BCD vs Wing in adrift situation.

[g2]

I suspect he has his SMB pinched between his legs, giving some additional lift. I used to do this when waiting a long time for a boat.

 

[USdiver1]

If you are properly weighted, you'll need only minimal amounts of air placed in your BC to maintain neutral bouyancy while diving.
Using your BC as a life preserver while on the surface is a completely different animal. If adrift, I would prefer the Navy's approach, use a horse collar BC, as it will float with an unconscious (asleep?) diver face up, something neither a jacket nor BP/W claim to do. How long adrift? if it stretches from hours to days, my choice would be an old SeaTec.

 

[scubadada]

I've been diving a ScubaPro Knighthawk for about 10 years. It is very easy to maintain good flotation upon surfacing. This face down stuff is completely wrong. You just don't overinflate and lean back for a very comfortable position. If I was to be left adrift, I would probably eventually dump the weights from my pockets (the weights, not the pockets), adjust my buoyancy, and float around until I was picked up. I'm a patient guy, I know I'll be picked up

 

[USdiver1]

I This face down stuff is completely wrong. You just don't overinflate and lean back for a very comfortable position. If I was to be left adrift, I would probably eventually dump the weights from my pockets (the weights, not the pockets), adjust my buoyancy, and float around until I was picked up. I'm a patient guy, I know I'll be picked up

For a conscious and physically mobile diver, yes I agree with you, however, what the US Navy demands is for an unconscious, or physically distressed individual. That is why they still, today, in 2016, recommend horse collar BCs as LIFE VESTS. They test all equipment, if the life vest doesn't float an unconscious diver face up, it doesn't get to be "approved for Navy use". That said, several jacket style BCs are approved for Navy Use: ScubaPro Stab-jacket, Seatec Manta, etc. Nevertheless, the horse collar is still the Navy's choice for a life vest, and as the OP requested, what to use in an adrift situation where rescue might be hours to days away.

 

[boulderjohn]

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Because of continued interpersonal bickering after a warning, some people will no longer be participating in this thread.

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[outofofficebrb]

I have tried a rear-inflate a couple of times and the face forward problem only happens when it's over inflated or fully inflated. You don't usually need to inflate it that much or fully at all to comfortably float you at the surface. I didn't have a problem with it.

 

[Fossil_Diver]

How about inflating the bc (jacket or wing) and sitting on the tank like you're riding a horse? I have done this but not in rough seas and I don't wear a dry suit. It gets more of my body out of the water if it's cold and I'm more visible if I needed to be rescued. Or am I going to die if I continue to do this?

 

[Fossil_Diver]

Oops. I just read the previous posts mentioning this. It's nice to know I'm not the only one that does this.

 

[wKkaY]

This diver was using a wing and found himself adrift and filmed what he believed to be his last moments.
What I found interesting was that he had removed his equipment and was floating just in his neoprene and I wondered why he'd done this.

I reckon that in either a wing or jacket, after staying afloat in it for hours I'm going to get uncomfortable. If my wetsuit can keep me afloat and the seas are calm, might as well remove the BCD for more comfort.

 

[Joelage]

I can't remember where, but there was a dive school/charter that mentioned to me "all guests on this boat are required to wear a life jacket while the boat is going to the site" (For the snorkelers)
That statement was then clarified with "Scuba divers are required to also wear a life jacket or wear their full BCD setup"

Then this was followed up with "People with WING BCDs are required to wear life jackets"

(Keeping in mind, from what I can remember, this was from a precautionary/safety/insurance(?) perspective, and not an emergency situation)

**On a side note, I found for the first time I used a "Wing style BCD" I found it took practice to sit up in the water. I still use the same "Wing style BCD" and don't recollect having any issues sitting up in the water anymore...