Trying to Decide on First BCD

[Eric Sedletzky]

That is an interesting perspective. As mentioned above, there are OP springs at the top of the BC as well on some BC's. So your advice is worthless if not dangerous in some situations.

Have you experienced a complete failure of the OP spring in deep water? I have.. It is a big F'n deal and could easily kill someone, especially someone new who does not have a good working knowledge of how this sort of failure can occur and can therefore quickly formulate a Plan B.

This issue strikes home for me - I was involved in a potential fatality a while ago with my friend. We were diving in 135 feet on a deep ledge in a screaming current. He was diving a big HP 120 steel which is very negative. He had no wetsuit on. He was doing the first dive with a kinda old BC I just sold him that worked PERFECTLY when I sold it a week or two before. He reached a depth of around 110 with me and the whole BC failed at the top, the plastic fitting where the inflator connects, completely failed. The BC held no air and he was quite negative, had zero ditchable lead and did not notify me. He took off for the surface swimming up a lot of negative weight. I did not see it and suddenly he was just gone - so I continued my dive without him.

He was a very strong and fit man. He did not think to use an SMB or come to me, since I could have (and would have) used the excess lift in my BC to get him to the surface. When he finally arrived on the surface he was exhausted and had a tough time staying there (he was in trouble) and had used a ton of air in the tank for the ascent. The boat picked him up quickly and put him on oxygen and he was fine, but got a good lesson.

When I describe a potential catastrophic failure (to a new diver) and have personally seen people die scuba diving and have also seen my friend almost die (from a failed BC I sold him), it gets me riled up to read that I am being "melodramatic". Not everyone dives in a thick wetsuit in 30 feet of water and within (underwater) walking distance of the shoreline.

I still feel guilty that I did not more carefully check the integrity of that fitting, but I had used it a week before the sale/failure and it performed perfectly (until it tore out/crumbled). I have since seen literally a dozen or more BC's fail in this exact manner.

So just replace the springs every once in a while if you’re worried about it.
No reason to throw away a BC that still works just because the springs might go bad.

 

[BoltSnap]

That is an interesting perspective. As mentioned above, there are OP springs at the top of the BC as well on some BC's. So your advice is worthless if not dangerous in some situations.

Have you experienced a complete failure of the OP spring in deep water? I have.. It is a big F'n deal and could easily kill someone, especially someone new who does not have a good working knowledge of how this sort of failure can occur and can therefore quickly formulate a Plan B.

This issue strikes home for me - I was involved in a potential fatality a while ago with my friend. We were diving in 135 feet on a deep ledge in a screaming current. He was diving a big HP 120 steel which is very negative. He had no wetsuit on. He was doing the first dive with a kinda old BC I just sold him that worked PERFECTLY when I sold it a week or two before. He reached a depth of around 110 with me and the whole BC failed at the top, the plastic fitting where the inflator connects, completely failed. The BC held no air and he was quite negative, had zero ditchable lead and did not notify me. He took off for the surface swimming up a lot of negative weight. I did not see it and suddenly he was just gone - so I continued my dive without him.

He was a very strong and fit man. He did not think to use an SMB or come to me, since I could have (and would have) used the excess lift in my BC to get him to the surface. When he finally arrived on the surface he was exhausted and had a tough time staying there (he was in trouble) and had used a ton of air in the tank for the ascent. The boat picked him up quickly and put him on oxygen and he was fine, but got a good lesson.

When I describe a potential catastrophic failure (to a new diver) and have personally seen people die scuba diving and have also seen my friend almost die (from a failed BC I sold him), it gets me riled up to read that I am being "melodramatic". Not everyone dives in a thick wetsuit in 30 feet of water and within (underwater) walking distance of the shoreline.

I still feel guilty that I did not more carefully check the integrity of that fitting, but I had used it a week before the sale/failure and it performed perfectly (until it tore out/crumbled). I have since seen literally a dozen or more BC's fail in this exact manner.

I have seen many BC's with rusted dump valve springs where some just crumbled because of the rust. One not too long ago was only 3 - 4 years old. What you said is a REAL issue that needs proper cleaning and checking on regular basis for the spring in dump valves. The whole valve should be properly cleaned and put together properly on regular basis. Most divers don't know how to do it and don't want to be bothered doing it. Salt crystals remaining in the valve due to inadequate cleaning, or other types of debris such as sand grains, will cause leaking and damage to the sealing edges over time too.

 

[johndiver999]

So just replace the springs every once in a while if you’re worried about it.
No reason to throw away a BC that still works just because the springs might go bad.

I just check the springs; you don't seem to be getting the message about the crumbling of the fittings.

 

[boulderjohn]

While cave diving in Mexico years ago, I was having a taco problem with my wing because it was too big for the AL 80 doubles I was using, so I borrowed a smaller wing. As I ascended to the exit on one dive, I reached back to dump some air, and the entire dump valve came off in my hand. The spring was fine, but the plastic connection to the wing was rotten, and it broke when I pulled the string. Fortunately, I did not need a whole lot of air, and I was able to keep enough in the wing by tilting my body only slightly upwards.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I just check the springs; you don't seem to be getting the message about the crumbling of the fittings.

You must encounter some real garbage.
I have an Oxycheq mach V wing that is at least 19 years old now. I’m trying to think back when I got it, I know it was when they first came out and it was the second batch because it has slots.
I pull off the lower dump every once in a while to check the seat and make sure there’s no sea weed stuck in there. I’ve never seen any sign that it is becoming brittle or disintegrating. In fact I’ve come across many used BC’s in my gear dealings and actually the biggest thing I see is disintegrated seams in single walled models bubbling air.
The only thing I’ve had to do last year is finally put a kit into my inflator which was a generic one my dive shop had which was from Trident.
I could have easily just replaced the whole inflator too with a similar generic. Hose too if it needed it. They also have elbows if you need it. Inspect your stuff and fix it if it’s broken. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
There might even be some generic dump valves that are available if needed.
I just don’t think a BC problem is as catastrophic as people make it out to be.
Right now I’m not even using a BC of any kind just a plate and tank. If you’re properly weighted a BC becomes more of a convenience, not so much a critical safety thing. Overweighting is a much bigger concern and why a BC becomes a concern, especially to suspend an overweighted diver on the surface.
Remember, there was a time when there were no BC’s and divers had to learn proper weighting.
That concept seems to have been lost with the popularization of elevator diving.

 

[happy-diver]

Mate take it easy, your thinking will get you before a bc does

I still feel guilty that I did not more carefully check the integrity of that fitting, but I had used it a week before the sale/failure and it performed perfectly (until it tore out/crumbled). I have since seen literally a dozen or more BC's fail in this exact manner.

Here's one of my stuff, first the cleaner stuff hot warm water bubble testing

Then the not as cleaner stuff, beautiful isn't it, inflator and dumps off filled with the hose

tested and dried with air, the inflator whilst the hose is off gets tested too

Seeee the water that's also oxycheqs rubbish non colourfast fabric bleeding, combined with ocean detritus

and then, maybe some birdshit will fall on it but nothing is falling off

and I don't have to do the 500lb pull dump pull test as I know my gear



Test your gear before you do your 100metre dives, or get the heck out

 

[happy-diver]

left the pony behind, it was too big and too awkward to sling

to hand off to my buddy with the exploded dump solo diving

and the washing machine where I have fiddled with so many things is going to the dump

is why I am disrepecting the lid