Back Inflation BC is SUICIDE!!!

[SeaHound]

Thats what my new instructor says!

I love back inflation BC but my instructor advises against them very strongly. His argument is as follows:

SCENARIO A - If a diver looses consciousness underwater, his dive buddy inflates his BC he will rise up to the surface. If he has not dropped the reg from his mouth there is chance of him surviving - provided he is wearing a jacket style as that would keep his head way up the water once on surface. If he is wearing a back inflation nstead then the BC will keep his head tilted below the surface raging surface water will beat the reg away from his mouth and Guaranteed drowning!

SCENARIO B - If you get drifted away into the ocean (like the characters in the movie OPEN WATER) and you are stranded in the ocean for hours you would not want to be wearing a back inflation BC. Unless you deliberately float on your back the back inflation BC will kill you just like in scenario A!

Who agrees / disagrees with this logic and why?

 

[El Orans]

Yep, I died twice today. Had no problems whatsoever while floating on the surface without finning.

Laurens

 

[teknitroxdiver]

I disagree, and I bet everyone else here does to.

Scenario A: According to ScubaLab tests, even jacket BCs do not repeatedly float a diver with the head clear of the water. And, if you bring the diver to the surface like you were taught in the rescue course, you'll be right there with him.

Scenario B: Has this guy ever even dove a back-inflate BC? He needs to, because then he would find out he's wrong. Wearing a jacket BC, if you don't "deliberately float on your back", you're likely going to 'tip over' in some direction other than on your back.

Geez. Some people need to test their arguments before they spray them at students!

 

[ShakaZulu]

All hypothetical scenarios..........I think a back inflate BC will work great during an earthquake.

(A) I would like to know how many times dive buddies have sent their buddies to the surface. In the world of REC diving, there is no need for that, as you will always be within your NDL limits. Take him up while holding the regulator in his mouth – rescue class.

(B) The only reason these BC’s push your forward, is because they are over inflated. Let some air out, and you will hang vertically in the water. In fact, just fill them with helium so that you hover above the water.

I don’t understand how instructors don’t know this……….

 

[archman]

Your new instructor is being overdramatic, sensationalist, and unrealistic. His "theories" have some some valid points regarding flotation positions for unconscious divers. After that its all downhill. Regarding drowning, both "scenarios" conveniently exclude surface support, and other divers (i.e. your buddy). For scenario B, anyone stuck on the surface for hours would fiddle around with their rig to promote ideal flotation, even if that included removing rig and hanging on like a mini life raft.

Please ask him how many reported drownings there have been that are linked directly to the surface flotation characteristics of back-inflate BCD's. I'm sure we're all keenly interested.

Your instructor, from his remarks, appears to be an advocate of solo diving.

 

[OneBrightGator]

Your instructor, from his remarks, appears to be an advocate of solo diving.

And an idiot.

I agree with what's already been said.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Thats what my new instructor says!

I love back inflation BC but my instructor advises against them very strongly. His argument is as follows:

SCENARIO A - If a diver looses consciousness underwater, his dive buddy inflates his BC he will rise up to the surface. If he has not dropped the reg from his mouth there is chance of him surviving - provided he is wearing a jacket style as that would keep his head way up the water once on surface. If he is wearing a back inflation nstead then the BC will keep his head tilted below the surface raging surface water will beat the reg away from his mouth and Guaranteed drowning!

SCENARIO B - If you get drifted away into the ocean (like the characters in the movie OPEN WATER) and you are stranded in the ocean for hours you would not want to be wearing a back inflation BC. Unless you deliberately float on your back the back inflation BC will kill you just like in scenario A!

Who agrees / disagrees with this logic and why?

My advice is to get another instructor.

First of all it sounds like he wants your buddy to shoot you to the surface on a rocket ride buoyanct ascent?

Second, correctly weighted and malanced there isn't any reason for a back inflation bc to shove you on your face at all.

Ask him why he thinks that almost all technical divers use back inflation.

 

[miketsp]

I use a back inflate BC - Mares Synchro Tec - which I love and I bought very cheap because the "instructor" that owned it got tired of finning to keep a vertical position while giving surface instruction to students at the surface. I just added two strips of velcro at the bottom of the back plate to secure trim weights and I stay almost vertical with no effort. When I next saw him he asked me what I thought of it and I told him about the solution. He really kicked himself when he saw how simple it was.

I also carried out a test. If I pull out the integrated weights from the front and clip them to the D-rings at the bottom of the back plate, I stay 45degrees backwards, stable and would even be able to sleep in that position with no risk of my head going into the water, so rigged like this it would be much better than a conventional BC for long term survival.

 

[Tamas]

I think the shop has too many jacket style BC's they are telling to sell.......

Oh and another dead guy here for years now.

 

[FredT]

I've been diving for over 35 years. Of those I used a back inflate or wing for about 25 of those years. In that time I've come back to the cut end of an anchor line which resulted in a +20 mile swim back to the beach, been parylized by a neurotoxin at 160' and been "left at sea" out of contact with the boat a great many times for various reasons. Given a choice in all conditions I prefer a back inflate, preferably with a steel tank. The ~ 10 years I used a jacket was simply because I couldn't find a wing bladder until the DIR crowd started developing them.

FT