometime…One thing I hate about single hose Scuba regulators is that the bubbles tend to get into my hood… I have begun cutting dime size holes on the top back of the head of the hood so the bubbles can get out! Note this is sometimes, but not always, from an occasional nose exhalation. But it can happen if I blow bubbles out my mouth just swimming in a hood.

 

[johndiver999]

Why not just do the dive with zero air in the BC? If that doesn't work, adjust your weight and try again. When you get it where you want, then remove the BC from the pack (on the next dive)?

 

[aquacat8]

That is a good idea @johndiver999, it might be good for starters, however what I really want to experience is what @herman decribed about less drag. If his 15lb wing creates, as he said, an unbelievable amount of drag, then I’m thinking my old 29 pound cold water wing, with its big corrugated hose and chunky air2, is going to feel pretty good to take off on a shallow shore dive where every bit of excess weight, bulk or drag interferes with my were-fish pleasures. I’m pretty sure it traps air, and weighs something itself, so leaving it on is not great for fine tuning the weight either. I don’t intend to bring an octo probably either.

This all started for me when I saw The Silent World and watched Cousteau and his buddies swimming freely, then climbing back aboard and dropping their simple rigs to the deck carelessly as they headed off to a French dinner. I thought, hey wait a minute, you mean it can be THAT simple? Heck yeah I want to try it!

 

[johndiver999]

It should not trap air and will not affect buoyancy if empty. Just keep it as aback up until you are confident you don't need it.

 

[aquacat8]

Ok, this is just shallow warm water play: I doubt I would want to go no BC in anything thicker than three mil—When I was diving seven mil in coldwater I would really BUMP that inflator when I got to the bottom! I doubt my lung capacity could match that!

 

[aquacat8]

To really avoid excess buoyancy shift I believe this is the proper exposure protection for backpack diving?

 

[herman]

I'm staying on the boat!

 

[captain]

Mask, fins, tank, backpack and regulator. Oh, and swimsuit.

You can do it with twin Navy aluminum 90's too.