BC integrated weights – dangerous?

About 3 months ago I started diving a BC with integrated weights, and I love the way it evens out my trim. But last week I was diving and wanted to remove my BC/tank underwater to check out something when I realized that with my 7.5mm wet suit and all my weights in the BC, I could not remove my BC/tank without becoming dangerously negative buoyant. As much as I like the integrated weights, it seems to me that it is costing me in safety if I’m unable to doff and don my gear. In fact, it seems dangerously limiting.
Has this been discussed before? Am I missing something here? Otherwise, I’m going back to using a weight belt.
What do you think?

I have actually wondered about this. When teaching the CW sessions, we need to do a Removal/Replacement of the gear underwater... with a weight integrated BC, this might cause a problem with some students...

Maybe its prime time to introduce a new procedure to handle weight integrated bc while doing the removal replacement of the gear...

Any views on this?

Rick,
I hope this helps,

http://www.scubaboard.com/t23219/s.html

-Crispy

ps. I have never tried "linking" to another thread in my post. I hope it works. If not you can find several topics in the "Buoyancy Compensators" section from the home page of this site. The one I selected was several pages in. a poll titled Weight integrated or not??

Crispy once bubbled...
Rick,
I hope this helps,

http://www.scubaboard.com/t23219/s.html

-Crispy

ps. I have never tried "linking" to another thread in my post. I hope it works. If not you can find several topics in the "Buoyancy Compensators" section from the home page of this site. The one I selected was several pages in. a poll titled Weight integrated or not??

Click to expand...

Good link, thanks!

Thanks for the link, still this does not tackle the underwater exercise of removing/replacing the BCD...

Any ideas on this?

coliseum once bubbled...
Thanks for the link, still this does not tackle the underwater exercise of removing/replacing the BCD...

Any ideas on this?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure I get it.

With a weight belt, you'd become seriously negatively buoyant.

With integrated weights, you'd become positively buoyant.

In either case, hold onto your BC (or even your reg hose or something in a worst case scenario) and you're not going anywhere.

Rick Inman once bubbled...
About 3 months ago I started diving a BC with integrated weights, and I love the way it evens out my trim. But last week I was diving and wanted to remove my BC/tank underwater to check out something when I realized that with my 7.5mm wet suit and all my weights in the BC, I could not remove my BC/tank without becoming dangerously negative buoyant. As much as I like the integrated weights, it seems to me that it is costing me in safety if I’m unable to doff and don my gear. In fact, it seems dangerously limiting.
Has this been discussed before? Am I missing something here? Otherwise, I’m going back to using a weight belt.
What do you think?

Click to expand...

Actually, taking the BC off would make you (without the BC) positive.

The only reasons I can think of when I'd consider removing my BC are entanglement (and I'd have to think really hard about it that time, since my buddy should be able to help me get untangled without removing the BC) and getting ready to climb into a small boat.

Why do you consider it a problem to be positive when removing your BC? I would think you'd rarely or never remove it when submerged.

I could hear a very slight leak behind my head on a recent dive. I was bored waiting for the rest of the divers to arrive and needed the practice, so I took my weight integrated BC off underwater to see exactly what was leaking (turned out to be a tank O-ring) I wear a 7mm semi-dry so was quite positively bouyant, but it is not really an issue as you simply need to hold onto a shoulder strap.

I agree ditching and donning a weight integrated BC while wearing a bouyant exposure suit is something that should be taught and practiced. It is not hard to do, but it is different than the procedure used in a pool where bouyancy is not an issue. It is however also a very rare thing to ever have to take one off. Ditching your equipment in general is not something that is done as often as in the distant past. Dumping a negatively bouyant tank and harness in the pre BC days made sense so that you could ascend to the surface withouit having to swim it up. But ditching a BC almost never makes sense and when it does being positively bouyant is probably an asset.

I dive with a Black Diamond and steel 120's. With that configuration, I dive with 8 lbs in the ocean with a 3mm full. My tanks are 10lbs negative when full, 1 lb negative empty. So, even IF I dove with a weight belt, I would still effectively be integrated.

My tank fell out (yeah, I know...) and my buddy was unable to unstrap the velcro and fix it, so I wanted to take it all off and fix it my self. But I didn't know how easy this would be with the reg clamped in my mouth, one hand held to a strap to keep me down, and only one hand to put the tank back while floating feet up being pulled toward the surface. I'll have to try this in a controled environment.
So it's not about ditching, it's about fixing. Even if I have a buddy who can help, I don't like to HAVE to rely on him.