Question on weighting for no BC diving

[Eric Sedletzky]

I like the definition of trim as neat and smart in appearance; in good order. No where in there does it say flat all the time, that part is a construct of some agency. To get from point A to point B, a straight line may be a 45 degree angle with a corkscrew turn around a large boulder to the objective behind it, I believe proper trim would be at the 45, with a yaw to face the boulder on the way around correcting to the objective on the other side. I've watched seals do it and that's what they do for a living.



They swim, and they are damn good at it. I try to learn as much as I can from them, but I'm not as good a student as I should be.


Bob

As do airplanes, do they stay flat?
They bank and roll, their fuselage always aimed and lined up with the direction of travel. Seals and sea lions do this, porpoises do this, birds do this, freedivers do this, and fast stealthy back pack divers do this.
I once witnessed a woman on a Southern California dive boat back pack dive for the first time at the Channel Islands. She automatically assumed the sea mammal philosophy on her very first dive. This was automatic, nobody told her to dive this way. She was blown away with how free and liberated she felt. This was a Sea Divers charter so there were a boatload of backpack divers there to give her on the spot advice and mentoring with weighting and such.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I think that video clip of JYC pretty much sums up the minimalistic elegance of no BC diving. Gliding around, legs out straight, nice full standard fin kicks with body pointed towards direction of travel, unencumbered slipstream moving through the water effortlessly with minimal gear, only tanks strapped on the back, nothing more nothing less. That was the standard.
It worked beautifully then and no reason it cant work just as well now.

Currently, all the rage is elevator diving. They even have levers labelled as such!
Corruption of time and technology.
Skydivers underwater who god forbid never get out of “trim”.
Flat all the time.
Do sea mammals stay flat all the time or do they swim?

Just to set this straight, this video clip was out of Cousteau's film, The Silent World. For more of this kind of diving, see this whole film on YouTube.

But the diver pictured was Frederick Dumas, not JYC. JYC and Andre Leban were behind the camera, shooting the movies using Cousteau's own design of 35mm underwater camera housing (with its own Aqualung, by the way so that it was never subjected to High underwater pressures). To get a really great idea of just how free the early Scuba divers were to move around, watch Dumas waltz with Ulysses the grouper at 1:15 in the film.

This film was what got me into diving as a teenager of about twelve years old. I am now 72, and still diving. It took me a couple of years of berry and bean picking to save enough money to get my first Scuba.

SeaRat

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Just to set this straight, this video clip was out of Cousteau's film, The Silent World. For more of this kind of diving, see this whole film on YouTube.

But the diver pictured was Frederick Dumas, not JYC. JYC and Andre Leban were behind the camera, shooting the movies using Cousteau's own design of 35mm underwater camera housing (with its own Aqualung, by the way so that it was never subjected to High underwater pressures). To get a really great idea of just how free the early Scuba divers were to move around, watch Dumas waltz with Ulysses the grouper at 1:15 in the film.

This film was what got me into diving as a teenager of about twelve years old. I am now 72, and still diving. It took me a couple of years of berry and bean picking to save enough money to get my first Scuba.

SeaRat

I stand corrected, (my pleasure actually).
I can say then with my newfound knowledge that Dumas was a hell of a graceful diver!

 

[captain]

Just to set this straight, this video clip was out of Cousteau's film, The Silent World. For more of this kind of diving, see this whole film on YouTube.

But the diver pictured was Frederick Dumas, not JYC. JYC and Andre Leban were behind the camera, shooting the movies using Cousteau's own design of 35mm underwater camera housing (with its own Aqualung, by the way so that it was never subjected to High underwater pressures). To get a really great idea of just how free the early Scuba divers were to move around, watch Dumas waltz with Ulysses the grouper at 1:15 in the film.

This film was what got me into diving as a teenager of about twelve years old. I am now 72, and still diving. It took me a couple of years of berry and bean picking to save enough money to get my first Scuba.

SeaRat

John, I started at 13 but I am 74. It was the articles about Cousteau in National Geographic that got me started. I still have my first printing of The Silent World

 

[aquacat8]

I wish I could go back in time and dive then, when it was all a brand new adventure, and the Stag Horn and Elk Horn reefs ran pristine along Florida shores, and the ocean’s abundance seemed like it would last forever…

 

[aquacat8]

America was cool then too, people actually liked Americans. Also we had the most beautiful cars, amazing outer space exploration, a growing middle class, optimism!

 

[Fish&beer]

Just for fun here is a photo from Dec. 2010, of Eric & I diving Gerstle Cove in Northern Calif. We were diving no BC's even though I had my Navy issued UDT vest on. It was only for surface float if need be. Both of us were using 72's as IMO the best tank to use for shore diving. I believe we each grabbed a rock for for weight as we ended our dive. So as others have said, diving w/ no BC is doable even in thick wetsuits.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Just for fun here is a photo from Dec. 2010, of Eric & I diving Gerstle Cove in Northern Calif. We were diving no BC's even though I had my Navy issued UDT vest on. It was only for surface float if need be. Both of us were using 72's as IMO the best tank to use for shore diving. I believe we each grabbed a rock for for weight as we ended our dive. So as others have said, diving w/ no BC is doable even in thick wetsuits.

View attachment 478677

Wow, real divers!

I especially like the BFK on the weight belt, Mike Nelson style.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

That’s an Aqualung Sea Hawk, 8” blade, from the 60’s.
An (ex) DIR guy gave in to me during the time he was “under the influence” of the kool-aid. During that time he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing one of those “pig stickers”.
I said “OMG!! Cool! Thanks!” When he gave it to me. So now years later he’s a big hunter/gatherer down in Socal and no longer practices DIR, (thanks to me). Great guy!
I still wonder sometimes if the DIR hit men will come after me some day with their little cut off steak knives?..for corrupting one of their followers.

 

[aquacat8]

Just for fun here is a photo from Dec. 2010, of Eric & I diving Gerstle Cove in Northern Calif. We were diving no BC's even though I had my Navy issued UDT vest on. It was only for surface float if need be. Both of us were using 72's as IMO the best tank to use for shore diving. I believe we each grabbed a rock for for weight as we ended our dive. So as others have said, diving w/ no BC is doable even in thick wetsuits.

View attachment 478677

Wow, you guys look great! I love seeing the double hoses and the oval masks too...
I miss the North Coast! So wild and beautiful there!