Yes, that product is Rubatex G231 and it is still out there. You can get them from Welcome to Wetwear - Custom Wet Suits of Rubatex Neoprene for Scuba Diving and All Water Activities . I just ordered a new one from them.
N
Sea Hunt Buoyancy Control Question
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Yes, that product is Rubatex G231 and it is still out there. You can get them from Welcome to Wetwear - Custom Wet Suits of Rubatex Neoprene for Scuba Diving and All Water Activities . I just ordered a new one from them.
N
My take on BC-less diving is a bit different as I have only been diving for 9 years.
After a couple 100 dives, I decided to pare down my gear to the absolute minimum. I noticed that I never used my BC (except for the occasional surface swim) so I started diving without one. I have never worn a wetsuit (we're talking tropical recreational diving here), so it was easy to select a SS BP which satisfied my weighting requirement - no BC, no wetsuit, no weights or weightbelt.
After several 100 BC-less dives, I can say it is easy to control your buoyancy with your lungs alone if, as others have said, you get your weighting exactly right. I have never had to pick up rocks to get down or stay down. With an AL80, I am slightly overweighted at the start but can arrest my descent with a full breath. At the end of a dive, I am slightly underweighted but can stay down with careful breathing and proper trim.
It's a great way to dive! The feeling of freedom in the water, the lack of resistance and drag, makes for a "natural" experience. The vintage divers had it right - diving is mostly about water skills, not manipulating various bits of equipment.
After a couple 100 dives, I decided to pare down my gear to the absolute minimum. I noticed that I never used my BC (except for the occasional surface swim) so I started diving without one. I have never worn a wetsuit (we're talking tropical recreational diving here), so it was easy to select a SS BP which satisfied my weighting requirement - no BC, no wetsuit, no weights or weightbelt.
After several 100 BC-less dives, I can say it is easy to control your buoyancy with your lungs alone if, as others have said, you get your weighting exactly right. I have never had to pick up rocks to get down or stay down. With an AL80, I am slightly overweighted at the start but can arrest my descent with a full breath. At the end of a dive, I am slightly underweighted but can stay down with careful breathing and proper trim.
It's a great way to dive! The feeling of freedom in the water, the lack of resistance and drag, makes for a "natural" experience. The vintage divers had it right - diving is mostly about water skills, not manipulating various bits of equipment.
Good one Alex.
Gary D.
Gary D.
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Do you dive alone or with other people in that configuration? I have considered it, but I would be very hesitant to dive with other people when I have no BC because I am worried I might need the bouyancy in a rescue situation.
Plus if they died on me, I wonder if there would be fingers pointing at me if I chose not to use a commonly accepted piece of safety equipment. I'm NOT trying to be critical of your choice, just wondering
How many times have you had to actually rescue somebody with your BC?
For a weightless no drag rig try a Luxfer 50 or even the 63. It is like there is nothing there and because your so unencumbered and drag free your air consumption is low, the 50 does just great for a nice long dive in shallower water. A SeaHunt harness or the somewhat updated "travel " version made by Simonbeans to use an aluminum 80 for tropical travel is super minimal and the ultimate in traditional harness. There is no back pack or plate, just a simple harness. While they appear uncomfortable once adjusted they are just the opposite,totally minimal and pure freedom.
I have no weight belt on, I am slightly heavy to begin the dive and slightly light at the end, well within the ability to control with my built in BC, my lungs:
I am diving this vintage SnugPack with steel 72 above:
Traditional harness on Mike Nelson:
Travel harness, can adapt to steel 72, aluminum 63 or 80 etc. :
Packs real light, no BC, no plate, no weight belt needed, nothing, can carry your kit in your pocket almost. All you need add is a regulator and a mask and fin set. No worries for being over carry on weight here.
I bought this book and really love it, this lady has a nice harness but it is not adjusted or run correctly but her triple tank set is to die for. Shorty suits like hers were a common way to dive before there were BCs or often just wore the top like this fellow:
The minimal exposure suits limited bouyancy swing with suit compression and as has been mentioned, suits in the era were denser and did not compress as much. Today Rubatex is still the finest material for a quality suit, denser, heavier and less compression with depth reducing bouyancy swing. Notice his haphazard addition of a single weight--lol--I bet he was doing some adjusting to compensate for the jacket top, very authentic.
Good luck.
