SeaQuest Diva LX Air Deflation

[denisegg]

I purchased a SeaQuest Diva LX about 2 years ago and find that upon descension there are times when the BC does not want to deflate properly. I will wind up being stuck at the surface trying to release the air from different dump valves and sometimes have to kick forceably to descend and then try to deflate the unit. It doesn't happen everytime, but when it does, it can be very frustrating, especially if you are on a boat dive in the ocean and the captain is telling you to descend and you can't. Has anyone else had this problem with this unit? Any suggestions?

 

[SCUBAJENNIFER]

I've had my Diva for almost 5 years and have never had a problem with it. This may be a silly question, but are you in a vertical position?? Do you have a problem with it at depth or just on the surface??

 

[spectrum]

My wife has that BC and starts her descents vertical with the inflator dump and goes prone after she's down a few feet. She has no problem dropping.

If you start prone I'd use the back dump or shoulder pull.

If you are using the inflator hose dump make sure it's high and fully depressed. When rinsing hers I have noticed that it's just a little more technique dependent than my Sherwood.

BTW I have made a few dives with the rig myself.

Pete

 

[DiveMaven]

That definitely doesn't sound normal. Have you taken it to your LDS and had it checked out and possibly serviced?

 

[denisegg]

I took it to the shop where I bought it and the serviceman just told me that it was a little tricky sometimes. He said to use the shoulder dump valve instead of the inflator hose to deflate when descending vertically. He also said that sometimes you needed to tilt to one side for all the air to come out. I started doing this and it worked fine for a few times and then I began to have trouble with it again, sometimes on the surface and sometimes at depth. I think I will contact the manufacturerer and ask them about it. Thanks for your help.

 

[Scububbs]

My wife has the same problem with her Diva, and it's frustrating because it doesn't happen every time. She only uses the inflator hose but she's always vertical. We'll be curious to see if you get any additional info from the manufacturer.

 

[denisegg]

Scububbs,
It is nice to know that I am not crazy and that someone else is having the same problem. They looked at me at the dive shop like I had lost my mind when I told them the problem I was having. Now I can go back to them and tell them that someone else is having the same problem. I know they just thought that I was doing something wrong.

 

[spectrum]

The more I read here the more I begin to understand some of my wifes challenges with this thing. It is a more complex aircell. Just as you read of wing owners needing to pitch and tilt to present air to the dumps the same thing is going on here.

In a jacket there is limited volume out back. As it fills air can begin to build down the sides and it is never far from your body. The DIVA LX wing/jacket aircell can have air volume up the side of the cylinder and when diving prone that will fill first. This combined with a touchy inflator and a very stiff corrougated hose probably makes it real easy to loose track of a few pints of air on occasion.

I doubt that this is a defect in your specific unit but rather a quirk of the concept. My best suggestion short of moving on to somethig else is to really study this thing and visualize where the air goes, where the dumps are and what you body position is. If you can get a buddy to wear it in the pool while you work the thing standing in the shallows you might get a better feel for it.

Pete

 

[CrazyScuba]

Hey Denisegg
Yes, this can be a problem with this BCD. If you look at the back of your BCD while it is hanging up you will notice it is "scalloped" at the top by your neck. The two shoulder dumps are higher then the center of the BCD. When in a vertical decent it allows air to get trapped on one side. To solve this problem make your left shoulder just a little higher as you start to pull straight down on the power inflator, it will dump the air from the shoulders dual exhaust value located at the top of your left shoulder. This should make for an easy start to a decent and a lot less frustration.
Britt :fish:
:fish:

 

[denisegg]

Thank you very much. I will try that the next time I go diving. I was beginning to think I was going to have to sell that BC and buy another kind.