My near-miss in the Galapagos

[*dave*]

Filling my wing to the point that the OPV kicks in has always been part of my pre-dive check. I've heard of several incidents where the OPV was faulty and resulted in a rupture of the bladder. Definitely something to discover and resolve prior to diving as opposed to finding out at the end of the dive as you are looking for max buoyancy on the surface.

I routinely fill my wing until the OPV releases (because I'm paranoid, and like to float). I have never noticed ANY drop in tank pressure from doing this. It's a tiny, tiny fraction of the gas in the tank, even in an AL80.

 

[snepdiver]

Thanks for sharing your story with us. It was written in such a way I could not stop reading. That is rare for me after 5 or 6 sentences. Unless its a book.

I routinely fill my wing until the OPV releases (because I'm paranoid, and like to float). I have never noticed ANY drop in tank pressure from doing this. It's a tiny, tiny fraction of the gas in the tank, even in an AL80.

I do that also. I use the inflator and oral to test it. Well, Mine is not a wing, But you get the point.

 

[Scott L]

Thanks for sharing your story with us. It was written in such a way I could not stop reading. That is rare for me after 5 or 6 sentences. Unless its a book.

I do that also. I use the inflator and oral to test it. Well, Mine is not a wing, But you get the point.

Side mounts don't have wings? I know nothing of them...

 

[snepdiver]

Side mounts don't have wings? I know nothing of them...

Who said anything about side mounts?

 

[Scott L]

Who said anything about side mounts?

Thought you dived that way until I realized it was Kevin C. Sorry Cheif!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

When I read the OP's account about how the BCD "popped," I immediately thought of one possible cause. On both dives with the BCD in question, she found out that it didn't hold air at the end of the dive upon surfacing. In her pre-dive check, she inflated and deflated, but she probably didn't inflate the BCD fully. (Correct me if I'm wrong here.) As others have pointed out, what she experienced is consistent with a leak caused by full inflation of the BCD...and the likely part involved is a malfunctioning over-pressure valve (OPV). As its name implies, the OPV is designed to vent the bladder when a certain pressure inside is achieved. Essentially, the OPV protects the bladder from exploding. Since you heard the "pop" while at the surface, I'd guess that the malfunctioning OPV was located high on the BCD (part above water while you are vertical). In my experience, the two most likely locations would be the point of attachment of the corrugated hose on the back upper left (elbow with integrated OPV) OR a shoulder dump valve with OPV on the back upper right of the BCD. There is usually a "butt" dump valve/OPV positioned lower on the BCD beneath the water, but it wouldn't sound like a "pop" when activated...probably more like a gurgling/barking sound. Sorry, that's the best way I can describe it.

Rental BCDs are notorious for being used and abused. Here's a checklist that I use when I'm renting a BCD:

