What is this?

[Nemrod]

I read through some of the posts on the freedom plate poll link. I didn't get to far into it but the pics of the ones I saw looked a little narrower than mine. The tops looked the same though.
The one I have looks crude and home made, not like something made off a production line.

Diving it with no BC?, are you nuts! That certainly wasn't in my training.

That is an early Freedom Plate. I am not sure homeade applies but the gentleman that made them I do believe works from a small buisness/home type shop. They did not come from a "production" line.


As to no BC, you might not have been trained that way but lot's of us were and do and do so very well, thank you. And yes, even in as much as 1/4 inch of neoprene. Why don't we use a BC?--because we don't need one most of the time. A BC is for bouyancy compensation, if we can achieve reasonable compensation through gear selection, proper exposure attire and breath control--why not. A BC is not a life jacket. If you need a life jacket better stay in the boat. No BC is rated or tagged as a life preserver.

N

 

[captain]

I wonder how many divers who complain about their high air usage are constantly adding and dumping air from their BC. Remember if you use it in the BC that is less for you to breathe

 

[Couv]

Take a look at this fat guy, he seem to be doing alright with no BC or wing, would probably be doing even better with that stainless BP.

 

[drbill]

I didn't get my first BC until the early 90's, about 30 years after I started diving. It is not only possible to dive without one, it can be downright freeing.

The first time I wore a BC (1989) was almost my last. I was diving with a Cousteau team in the northern Channel Islands and the divemaster said it was mandatory equipment. OK. Mine kept filing up with air every time I tried to descend. I told the DM it was autoinflating and she said that was unlikely so I showed her. Once she recognized the problem, she asked "What can we do?" I said "Disconnect it and I'll dive without it." We did and I did.

Now I probably wouldn't want to dive without my harness and wing, but I know I could.

 

[coldsmoke]

If I am wearing a BC it is a well fitting back inflate with one of 2 wings an 18 lb and a 35 lb, perfect for all the diving I do where I feel I need a BC.

Most of my recent diving has been cold water with in a dry suit and doubles, but I do have a 36 # wing when I dive singles. When I go to that wing it feels like I have nothing on. I could only imagine an 18# wing to be even better.

I honestly don't know so I ask sincenerly - do you really notice a difference between an 18# wing on a backplate vs. no wing? Is it that pronounced that it out weighs the convenience of having a small wing?

I can see the benefit with monkey diving, but we're not talking about that.

Hunter

 

[Nemrod]

Most of my recent diving has been cold water with in a dry suit and doubles, but I do have a 36 # wing when I dive singles. When I go to that wing it feels like I have nothing on. I could only imagine an 18# wing to be even better.

I honestly don't know so I ask sincenerly - do you really notice a difference between an 18# wing on a backplate vs. no wing? Is it that pronounced that it out weighs the convenience of having a small wing?

I can see the benefit with monkey diving, but we're not talking about that.

Hunter

You ask a good question, the answer is not completely that simple. I have an Oxy 18 and Oxy 30 and also dive with nothing. The 18 pound wing on an Oxy Ultra Light plate is as close to no BC as you can get. Still, there is all of the other stuff modern divers use like octos, back ups, lp inflators etc that are also dispensed with when I dive without a BC, close, but no cigar.

N

 

[herman]

Any wing even a small deflated one still has a fairly large surface area and surface area means drag. It is noticable but IMO you are overly estimating the "convience" of having one, assuming a diver is correctly weighted and not using a lot of exposure protection. Before I started diving without a BC I found that when I was properly weighted in warm water with little to no exposure protection, I pretty much by default was diving without one. I dumped all the air out of my BC and did not touch it again until I hit the surface again. Pick a safe warm dive- pools are great , get your weight dead on and give it a try, I suspect you will be surprized. It's not for everyone or every dive but it does have it's place...at least for some of us.

 

[Nemrod]

Well, one thing, back in the day we used steel 72s for 70% of our diving, these tanks are ideal for no BC diving with little or no exposure protection. With a 3/16ths suit a heavier steel tank would have helped eliminate lead but one must be careful not to get themselves overly negative.

The thread did not start out on this subject but the OPs question has been answered. There is a bit of training and technique and weighting methodology that is a bit different from what is taught today in oder to dive sans BC. An example, shore diving with no BC, we often used a surface support, a paddle board, a homemade tube float (I use a kayak today) etc provided surface resting refuge, divers shore diving today may not have a surface float other than a small flag bouy. There have been other discussions on the subject.

N

 

[emoreira]

I wonder how many divers who complain about their high air usage are constantly adding and dumping air from their BC. Remember if you use it in the BC that is less for you to breathe

This was a question I always do to myself, but is this really so ?
Adding a few pushes of air to the BC how many breathe does it represent ? I think only one or less. How many times do you add or release air to your BC ? In my case only three or four in a whole dive, except when I swim back to the boat, but I will not use more air of the cylinder. If you are complaining of your high air usage, the problem is not your BC. The problem is that you are diving in the wrong way or you are not comfortable underwater.

 

[Nemrod]

This was a question I always do to myself, but is this really so ?
Adding a few pushes of air to the BC how many breathe does it represent ? I think only one or less. How many times do you add or release air to your BC ? In my case only three or four in a whole dive, except when I swim back to the boat, but I will not use more air of the cylinder. If you are complaining of your high air usage, the problem is not your BC. The problem is that you are diving in the wrong way or you are not comfortable underwater.

Me, very little because I suck my wing absolutely flat and don't put any air in it, maybe on rare occasion a puff or two. However, I see these divers with the humongous poodle jackets giant stride off with absolutely fully inflated jackets, watch them get swept away, struggle, then watch them yo-yo up and down leaving a trail of bubbles as they bounce and ricochet from coral head to coral head, yeah, they use a lot of air in their BCs.

N