PfcAJ
Contributor
Disregard
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I have a diverite transpac BC.
The weights are in pockets which are velcro'ed and then have a clip which secures them further. But Assuming somehow, magically these weights fell off and I started heading rapidly up towards the top.
What would I want to do in that situation ? I use about ten pounds of weight, total.
---------- Post added October 15th, 2014 at 02:04 PM ----------
I don't think you need to take a DECO CLASS to happen to fall into deco. Not to say that should be a planned event but if does happen (where your computer tells you that you went into a deco UNINTENTIONALLY and there is any issue with an "unctrolled ascent", like Hedgehog is referring to, I think a game plan to have rather than shooting to the surface and hope it works out is not a bad idea.
Can you walk me through an example of someone finding accidentally finding themselves in deco?
Also, assuming that you have your weighting strategy worked out, what do you do if you find yourself in deco? Do you stay down and do the deco? If so, at what depth? And for how long? And what happens if while doing your deco, you or your dive buddy have a gas emergency?
But if it was for what I assume was an accidental deco from my original example (9 minutes because my computer said so)I would burrow air from my buddy and if that failed I would rip the gills out of a nearby shark and take a Darwinism approach or just go to the surface ( but prefer to follow my computer's recommendation).
My answer to your original question, as far as "can you give me an example" was a legit response and any input as to what that clearly was would be appreciated. Second answer to you 2nd example wasn't intended to come off as a smart ass answer but just vibing off your interpreted tone that was received... if it was a legitimate open ended question then I would say one needs to reassess their approach to advanced diving that can/should involve an expected prolonged deco. I would have been a dead diver statistic (recreational single tank air diver) way before even thinking about my needed deco.
What I've read suggests that it's better to have enough ditchable weight to ensure you can make a buoyant ascent rather than putting too much weight in non-ditchable pockets. Ensure that you have positive buoyancy with an empty BCD after releasing your ditchable weight.
So how much ditchable weight does a recreational diver need to perform a buoyant ascent in the event of an OOA emergency?
Let's look at the weight check process used to determine proper weighting. The diver at the surface empties the BCD while holding a normal breath and not kicking. The diver should float at eye level. If the diver does this with a full tank, it is sometimes (not always) recommended that they diver add a few pounds to allow for the loss of the weight of the air during the dive--usually about 6 pounds if you drain the tank completely. Some people argue with good reason that doing a weight check like this at the beginning of the dive includes enough trapped air in the BCD and wet suit to make compensating for the loss of the weight of the air unnecessary. Another factor that may call for some extra weight is wet suit compression for those wearing lots of neoprene.
To sum that up, in most cases a properly weighted diver with an empty tank should have a hard time staying below the surface without dropping any weight at all. If the diver is only a little overweighted, as would be the case with a thick wet suit, only a tiny amount of weight would need to be released to initiate a buoyant ascent, and if the diver has any ability to kick upwards at all, even that should be unnecessary.
For that reason, many people argue that the worst case scenario would only require the diver to have ditchable weight equal to the amount of air in the tank so that a buoyant ascent could be made in the nearly unthinkable event of a catastrophic emergency requiring a buoyant ascent with an empty BCD at the beginning of the dive with the tank still full. Those events don't happen often.