• Does the BCD fit me? This is kind of an obvious first step. This includes adjustment of the cummerband and cinching down all the adjustment straps.
• Does the BCD have weight-integration? If so, how secure are all of the ditchable weight pockets? How secure are the non-ditchable trim weight pockets? I fill up both ditchable pockets with my estimated amount of lead and ensure that the pockets slide in, lock, and don't slide out unexpectedly. It goes without saying that you should learn how to operate the quick-ditch mechanism, which may vary from velcro to a positive audible click (plastic on plastic) to a ripcord design. BTW, your buddy should know how to operate the quick-ditch mechanism, too.
• Are there any obvious tears that might compromise BCD integrity? I look over the entire inside and outside of the BCD. I inspect the corrugated hose in particular since this piece can crack over time and the corrugations can easily hide an imperfection. This is just a visual check and should be done while not wearing the BCD. In fact, the rest of the check should be done without you wearing the BCD at all.
• Is the corrugated hose attached securely to the BCD? I tug on the elbow attachment. Sometimes these elbows get cracked. Sometimes they get unscrewed.
• Do the pockets work? I look for any tears in the pockets. I operate the zippers. I feel around inside each pocket for any hidden holes. I don't want to lose something of value during the dive.
• Are all of the dump valves screwed in/tightened down properly? I just check for a snug fit. This step is important since it also helps me identify all of my options for dumping air.
• Does the BCD hold the tank securely? I mount a tank with the camband(s) and then grab a firm hold of the tank positioning/carry strap (if one exists) and lift up the BCD + attached tank. I notice whether the tank slides or shifts position. I also check the integrity of the cambands. Plastic camband buckles are common. They can and will break.
• Does the oral inflation mechanism work? I take a look at the mouthpiece to see if it has any cracks. I blow several breaths into the mouthpiece until the wing is fully inflated. I squeeze the sides of it with a reasonable amount of force, but not enough to activate any OPVs.
• Does the exhaust button on the power inflater assembly work? I depress this to see if it dumps air. When I let go of the button, it should stop dumping.
• Does every dump valve work? Once again, I pull on each dump cord one after the other. Air dumping should start/stop appropriately.
• Can air be dumped by pulling down on the whole power inflater/corrugated hose assembly (without pushing any buttons)? You have to ask the guys at the rental shop if this is the case. This feature is a pretty common one on a lot of conventional jacket BCDs; it requires connection of a metal cable that runs inside the corrugated hose. Some rental departments opt to not install the metal cable, and some do. If it is installed, then I'll pull gently down on the power inflater assembly to see if it works as it should. As a side note, I generally avoid using this dump valve while I'm in the water. I once had a dive buddy who separated the entire corrugate hose from the BCD by yanking on it.
• Did all of the dump valves reset? Sometimes the springs wear out or the seating mechanism becomes faulty. I re-inflate the BCD orally and then give the BCD another good squeeze. I should feel a good amount of resistance, and the air should be held nicely inside the bladder.
• Does the power inflater work? I mount my assigned rental reg setup to the tank valve, and then connect the inflator hose to the power inflater of the BCD. To save tank air, I'll first inflate the BCD most of the way orally. I then activate the power inflator button for a short burst just shy of full inflation. Air should flow when the button is depressed and should stop when it is released. Whenever the inflator hose is attached to the BCD and the reg system is pressurized, I listen for any hissing which would indicate the presence of a leak.
• Does the OPV work? I orally inflate the bladder until it's full. And then I activate the power inflater button until one of the OPVs cracks open. Be forewarned: when operated above water, OPV activation can be quite loud. The OPV should stay open only for as long as I hold down the power inflater button. Yes, I've gotten some funny/annoyed looks from the guys in the rental shop, but frankly I could care less.
• Does the BCD hold air for a period of several minutes? Although the BCD should be able to maintain it's fully inflated state indefinitely, it's not practical to make this check for more than a few minutes. I leave the BCD fully inflated with inflator hose connected while I check other rental gear (reg, mask, fins, wetsuit, etc.). A malfunctioning power inflater button/inflator hose will usually reveal itself at this time. If there's a leak, you'll hear a hiss. If the inflater is stuck open, then you'll hear the OPV activate. It should be pretty obvious.
• For a weight-integrated BCD, can the fully loaded weight pockets be loaded while the BCD is fully inflated? More importantly, can they be ditched easily while the BCD is fully inflated?
• Does the inflator hose disconnect easily from the power inflater assembly? If the power inflater gets stuck open, then I would have to make this disconnection during a dive. Some older inflator hoses have a sticky quick-disconnect (especially those with visible corrosion). Better to find out about this during the pre-dive check than on a rocking boat...or under water.

Despite the number of items inspected, it's worth mentioning that the checklist only takes a few minutes to complete and requires very little tank air.

After I've gone through my checklist, I'll break the gear down and be sure to deflate the BCD fully. I do this to prevent the BCD from getting in the way (while it is tranported from rental shop to dive boat) and also to decrease the possibility of something sharp piercing the bladder.

After doing these checks on the rental BCD, I'll attach a ziptie onto one of the D-rings. This is my way of marking my BCD.

Bear in mind that this checklist was designed to help assess what is and what is not working on the BCD. Certain defects are allowable, and others are not. For instance, a ripped pocket doesn't affect buoyancy compensation, whereas a faulty OPV does. I'm willing to let faulty weight-integrated pockets slide if I can wear a weight belt instead. YMMV.

I hope that someone out there finds this list helpful. Have fun and dive safe...

 

[Scott L]

Bubble Trouble, thoughtful post! With regard to traveling with your regulator and BCD rigs. First, Milflex hoses are considerably lighter than conventional hoses and much more flexiable. Why would a diver traveling not carry-on the reg rig and place the BCD in checked luggage. Even if you went over the airlines weight allowance you probally end up fairly even finacially in that you no longer have to rent. Personally, I can handle rented reg's much more than a rented BCD. A diffirent style BCD than I am used to throws me off my game big time. Scott

 

[Leejnd]

To those of you who are still interested in this incident, I heard from the Booking Agent today and got some interesting information. It seems that Sub-Aqua OUTSOURCED us on that first day in Academy Bay - that wasn't even Sub-Aqua's boat, or their DMs! And, to make matters worse, one of the DMs they subbed us out to is someone with whom she had a VERY bad dive experience some years ago...and with whom she says she NEVER would have sent one of her clients. All this, without running it by her. She is furious.

