Taking rescue diver in BP/W

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I believe @DevonDiver described somewhere as to the method for removing a BP/W from a victim without cutting it. IIRC, you basically cradled the victim's head/neck in one hand and with the free hand, slide the shoulder straps over the shoulder, then push the manifold while holding the head/neck. Supposedly, (haven't tried it), the victim will slide right out.

 

[Chris Carleton]

@DevonDiver and @wetb4igetinthewater, thanks! I think you nailed it! We'll give it a try!

 

[Chris Carleton]

I apologize! I had forgotten about this thread for a while now but I suppose I should report back!

Back in May, my wife and I successfully completed our rescue diver course with me wearing my bp&w! It was not that big a deal. We practised in a pool a few times until she could successfully pull me out of my BCD unassisted. Turns out it's not that hard:

1. Undo the waist strap (rescue breath.)
2. Take the crotchstrap off the belt - this is the tricky part that's worth practising! (rescue breath.)
3. Deflate the wing while sliding the BCD down my arms. (rescue breath.)
4. Done!!!

She killed it on the course and since then the staff at our local dive shop have been pressuring her to take the Divemaster course! lol!!!! For bonus points she also demonstrated to our instructor that she had a pair of EMT shears on her that she could use in a real emergency to cut me out of my harness very quickly!

Long story made short: Yes!! You absolutely can do your Rescue Diver course in a backplate and wing config!!!

Closing thoughts for folks who also want to do it with a technical long-hose configuration:
I also did the course using a long-hose configuration. Take this as a piece of advice if you plan on doing this yourself! Admittedly, this is not nearly as big of a challenge as having your buddy pull you out of your harness! But I did run into some trouble with it because PADI requires you to wear a snorkel on courses. (I know, right?)

The rescue course did include an exercise that required me to donate a regulator to an out-of-air diver. On a long-hose setup this is obviously your primary. In donating it, the hose caught my snorkel and pulled the mask off my face!! FML... I found my self blind, with no regulator in my mouth, and with a bunch of water up my nose!

Luckily, I kept my cool and didn't panic. I caught my mask before it got lost, I found my backup regulator around my neck and resumed breathing, and I put my mask back on and cleared it before completing the exercise. Not a big deal, but a lot of excess stress for what should have been a routine out-of-air drill. Just remember to mind that snorkel when you take the course!!!!

 

[Aqua-Andy]

This topic comes up all the time. But I don’t think I have ever seen the topic “I’m taking a rescue diver course with a ScubaPro classic BCD and it does not have quick releases”.

 

[gustavo_albuquerque]

I will be taking the Rescue Diver course at the end of this month. Speaking with the instructor, I also felt a bit pressured to take the course with a jacket BCD instead of a BP/W. I asked the reason, and he told me that gearing up with a BCD is much faster. And in the course, I will need to be fully equipped, jump into the water from the boat, and be fully submerged in 45 seconds (30 seconds if using integrated weights).

Is this true? Is it really much faster to gear up with a jacket BCD?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I will be taking the Rescue Diver course at the end of this month. Speaking with the instructor, I also felt a bit pressured to take the course with a BCD instead of a BP/W. I asked the reason, and he told me that gearing up with a BCD is much faster. And in the course, I will need to be fully equipped, jump into the water from the boat, and be fully submerged in 45 seconds (30 seconds if using integrated weights).

Is this true? Is it really much faster to gear up with a BCD?

Your instructor likely doesn't understand how to deal with a BP/W.

The good rescue instructors here have you rescue them in their harness as you cut them out of it with a trilobite.

Good instructors show you a variety of equipment configurations, including sidemount.

 

[gustavo_albuquerque]

And how about the time to gear up a BP/W?
Is it much slower to be fully equipped compared to jacket BCD in a stress situation?

 

[rx7diver]

Is it much slower to be fully equipped compared to jacket BCD in a stress situation?

For me, here are the essential differences:

With my Scubapro Classic Stab jacket with AIR 2, I slip my arms into the arm holes, thread and fasten the waist strap, fasten and tighten the chest strap. Then, weight belt, etc.

With my Freedom Plate and Halcyon Wings, I slip my arms into the [soft and somewhat floppy] arm straps, thread the crotch strap (when I wear one!) through the waist strap, thread and tighten the waist strap (which cinches everything down), put the bungee-necklaced backup reg around my neck. Then, weight belt, etc.

The only real difference for me involves the crotch strap, if I wear one (since I could use, and have used, my AIR 2 (instead of a bungee-necklaced backup reg) with my wings. The crotch strap (when I wear one!) adds a couple more seconds at the most.

UPSHOT: No meaningful difference (for me).

rx7diver

 

[Redtwo]

I will be taking the Rescue Diver course at the end of this month. Speaking with the instructor, I also felt a bit pressured to take the course with a jacket BCD instead of a BP/W. I asked the reason, and he told me that gearing up with a BCD is much faster. And in the course, I will need to be fully equipped, jump into the water from the boat, and be fully submerged in 45 seconds (30 seconds if using integrated weights).

Is this true? Is it really much faster to gear up with a jacket BCD?

Its been a couple years since i did my rescue, but i can't recall a timed equipment donning? Especially since getting in the water in gear should not always the first option to go to.

I can see the value of quickly donning your gear if needed, but you should still do your checks. Diving in half geared up or with an empty/closed tank or without inflator attached or whatever is creating a new problem.

So yes fast is good, but putting a seconds counter next to it seems to create more risks than it solves to me.

Do it fast but in your own time i would say. And practise it in ypur own gear, cause thats what you will be wearing. No use to take a different set up just for a timed course event. No learning from that.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

And how about the time to gear up a BP/W?

Who cares? Why would this be important. It takes only slightly longer to deal with the crotch strap, but no big deal.

Is it much slower to be fully equipped compared to jacket BCD in a stress situation?

No. No difference.