Venting a BCD

[Blackwood]

Aside from the 18 lbs of weight with just the skin, and the Edge Stealth BCD, what other pieces of equipment do you have? Additionally, can you give as a little info on your size? I just think that 18 pounds with just a skin should be enough to get most people down.

It certainly is (as he said: initial descent is not the issue).

In fact, it sounds as if it's too much. Too much weight = more air than necessary in bladder = the root of the problem at hand. I suspect.

 

[Ed Palma]

Okay I meant keep anyone down for their stop Thanks!

 

[stevewirl]

a little over weight is better than under weight .

 

[Ed Palma]

a little over weight is better than under weight .

To a degree, sure, but then again the operative word would be "a little." Without further data as to the somatotype of the OP, I still think that 18 pounds in a skin is a tad bit over "a little." I'm 145 pounds and a floater but use 6 pounds - in a full 3/2 mm wetsuit in salt water. When I test my gear in my LDS swimming pool, I'm usually just in trunks. Then all I need is 2 pounds to stay under at 500 PSI.

As Blackwood pointed out:

Too much weight = more air than necessary in bladder = the root of the problem at hand.

 

[doghouse]

IMHO:

Use the velcro as a place to put your dive knife, or another piece of equiptment you want secured out of the way.

Your inflator hose is best free to lift above your head. If you are concerned it would be flopping in a wierd location, unscrew the nut holding the hose to the bladder. Turn the location of the hose one notch at a time so the hose points closer twords your chest. I found this comfortable, you may not. Personally I tended to grab for the center of my chest naturally when reaching for the hose. (Cold diving with a 7mm tends to limit the bending of the arms)

 

[String]

If the BCD actually fits properly there is no way anyone should ever need to raise the hose past the velco at all. Its there for a reason - to stop the hose wandering off, getting caught in the first stage and generally always being exactly where it should be when needed to do its main job - INFLATE.

For dumps you have toggle dumps usually on the top and bottom and you should be diving using these alone - you shouldnt ever NEED to dump from the hose.

 

[Aspendiver]

For dumps you have toggle dumps usually on the top and bottom and you should be diving using these alone - you shouldnt ever NEED to dump from the hose.

HUH?
My BC has two bottom dumps, and the hose. If I'm verticle in the water column, the only way to dump air is with the hose. Now, my bouyancy is pretty good, and if the dive ends in shallow water, my BC is empty at twenty or thirty feet and I'm swimming up, but NEVER use hose? That's simply wrong.... at least, in my case and with my perfectly good BCD!

 

[Blackwood]

HUH?
My BC has two bottom dumps, and the hose. If I'm verticle in the water column, the only way to dump air is with the hose. Now, my bouyancy is pretty good, and if the dive ends in shallow water, my BC is empty at twenty or thirty feet and I'm swimming up, but NEVER use hose? That's simply wrong.... at least, in my case and with my perfectly good BCD!

String's post assumes that you are (or implies that you should always be) horizontal.

 

[Air On]

Initial decent is not the issue. With the BCD filled for the surface float, it deflates nicely to get the decent going. I usually have to slow or stop my decent as my wife gets hers going.

My problem is more at the end of the dive trying to vent to stay down or at my safety stop as the tank empties. Either I don't have enough weight (18 lbs with only a dive skin) or I'm not getting out enough of the air that still is remaining in the BCD after minor adjustments while on the bottom.

You might need to add just a little more weight to compensate for the empty Alum tank... or see if you can find a steel one? As you use up the ALUM tank it gets lighter.

I'd add just a little more weight.
It could be a simple as putting a couple Rocks in you BC's pockets in a goodie bag.
If your in sandy areas? I guess you could load a baggy with sand?

Personaly I have been picking up trash as I dive and that seems to add a little weight as the dive progresses and the tank gets more bouyant.

If you add or remove equipment to the BC it will change the weight requirment too.
Some of the cameras float pretty bad.

Buy or make a couple 1 or 2 lbs weights on post clips or the larger gate clips.
You can add or remove them as needed once you hit the water by clipping them on or handing them back to the boat.

You can clip them to your buoy marker or to the Anchor/dive line too if needed with one of the larger brass gate clips or with a small lanyard to pass around and into the post clip. Then you can add them when your on the bottom and starting to get light?

This gets a lot harder to manage when you do Boat dives that only have 3lbs hard weights. You'll have to dive heavy and waste air on bouyance control if your changing depth with underwater topography a lot.

Experiment and see what works for you and share your experiences here.

 

[String]

Bottom dump is fine when horizontal. Most BCDs on the market also have a shoulder dump on the right hand side and/or one triggered by tugging the hose.
If a BC meets the above then there is no need to ever use the hose.

Even on my wing which lacks both of those there's no need to - the bottom dump is fine if you put yourself horizontal even on the surface.