Apparently, there was some problem with Sub-Aqua's boat on Friday - it wasn't ready to go out that day, or it was with other divers, or some such thing. In any event, the dive op they outsourced us to is called Sharks Friends, which is NOT even one of the licensed LDSs in Galapagos. Apparently from what I can gather, since they don't have their own license, they only operate as a sub-contractor to Sub-Aqua or one of the licensed dive boats in the area.

None of this was authorized or approved by my booking agent. And we certainly weren't expecting to be pawned off on an unlicensed dive op. As for the DM they sent us with, according to her, it sounds like he's known to be, shall we say, not the most professional or safety-concious. In fact, she claims that it was his poor attitude and lack of concern when leading her in a dive that, years ago, caused her to have ear problems that still affect her today. So when she realized that was who they'd sent us to...well, she's on her way to the Galapagos right now, and once she gets there, I would love to be a fly on the wall in the dive shops along main street in Puerto Ayora.

The second day, it appears it was in fact Sub-Aqua - their boat, their DMs. And there was definitely a marked difference between the two operators...as I noted in my original post, the boat was better and more comfortable, the DMs were more professional, and overall they were a better operation. However, that doesn't take away the fact that they gave me that malfunctioning BCD, AND took inexperienced divers to an advanced site. But it does explain some things. I suspect that there was a lack of communication between Sharks Friends and Sub-Aqua about what happened to me that first day, and with our language barrier, they may not have understood that the BCD they were giving me the second day was broken. Who knows...I'm just speculating...but clearly the whole thing was pretty much a cluster-f ***.

Anyway, I wanted to touch on the whole testing-the-BCD thing. If there is one area in which I expected I would get the classic Scubaboard Flogging, it was that one. Yes, I realize now I should have done a better job of testing it. I generally don't like to rent gear, and don't have a lot of experience with it...we prefer our own, which we keep serviced, and check it thoroughly on a regular basis. The few times I've rented gear in the past, while it may have looked old, it appeared to be well-maintained and was treated carefully by the dive op. I always did basic checks for essential operation, but expected that the owners of the gear would keep it serviced and assure it was in good working order before they would let one of their paying customers dive in it, so I didn't do a full-on by-the-book manufacturer-recommended scientific testing process.

Do I regret that now? Yeah, uh huh. And if I ever do rent gear again, I will make sure I print out Bubbletrouble's list (and any other lists of gear testing procedures I can find) and spend the entire ride out to the dive site, however long it may be, checking for every possible point of failure in all of the gear I am renting.

Another factor to consider is that, unlike the way our dive boats out here in SoCal operate, these boats functioned like typical tourist-destination boats: the DMs took care of everything. This is not what I'm accustomed to at home, although I have experienced this during vacation travel, at destination dive locations such as Belize and Bali. On our local boats, divers are expected to be self-sufficient - you bring your own stuff, you put your own gear together, you bring your own buddy, you make your own dive plan, and you dive on your own. The DMs usually don't even get IN the water, unless there's an emergency. This is in contrast to destination/resort dive boats, where the DMs do it all - they put the gear together, they lead the dive, and you are expected to do what they tell you. So maybe what I'm really guilty of is expecting them to be competent at what they do. Mea culpa.

Lesson: don't let the fact that they do everything stop you from doing all of your own gear testing anyway.

 

[D_B]

Wow .. It's hearting to hear that she's going out there herself to see what's going on

BC checks ... I was taught to fully inflate the BC till the overpressure valve releases, then check for wing and valve integrity .. but I notice that I have been lax at doing so since then , my gear, so I know it's condition , but that's no excuse ... I will be more observant for any other acts of complacency creeping in on me

 

[monkeyfish69]

UGH using rental equipment, have had so many problems in past, but luckily nothing as a complete bcd burst, drop the weights it's their crap that got you into the incident! I usually assemble the kit before leaving harbour, inflating until it pops and leaving reg turned off until time to don, then if any leaks on reg side picked up on an empty spg prior to bwraf. Great that your buddy is risk adverse, usually the other way like me and my wife! Crazy that we always want to get our moneys worth despite all the signs telling us to forget the dive. Glad you came through and reminded us all why we pay excess baggage to bring our own kit. Sometimes you can bring it disguised in a golf bag and avoid paying excess baggage. Why can golfers get away free and not divers?