emttim
Contributor
Alright, so because I'm bored, I read most of the thread on if modern dive gear is more efficient than the "old school" stuff, and inbetween that and other threads, it seems like a large amount of people seem to absolutely hate integrated weight and think it's a detriment to safety.
I don't mind spotlighting those of you who think that, so here's my question: In the realm of recreational diving with a buddy, why?
Perhaps I'm missing something, or perhaps some people are simply full of ****, but I'd prefer to find out which it is. I'm going to consider this question, as I said, in the realm of rec diving with a buddy...IE no stop diving, nothing that could be considered tec such as wreck penetration, etc.
As far as integrated weight goes, the argument (from what I can see) is that in the event you have to take off your BCD, there is a very real possibility of a runaway ascent to the surface. Ok, let's analyze that.
Here's the possible reasons I can think of for removing a BCD underwater:
1) You ran into a fishing net or something similar and got severely entangled. Ok, fine, but your buddy should be there to help you out and cut away the entanglement so you don't have to take off your scuba unit. If your buddy isn't around, then that's one thing, but if you're that entangled I doubt you'd shoot up to the surface anyway since you'll probably still be entangled even if you take your BCD off. And if not, then what's to stop you from simply taking the scuba unit off, hooking your legs into the shoulder straps and hugging the scuba unit with your legs while you cut the unit loose?
2) Your tank strap wasn't properly tightened and your tank is falling out. Well, this can be alleviated by not being an idiot and doing a pre-dive safety check.
3) Another release, strap, etc. is not adjusted properly which is creating either a hazard or an annoyance too strong to ignore. Again, this can be alleviated by not being an idiot and doing a pre-dive safety check.
4) Your tank valve wasn't opened enough and you're having trouble breathing from your reg. Same as #2 and #3 above in addition to simply having your buddy open the valve.
Outside of removing the BCD and a runaway ascent being possible, the only other detriment I can see is that the weight pockets can fall out which again, could cause a runaway ascent to the surface. Having faulty or crappy gear will cause problems, regardless of what the gear is. Weight pockets falling out shouldn't be an issue with a decent BCD, and again, an adequate pre-dive safety check to make sure the pockets are securely fastened.
So there's my thoughts on the matter. Tell me yours, I'm interested to know!
I don't mind spotlighting those of you who think that, so here's my question: In the realm of recreational diving with a buddy, why?
Perhaps I'm missing something, or perhaps some people are simply full of ****, but I'd prefer to find out which it is. I'm going to consider this question, as I said, in the realm of rec diving with a buddy...IE no stop diving, nothing that could be considered tec such as wreck penetration, etc.
As far as integrated weight goes, the argument (from what I can see) is that in the event you have to take off your BCD, there is a very real possibility of a runaway ascent to the surface. Ok, let's analyze that.
Here's the possible reasons I can think of for removing a BCD underwater:
1) You ran into a fishing net or something similar and got severely entangled. Ok, fine, but your buddy should be there to help you out and cut away the entanglement so you don't have to take off your scuba unit. If your buddy isn't around, then that's one thing, but if you're that entangled I doubt you'd shoot up to the surface anyway since you'll probably still be entangled even if you take your BCD off. And if not, then what's to stop you from simply taking the scuba unit off, hooking your legs into the shoulder straps and hugging the scuba unit with your legs while you cut the unit loose?
2) Your tank strap wasn't properly tightened and your tank is falling out. Well, this can be alleviated by not being an idiot and doing a pre-dive safety check.
3) Another release, strap, etc. is not adjusted properly which is creating either a hazard or an annoyance too strong to ignore. Again, this can be alleviated by not being an idiot and doing a pre-dive safety check.
4) Your tank valve wasn't opened enough and you're having trouble breathing from your reg. Same as #2 and #3 above in addition to simply having your buddy open the valve.
Outside of removing the BCD and a runaway ascent being possible, the only other detriment I can see is that the weight pockets can fall out which again, could cause a runaway ascent to the surface. Having faulty or crappy gear will cause problems, regardless of what the gear is. Weight pockets falling out shouldn't be an issue with a decent BCD, and again, an adequate pre-dive safety check to make sure the pockets are securely fastened.
So there's my thoughts on the matter. Tell me yours, I'm interested to know!