Ruptured my BC today

[cudachaser]

Fortunately I was in the pool when it happened teaching of all things...emergency procedures! Came to the surface and fully inflated my BC...heard the expansion valve go...then pow followed by an inch hole in the lower part of the bladder.

It was an Oceanic Probe with probably a thousand dives on it...been saying for over 3 months that I really should replace the BC since it was really showing it's age but I was really liked the BC...so I kept putting the inevitable off

 

[spectrum]

Well after 100 dives I guess it can be forgiven.

I do need to ask one question though. As part of your daily gear clean-up do you rinse the bladder with fresh water several times and exercise all valves in the draining process? POW and a one inch hole sounds like a valve malfunction and tired fabric.

Sorry to hear of the loss. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, others have lost much more.

Pete

 

[cudachaser]

I do minimal maintenance. Soak the BC in fresh water after ocean dive...With the classes 3 or 4 times a week the valves get ample cycling...never rinse the inside of the BC

 

[Van Isle]

Thousand dives and many (most?) of that in the pool? Sounds like that BC lasted a good, long time. Rest well, tired BC, rest well!

 

[H2Andy]

yeah the Probe is a workhorse

about the name, though ...

my second bc was a Probe and i loved it ... my wife gave me hell over the name

 

[Gen San Chris]

RIP to a well used BCD! Nothing lasts forever and after 1000 dives it sure did its work!

 

[drbill]

You mean BCDs aren't supposed to have those rips and tears? Oh, my! I think my Scubapro X-Tek harness and Trav-Tek wings have lasted about 2,000 dives so far... but I keep a spare in my dive locker for the day they fall apart.

 

[scubafanatic]

....sounds like your the kind of dive that needs to be keeping a can of 'fix-a-flat' in your save-a-dive-kit!

 

[cudachaser]

Think I'm to replace it with the Oceanic "Cruz"....Less bells & whistles then the "Probe". The Probe has 6 pockets. the Cruz only 2....but I can never remember where I stuffed my stuff...2 pockets simplify things alot.