No BCD diving...

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E

elan

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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So I have finally discovered it today... In full... no dry suit as I did before no BC.
I had suspected it would be good but I did not think it would be so good :)

In the pool though with just the plate and harness and it was awesome Just so easy to control the location in water column and so little drag that you feel just like flying.

And few things came to my mind instantly. Why was I delaying it for so long and why the hell did not they teach this in the OW classes in the very beginning. I think that's just the most easiest and quickest way to get a hold on the buoyancy and you got the feeling how it should be when you weighting is done properly.

How many of you do it just like in the old times in the open water ? What do you carry for the case you need to have that extra buoyancy in some emergency case ? A lift bag ?
Do charters down south have any objections for no BCD diving ?

I wonder what is next :) A Purchase of Royal Aqua Master ? :D
 
One of the "old timers" in our Scuba club was talking about this at our spring refresher. Whenever possible, he dives without a BC - just the harness for holding the tank, and what little weight he might need. I can certainly see the appeal to it, though I don't think I'm ready to try it myself. I think I'd rather get a lot more dive experience within the scope of my training before I attempt something like that.

I suspect that OW training stresses BC's and omits mention of bare-minimum diving because most newbs are going to be safer (at least in theory) with a BC.
 
I'm a newbie so take this comment for what it is worth.

My understanding of the BC is that is really to keep a diver afloat on the surface as needed, or, if the diver is unable to swim up their gear, then to assist in getting them to the surface on ascent. I try to dive with little or no air in the BC and if I am weighted properly it is a beautiful thing. I'm a single tank, basic diving kinda girl at the moment, so I sorta treat my BC as piece of emergency gear. Wouldn't think of diving without it because you never know when something will get screwy with me or my dive buddy and my little 5'2 frame has to get us both to the surface, to the boat or back to shore (whatever the case may be).

However, like you, I wish more of the OW classes focused on what real buoyancy is (and all its related issues - weight, conditions, etc).
 
I've been messing around with "minimalist" diving for about a year now. Biggest problem is finding a dive shop which will take you out and let you jump in without a BC. Some liability thing I guess. The only time I air up a BC is when I am near the bottom so as to stay away from the coral when I'm not finning. I've been looking for a usable 'horse collar' lately to satisfy the OPs.
 
Garrobo,
Divers Supply sells a Sea Elite horse collar for less than $150. I bought one for precisely the reason you stated.
 
elan:
So I have finally discovered it today... In full... no dry suit as I did before no BC.
I had suspected it would be good but I did not think it would be so good :)

In the pool though with just the plate and harness and it was awesome Just so easy to control the location in water column and so little drag that you feel just like flying.

...

How many of you do it just like in the old times in the open water ? What do you carry for the case you need to have that extra buoyancy in some emergency case ? A lift bag ?
Click to expand...

The thing I wonder about is what to do about two things that change buoyancy: compression at depth (if you wear an exposure suit) and the increasing buoyancy of your tank as you deplete the gas.

It is clearly possible to choose weighting such that at a given depth and with a given quantity of gas in your tank(s) you are neutrally buoyant with a "normal" breath. Are your lungs enough such that you can hold a 10' stop with an empty tank? Can you get down to depth from the surface?

This kind of things seems straightforward with something like a cave dive that is long and shallow, but working out the right combination of tank, exposure suit and weighting for an open ocean dive seems daunting to the uninitiated like myself.
 
BettyRubble:
I'm a newbie so take this comment for what it is worth.

My understanding of the BC is that is really to keep a diver afloat on the surface as needed, or, if the diver is unable to swim up their gear, then to assist in getting them to the surface on ascent. I try to dive with little or no air in the BC and if I am weighted properly it is a beautiful thing. I'm a single tank, basic diving kinda girl at the moment, so I sorta treat my BC as piece of emergency gear. Wouldn't think of diving without it because you never know when something will get screwy with me or my dive buddy and my little 5'2 frame has to get us both to the surface, to the boat or back to shore (whatever the case may be).

However, like you, I wish more of the OW classes focused on what real buoyancy is (and all its related issues - weight, conditions, etc).
Click to expand...

Actually the old horse collar was an inflatable life vest worn by the original Navy Frogmen and it spilled over into recreational scuba along with the military conditioning and diver harassment during basic scuba training.

The modern day BCD (or BC) is an atempt at compensating for the loss of buoyancy due to the compression of a divers wet suit at depth (i.e. BC = Buoyancy Compensator). I don't think that the main reason for the design is to float the diver at the surface for safety, or the old CO2 cartrage inflators would still be standard.

When properly weighted a diver should float on the surface without having to fully inflate their BC. It is the practice of instructors, fearing a runaway buoyant student, over weighting students and not explaining proper buoyancy during introductory scuba courses.
 
Last edited:
muddiver:
It is the practice of instructors, fearing a runaway buoyant student, over weighting students and not explaining proper buoyancy during introductory scuba courses.
Click to expand...

And Divemasters. While I respect and love Matteo at Blue Angel Resort in Cozumel, I was suprised with the following: I asked him for 4lbs of weight to go with my 6lb plate, and he deliberately handed me two three pound weights.
 
Dove a back plate only lots on Roatan, with 80 Al----just need to be fairly properly weighted is all....
 
Not quite the same thing as OW, but I've taken my pony bottle, small fins and a mask into a swimming pool and scooted around the deep end. Kinda fun, even if it's just in a pool. I just hold the tank under my arm. Fun with an underwater camera, too: great way to take pictures of my kids underwater. Great way to practice buoyancy control by just breathing.
 
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