Readers Poll: Boat is sinking. Don SCUBA or Life Vest?

[Tigerman]

My gear but not the tank. I don't want a long surface swim with that weight and drag. I'm not going to be submerging so there will be plenty of air to breathe. I'd still have my pony if I needed a small bit for some reason (can't think of why).

Missing the weight of the tank from the BCD you'd be having issues with your stability. Your BCD would lift your back and you'll have no weight on it to compensate for it - you'd risk being pushed face forward by the BCD...

 

[Akimbo]

I'm wondering what the logic is behind donning a BC rather than a life jacket. Or donning nothing but exposure protection.

I might consider a poodle-jacket BC, but I use a wing. The idea is you need to be able to doze off and keep your head above water so a wet or drysuit alone won't do the job alone. The added buoyancy is great but not enough. In any case, I would also grab a life jacket in case the BC sprung a leak, to give to another person, or for some of the extra goodies a lot of them have attached.

The best of all worlds would be a survival suit like this:
Mustang SOLAS Immersion Suit

They are standard dress on North Sea Choppers.

 

[AfterDark]

I might consider a poodle-jacket BC, but I use a wing. The idea is you need to be able to doze off and keep your head above water so a wet or drysuit alone won't do the job alone. The added buoyancy is great but not enough. In any case, I would also grab a life jacket in case the BC sprung a leak, to give to another person, or for some of the extra goodies a lot of them have attached.

The best of all worlds would be a survival suit like this:
Mustang SOLAS Immersion Suit

They are standard dress on North Sea Choppers.

Sometime in shallow water try taking your inflated wing with tank installed, turn it over to make it "chest mounted" . I can swim with mine like a spearfishing board. Haven't tried it in rough water but I suspect the regulator would be nice to have in rough water using that configuration.

 

[Akimbo]

Sometime in shallow water try taking your inflated wing with tank installed, turn it over to make it "chest mounted" . I can swim with mine like a spearfishing board.

The real question is would you rather take a cat-nap on your wing or wearing a life jacket?

 

[Tigerman]

The REAL question is, would you rather be in the dry lifeboat...

 

[Akimbo]

The REAL question is, would you rather be in the dry lifeboat...

It's not a question of "or". You should be prepared to end up in the water even if you do evacuate on a lifeboat. When things go bad, they rarely stop at one.

 

[AfterDark]

The real question is would you rather take a cat-nap on your wing or wearing a life jacket?

Both at the same time. In my 1st post I posted the 1st thing I'd is grab a life jacket. I don't normally settle for one mode of anything. I'll take the life raft, the life jacket, the rafting wing and any debris I can lash together. Flotation is the word.

 

[Akimbo]

As long as we are considering scenarios, what if the vessel sinks or catches fire during your dive?

 

[Basking Ridge Diver]

I am looking to reuse the anchor line - assuming the anchor is planted on the bottom - At least the anchor line will hold you in a stationary spot - since I am under water I am hoping the captain got off a Mayday, EPIRB or left the dive plan/site with someone... Beats drifting with the ocean current and you can use the line to secure anything that floats. Otherwise I inflate my BC and wait for some help...

 

[DiverBeth]

The important thing to remember no 2 scenarios will be the same. A few years ago I was on a dive boat that capsized in rough water. Before we knew it everyone was in the water no time to grab anything. We had just tied up to the buoy above the wreck. Our gear went diving without us. Most of us were in drysuits, that everyone had already closed and a few were in 7mm wetsuits. The water temp at the surface was in the low 70s which is pretty good for Lake Michigan. Nobody had time to grab anything before being thrown into the water. We did manage to grab a few things once in the water but most things went to the bottom. However the boat did not and some of us climbed up on the hull. A few stayed in the water holding onto a line or 2 that was attached to the boat. I found my drysuit kept me quite buoyant since it was closed and dry on the inside. Rescue came in about an hour thank you Coast Guard.

I think the bottom line is first grab something that will keep you on the surface. How much time you have before going in the water can be all the difference.