What Happens when you Take your BCD off at Depth

[caruso]

I have taken off my BCD and I am inverted.

Can someone explain to me why a diver would suddenly flip upside down upon removing their BCD? Anyone besides T, of course.

I can now let go and freely ascend to the top and pray I don't black out at 15 feet, at least I know if I do I am not entangled in a BCD so I will probably end up floating on my back unconscious.

Praying that you'll end up on your back when the odds are roughly 50/50 you'll be face down and your last few breaths will be seawater is not a good survival strategy.

Lastly, I see air shooting out of the side of me

Either somebody speared you and pierced a lung or you're farting through a broken colostomy.

 

[IncreaseMyT]

Can someone explain to me why a diver would suddenly flip upside down upon removing their BCD? Anyone besides T, of course.



Praying that you'll end up on your back when the odds are roughly 50/50 you'll be face down and your last few breaths will be seawater is not a good survival strategy.



Either somebody speared you or you busted a lung or you're farting through a broken colostomy.

If I don't ditch the BCD and I pass out I will most surely end up face down, especially if I had a wing.

So 50/50 is better than no chance. Also with things broken, if your passed out your BCD or tank could fill up, and take you down. Just like it did Rob Stewart.

 

[caruso]

If I don't ditch the BCD and I pass out I will most surely end up face down, especially if I had a wing.

So 50/50 is better than no chance. Also with things broken, if your passed out your BCD or tank could fill up, and take you down. Just like it did Rob Stewart.

For you and your 50/50 "say your prayers" strategy I highly recommend a jacket style BCD.

 

[IncreaseMyT]

For you and your 50/50 "say your prayers" strategy I highly recommend a jacket style BCD.

Thats what I wear, but assuming there was some air in it, and it expanded on the way up, its on my back, I am now face down passed out on the surface.

Unless you are a pocket only weight wearer sea horse?

 

[IncreaseMyT]

remember the blackout doesn't come until 15 feet, it's almost always shallow water.

 

[caruso]

Thats what I wear, but assuming there was some air in it, and it expanded on the way up, its on my back, I am now face down passed out on the surface.

I dive a wing not a jacket and I was under the impression that a jacket style BCD will tend to keep a diver upright and vertical on the surface because the BCD holds the air on the sides and in front of the diver.

 

[IncreaseMyT]

Oh and lastly, you do not want your regulator in your mouth during a shallow water blackout, this is why free divers take their snorkel out of their mouth before duck divin

 

[IncreaseMyT]

I dive a wing not a jacket and I was under the impression that a jacket style BCD will tend to keep a diver upright and vertical on the surface because the BCD holds the air on the sides and in front of the diver.

But if you have more weight in your trim than your side pockets, its kind of like wearing a wing. All the air in my BCD is on my back, the sides of the Stiletto are just pockets. No air goes in there, the bag is is actually separate.

But yea if your a sea horse then you might sea horse, I guess thats one benefit of sea horsing.

 

[caruso]

But if you have more weight in your trim than your side pockets, its kind of like wearing a wing

I don't wear trim weights, not needed. But if I did, and when I see other divers using trim weight, there is NEVER more weight in the rear shoulder pockets than in the lower front pockets. Additionally, most jacket BCD wearers seem to be comfortably floating upright after they inflate their BCDs while waiting for pick up by the boat. I don't recall ever seeing or hearing about them having to struggle to keep their faces out of the water.

 

[caruso]

Oh and lastly, you do not want your regulator in your mouth during a shallow water blackout

I'd much rather have a regulator in my mouth during a shallow water blackout than nothing in my mouth, but I'm just weird like that.