N
For a weightless no drag rig try a Luxfer 50 or even the 63. It is like there is nothing there and because your so unencumbered and drag free your air consumption is low, the 50 does just great for a nice long dive in shallower water. A SeaHunt harness or the somewhat updated "travel " version made by Simonbeans to use an aluminum 80 for tropical travel is super minimal and the ultimate in traditional harness. There is no back pack or plate, just a simple harness. While they appear uncomfortable once adjusted they are just the opposite,totally minimal and pure freedom.
I have no weight belt on, I am slightly heavy to begin the dive and slightly light at the end, well within the ability to control with my built in BC, my lungs:
I am diving this vintage SnugPack with steel 72 above:
Traditional harness on Mike Nelson:
Travel harness, can adapt to steel 72, aluminum 63 or 80 etc. :
Packs real light, no BC, no plate, no weight belt needed, nothing, can carry your kit in your pocket almost. All you need add is a regulator and a mask and fin set. No worries for being over carry on weight here.
I bought this book and really love it, this lady has a nice harness but it is not adjusted or run correctly but her triple tank set is to die for. Shorty suits like hers were a common way to dive before there were BCs or often just wore the top like this fellow:
The minimal exposure suits limited bouyancy swing with suit compression and as has been mentioned, suits in the era were denser and did not compress as much. Today Rubatex is still the finest material for a quality suit, denser, heavier and less compression with depth reducing bouyancy swing. Notice his haphazard addition of a single weight--lol--I bet he was doing some adjusting to compensate for the jacket top, very authentic.
Good luck.
N
I dive this configuration both alone and with other divers, but there ARE certainly times when I wear a wing (or BC) for safety reasons. This afternoon, I am taking my neighbour's 12-year-old on a dive. She has done about a dozen. I will definitely put on a wing when diving with her.
Nemrod - LOVE those images! Some day before I die I want to dive a set of triples like that.
I have a Simon Beans harness too and use it on some dives. It's always a great conversation starter on a dive boat .
I do find the tank swings from side to side a bit with this sort of harness. You can see this happening to Mike Nelson himself in some of the videos. Not a great problem, though, for the type of diving I do.
I have a Simon Beans harness too and use it on some dives. It's always a great conversation starter on a dive boat .
I do find the tank swings from side to side a bit with this sort of harness. You can see this happening to Mike Nelson himself in some of the videos. Not a great problem, though, for the type of diving I do.
One can of course dip a toe into this by doing all of the above while still wearing their BC. You won't be entirely streamlined but with the QD unhooked from the inflater to disable the inflater habit you can get your first bladder less dive experiences by dressing light and weighting carefully.
The BC can later be replaced by a harness and something like a horse collar BC can be worn as a contingency item. The horse collar will also let you take your cold water gear into the vintage realm by letting you add some lift when needed.
Pete
The BC can later be replaced by a harness and something like a horse collar BC can be worn as a contingency item. The horse collar will also let you take your cold water gear into the vintage realm by letting you add some lift when needed.
Pete
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Thanks!. I used to know one live aboard dive boat that allowed the crew to dive with just a backpack and lead dives with customers in the Bahamas. It really made me uncomfortable from a liability standpoint.
In my experience most diver assists that I have been involved in have been at the surface and the ability to use the victim's (and my own BC) for bouyancy was always very welcome in those instances. Again I am not trying to argue with your decision.
Those pictures are cool. I think I still have a plastic pack like shown in the picture in the attic. I also had one of the US divers triple 30 aluminum tank set-up in the hard plastic case and sold it. Maybe I should have kept it?
dumpster, you sold a set of triples---arrrrrggggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!
Notice I carry my sauasage these days, with or without a BC.
Spectrum is right, you can certainly practice by pretending you don't have a BC but that is sort of like when we visited some island down there in the Carib to dive and we went to the beach with our pasty white skin, dork shorts and black knee socks and wingtips and darn if you know, we were a bit overdressed, in fact, they didn't have any cloths on at all, imagine that. I told my wife, you know honey, I don't think those people got any cloths on, sorta like diving sans BC, there is no inbetween, go all the way or go home. Be naughty, take it all off, get down to the minimum--dive equipemt I am talking about Spec.
N
Notice I carry my sauasage these days, with or without a BC.
Spectrum is right, you can certainly practice by pretending you don't have a BC but that is sort of like when we visited some island down there in the Carib to dive and we went to the beach with our pasty white skin, dork shorts and black knee socks and wingtips and darn if you know, we were a bit overdressed, in fact, they didn't have any cloths on at all, imagine that. I told my wife, you know honey, I don't think those people got any cloths on, sorta like diving sans BC, there is no inbetween, go all the way or go home. Be naughty, take it all off, get down to the minimum--dive equipemt I am talking about Spec.
N
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