Removing BCD before boarding a boat?

[Bagheera]

I just finished my Open Water certification, so forgive me if this is a silly question.

When I did my open water training, I learned that entering a boat form the water involved three steps: 1) Removing the wieght belt and handing it to a person on board, 2) removing fins and handing them to a person on board, annd 3) climbing on board. We were taught how to remove our BCD and replace it while in the water, but we were taught that you normally didn't do that.

On a dive yesterday, after I handed my weights and fins to a man on the boat, he then asked for my BCD. I started to climb up the ladder, and he said, "No, your BCD first." I told him I'd rather keep the BCD, just because I was knew and I wanted to stick to the way I was trained. I got out with my BCD, but the guy gave me a lecture saying that you always take your BCD off before you exit the water. There was a divemaster on board who was taking a couple of students through their first open water dive. When they surfaced, he told them also to take off their BCDs before exiting the water as well.

This seems odd to me, for two reasons. The first reason is convenience. Removing your BCD in the water is a lot harder than removing it on the boat, and it's not easy for the person on the boat to lift a BCD and tank out of the water. The second reason is safety. Once your fins are off, if there's a strong current or some other reason to get pulled away from the boat, I'd rather have my BCD on me than be pulled out with just a wetsuit and a mask.

Like I said, I'm new, so I'm asking the opinion of the people on this board. Is it proper to remove the BCD before exitiing? Is it wrong? Is it personal preference?

 

[El Orans]

It depends on the kind of boat you're using.

If it's a liveaboard, I'll just hand up my fins and climb aboard (regulator in mouth and mask on face). That way, if I fall back in the water I'll be OK.

If it's a Zodiac I'll hand them my weightbelt and BCD before "jumping" aboard. Using the fins to get that extra push.

Laurens

 

[matts1w]

Each boat/crew has its own way of doing things. If the captain or divemaster asks to do it that way then do it that way. It is, after all, their boat. I have been on boats that were complete chaos and boats where the captain was so regimented he wouldn't let you on board with shoes. I thought that was pretty crazy until I bought my own boat. I cannot say I blame him about the shoes.

 

[Chad_Ordelheide]

I've noticed that many dive companies will take your BC from you then before you can get on board. They will quickly remove you BC & Regs and put them on a new tank of O2. If thats the case I have no problem with it!!! Less work for me! I guess it's just easy enough to go with the flow!

 

[The Kraken]

It may be his boat, but it's my A.$.$. and I'm going to keep it safe in any manner I choose.

I'm keeping my B/C on until I'm safely aboard the boat, unless, like ElOrans said, it's a Zodiac. What are they going to do, refuse to let you re-baord the boat?

Bagheera, you touched a good point, suppose you fall back into the water.

Given that it might not create an emergency scenario, but I feel that it's just an added safety measure.

 

[String]

Removing BC as others have said is perfectly normal and needed for getting onto a RIB. Im not sure id do it with a hard boat as i dont see the point though.

Fins though i keep on until im on the boat no matter what the boat is.

 

[japan-diver]

Safety depends on the type of boat and ladder. I find customers are much more likely to fall off a ladder with a BC on then without one, especially if the ocean is rough. Also not having a tank on while walking on a wet, slippery, rocking deck eliminates many after dive falling injuries. If the boat has a small dive deck removal in the water is easier also. Some poorly designed ladders are also very difficult to climb with a BC on and removal is easier in the water. On our boats its up to the customer whether he/she wants to remove in the water or not and our staff will happily pull them tanks (even those sets of doubles) over the gunnale or onto the swim deck- that's why they are paid the big bucks$$$.

Safety:
If you fall in with a wetsuit and no fins you will float easily and without a BC you will be able to easily swim back to the boat. Fall in with your BC and no fins you will float but you will not be able to swim very well at all.

Proper technique for removal of gear is always have one hand on the ladder or boat while removing gear so as not to drift away from the boat while taking gear off.

 

[Bagheera]

I didn't realize that it depends on the type of boat. The boat in question is just a simple 40' motorboat. It doesn't have an open entry area on the back; we just do backward rolls over the side. And it doesn't have those nifty ladders that extend into the water, just a simple metal ladder that hangs over the side.

I'm not familiar with some of the boating terms: zodiac? hard boat?

"Do what the captain says" is a good point. In this case, it was another diver telling me to take my BCD off first, but if the captain had told me to take it off, I would have done so.

Regarding keeping the fins: I hold onto my fins until the last minute, but I'm not sure how I could climb a ladder with fins on. I just hook one arm around the ladder when I'm taking off my fins. No risk of the current sweeping me off that way.

 

[Kim]

I think there is a lot of 'it depends' in the answer to this one. One of those has already been addressed - hard boat or inflatable. Another one is the type of water conditions. I can imagine that in a heavy sea with a lot of current people might want to keep the security of all their gear, except the weight belt, until they are on the boat. In the tropics though with calm water it really doesn't matter. In any kind of wetsuit without weights and gear I am so positively bouyant that even if I fell off the ladder it's really no big deal so if they want my BCD fine. I don't even mind giving them my fins too - it's easier to climb the ladder. If I was in a drysuit in other conditions I might feel different about it (but I don't really know as I have never been in a drysuit OR those other conditions! )
Actually I quite often dive off the boat and just go for a swim during an SI when it's really hot - no fins or wetsuit.

As for shoes on a boat - a lot of places in the Far East take your shoes when you arrive and you get them back when you leave. They do the same in their houses!

 

[El Orans]

I'm not familiar with some of the boating terms: zodiac?

This should clear things up...