Why weight integrated bc's?

[fishoutawater]

Hoping someone would explain to me why weight integrated bc's are so popular, and why they even exist.
Seems to me, if you had to take it off to get through a tight spot, you'd have nothing to keep you from shooting towards the surface, especially in a wetsuit.
And how do new students handle this during their pool drills, when they do the don/doff procedure? Or don't they teach that anymore?

 

[Knight1989]

I really cant think of a situation where I would want to remove my wieghts while at depth in the first place. Ditching wieghts is typiclly for a distressed diver at the surface.

As for teaching students. When I'm teaching or working with students the gear they are using is an actual wieght belt. Unless they have thier own BC, the ones the get from us are not weight integrated. Even if they bring thier own integrated BC, I make them use a weight belt for the training portion.

I dive an integrated BC and love it. The weightbelt was always uncomfertable to me, expessially if I didnt have a wetsuit on. This is one less thing I have to carry and deal with. My weights never shift around and are always right where I want them.

 

[Walter]

It's not removing your weights you might want to do, it's removing your BC. Entanglement and a slipping tank are two reasons a diver might want to remove their BC. A weight integrated BC makes it more difficult.

 

[RICHinNC]

I would think that a weight integrated bc or bcd is more popular with rec divers where those that do caving and deep wreck penetration use other methods.

Or,,,could just be like me....have no hips....and a weight belt keeps crushing your toes.

 

[Cave Diver]

Seems to me, if you had to take it off to get through a tight spot, you'd have nothing to keep you from shooting towards the surface, especially in a wetsuit.

What type of "tight spot" do you intend to encounter in open water? Anything that comes to my mind with that description means you're diving in an overhead environment (cave, wreck, etc.). Therefore:

1) If you're in an overhead environment, the overhead ceiling would keep you from shooting to the surface

2) You shouldn't be diving in a restriction that requires removal of your gear without proper training.

3) You shouldn't be diving in an overhead environment at all without proper training.
a) I'm not referring to swim throughs, but I have mixed feelings about that too.

4) You should have been taught the proper way to remove and replace your gear while still maintaining control of your bouyancy in your OW class. See this thread for an example: http://scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=146798

 

[fishoutawater]

Or,,,could just be like me....have no hips....and a weight belt keeps crushing your toes.

:lol: That's happened to me before too, just before my giant stride. Felt kinda silly standing on the back of the boat with my belt around my ankles, and everyone laughing.

I can see where it might be easier to have the weights integrated into my bc, but I still like the option to be able to take the bc off. Besides, when I go diving, it usually involves flying and carrying a ton of crap already, and I'd just as soon rent weights when I get there.

 

[Cave Diver]

Besides, when I go diving, it usually involves flying and carrying a ton of crap already, and I'd just as soon rent weights when I get there.

Integrated weights are removable, you don't have to carry yours with you.

 

[fishoutawater]

Well Cave Diver, the only time I really ever HAD to take my bc off was in a lake, and I got fouled in some fishing line. There was no getting out of that without taking my bc off.
And it was just the way I was trained the first time back in '72. Being able to ditch and don was a prerequisite when I was a kid. That was with the old J valve, Conshelf, plastic backpack, beavertail and farmer john wetsuit. Hadn't heard of a bc yet. My wetsuit was my floatation device, and ditching the weight belt was how you deployed the floatation device at the surface. But being able to swim kept me from having to ditch my weight belt. If I wasn't wearing a wetsuit, I didn't even need a weight belt in fresh water.

 

[BSea]

I was taught the same way when I was certified in 77. I'm sure things have changed, but I really don't see a major problem with taking a BC off underwater. If you were tangled, just leave 1 shoulder in your bc to keep the weight, cut yourself out, then put the bc back on. Better than that, have your buddy cut you out. You did have a buddy didn't you?

 

[fishoutawater]

I was taught the same way when I was certified in 77. I'm sure things have changed, but I really don't see a major problem with taking a BC off underwater. If you were tangled, just leave 1 shoulder in your bc to keep the weight, cut yourself out, then put the bc back on. Better than that, have your buddy cut you out. You did have a buddy didn't you?

That still sounds kinda awkward to me. And yeah, I had a buddy, but I was behind him, and he didn't see me get caught for a few seconds. When he turned around and found me, I already had my bc off and was cutting the lines. No prob.