BCD failure at 100 feet

[scubajo007]

Great post. You had a bottom to rest on what if you had been on wall dive with a 1000ft to the bottom and you beging to plunge rapidly? I think I will consider to add a lift bag or similar to my standard equipment for wall dives and the likes.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Your response to the problem was very wrong. You should never have tried to swim at an angle to the surface and toward the anchor line. This (as you found out) was too much exertion and WASTED your air.

You should have simply pulled down the reef (for just 100 feet). This is not a problem when heavy, since you are not really fighting the loss of buoyancy. Then when you got to the reel, (in less than 1 minute) re-evaluated the air and determine if you have time to reel in line or just leave it and follow it to the anchor line and climb your way to the surface.

Swimming laterally in the water column, fighting way to much negative weight was not the way to handle this, plus it was probably luck that you found the anchor line. Following the reef, truning at the reel and following line to the anchor would seem to be a sure bet.

 

[danvolker]

Not to mention the pairing of gear that is very negative, with very buoyant wet suit, means that you are incredibly reliant on the BC as an elevator.
I am sure your dives are colder than south florida dives, but not so cold that the right gear can't work for 100 feet deep.....there are lighter tanks--if you were using an HP100, a Low Pressure 100 or lp 120 could have more air ( can be jacked up also), and not be as much negative weight at depth if the BC fails.... Wetsuit choices are tougher when it gets really cold, but if it is just 73 or warmer, your choices don't have to be for crazy buoyant suits in order to be warm....meaning, the gear combo you end up with CAN ALLOW you to have no air in the BC at 100 feet deep, and to still swim vertically to the surface, without much effort.

 

[AfterDark]

For those of you with reading issues:
"Should this happen to you, remember any other floatation gear you may be carrying such as a lift bag or safety sausage. I had a sausage but never thought to use it for extra lift. It would have been a bit cumbersome but a may have helped if things really started going south."

Dive and learn OP. Us old divers that started diving before BCDs and auto-inflators know what to expect if our BCDs fail, your are correct everyone should. You forgot you had a SMB? A little narced you were IMO. I forgot I had a wreck reel on my harness in 110FSW faced with the possibility of an ascent away from the anchor line. Another diver led me to the line so it wasn't an issue but, I didn't remember the reel until I was on my SS! Sometimes we're narced and never know it until something happens like it did to you. Also narcosis may explain part of your increased gas consumption and your increased uneasy feelings. You did good, you got back and learned a few new lessons. Now read the responses and learn more. Pulling yourself along the bottom would have been a better option but that's part of the lessons learned. Safe diving.

 

[Bob DBF]

I am happy to say though, I never did panic. I was scared though I will admit.

Had you panicked, Dandy Don would probably be starting this thread. Solo is not for the faint of heart. Good job.


Don't forget the a** first ascent. If air is going in and then escaping, it is a matter of finding the position that holds air and use it for your ascent, In my case my friends came over to find out why my fins came up before I did. If they were not there I could have, if necessary, dropped my weight belt and swam to the boat. Sometimes perfect trim is not your friend. It was before the age of safety stops, so no, I didn't do one.

Because of the anchor line and boat, you didn't have to worry about staying on the surface after the ascent. You might think about that in case you have to make a direct ascent to the surface at a future date.



Bob
-----------------------------
The most important thing to plan when solo diving is to make sure that you are not diving with an idiot. Dsix36

 

[Chilly_Dipper]

Once reloaded and still unaware of the issue, I pushed off the bottom, hit my inflator for a brief moment and kicked a couple of times expecting to be floating about 10 feet off the bottom in a horizontal position. Instead, I found myself horizontal alright, headed straight back down to the sand and rock a few feet below.

Sounds like you really need to take a look at your weighting situation. If you are properly weighted a BCD isn't required at all as you should be relatively neutral.

Remember, our regulators allow us to travel in the underwater world. Our BCD's bring us back to our world. When did you last check yours?
Dive safe, Dive smart, Dive prepared

Prior to every dive I inflate my wing and at prior to disconnecting it at the end I overfill it to check the operation of the overpressure valves.

Glad you made it out, but look into dropping some lead the next time you go diving.

 

[Rich Keller]

We do not belong underwater so we have to depend on equipment get us there. The less you have to rely on this equipment the safer you will be. In the case of the BCD I would weight myself so I am neutral at the surface with an empty tank. Once you do that the only need for a BCD would be to make minor adjustments if needed at depth and for shallow dives you would not need a BCD at all. If it fails you are only dealing with a few pounds difference and this will also allow you to use a smaller more stream lined BCD as well. Another important thing in my opinion would be a weight belt instead of integrated weights. In the case of catastrophic or multiple failures you only need to open one buckle and you are done.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

Thanks for sharing- My question is, as a solo diver, did you check you bcd before the dive for proper operation by inflating and observing? I was not clear if you had, or just where in the dive it failed. Good retelling of the story- a teaching moment for you and for me.
DivemasterDennis

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Sounds like you really need to take a look at your weighting situation. If you are properly weighted a BCD isn't required at all as you should be relatively neutral.



Prior to every dive I inflate my wing and at prior to disconnecting it at the end I overfill it to check the operation of the overpressure valves.

Glad you made it out, but look into dropping some lead the next time you go diving.

NOT True! With a thick suit at a depth of 100 feet, you will NEED to have a considerable amount of air in the Bc to be neutral.

 

[Max Speed]

Dual bladder wing.

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