Failed BCD pressure relief valve

[redacted]

My experience was at the surface there was no way I could keep my head above water without air in my BCD.

I am doing the Advanced Open Water this weekend at the same lake so hopefully it will be uneventful. Although, I would rather learn to deal with it there than on my first "out of school" dive in Panama City, FL this June. Anybody have recommendations for good first dives in Panama City, FL?

As I said, I'm pretty new and there is a lot to think about and a lot to learn. I really appreciate the feedback, I think it makes better divers.

Sounds to me like you may be severely overweighted. On the surface, you should be pretty close to neutral, depending on haw much air was in your tank. It should have been reasonably easy to stay afloat with just light to moderate finning effort.

 

[Hallmac]

I like this suggestion. Are there any pitfalls in doing something like this?

Yes, you have to be careful and remember to release air on the way to the surface. Since things are not in the typical position you have to keep thinking, you might have to roll over to vent. Second, if it is a weight integrated BC, you must keep it neutral or it can get away from you.

It is all about working through the problem and taking your time.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Congratulations on handling a bad situation well. I also had an OPV valve completely fail due to the spring breaking from corrosion. It was on my shoulder. I didn't know exactly what failed, but I never thought about trying to ascend in the upside down position and try to trap some air in the bottom of the BC. I simply swam up since I had zero ditchable lead, but I was not grossly over weighted and had no wetsuit on.

Your instructor really screwed up if s/he left you alone on the bottom. He also screwed up if he had you so heavily weighted that you could not swim on the surface without the use of your BC.

Hope you pick a different instrucor for Advanced training, because this guy already has 2 strikes in my book. It really is a matter of life and death and many, many instructors are very poor in my opinion.

I think an openwater diver should have done the following:

Wait a minute for the instructor to come find you.
Then if no show, swim crawl to the ascent line if it is close and you know where it is and you have air.

Then slowly climb up the ascent line kicking and pulling your way up.
Then at the surface, if you are too heavy, drop the ditchable lead (and make the shop buy you new lead since their gear failed).

Of course that is the ideal response. A lot of people would have freaked out and easily got killed or hurt.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Personally, I would have taken the unit off, turned it upside down or what ever angle I needed to put the malfunctioning dump towards the bottom, and added some air. I would have then bear hugged it and swam a slow ascent towards my exit point.

Good job with your reaction to the problem.

Maybe YOU would have done that, but it is not practical for an open water student to do that.. I personally carry a SMB and if I have a similar failure, I will be keeping all my gear on and using the smb as an emergency bouyancy device.

 

[Hallmac]

Maybe YOU would have done that, but it is not practical for an open water student to do that.. I personally carry a SMB and if I have a similar failure, I will be keeping all my gear on and using the smb as an emergency bouyancy device.

Why? I am not a scuba god. Anything I can do, somebody else can do. I carry a smb, a lift bag, two reels and several other options. However, the OP did not state they had those options available. IN fact while they are covered in the classes I teach I have never required an entry level student to own one, nor do I personally know of anybody that requires them. Second, both those options are harder to control on ascent if used for lift. If sent to the surface reeling up or pulling up is a simple matter.

IF the OP was trained to do equipment removals in mid water then moving the BC to the front is something they already know. Flipping it upside or sideways is not much more of a stretch. Neutral is neutral and by making the move even half of a bladder will hold air. Dump valves make it easier to control on the ascent. I did make an assumption that the OP was without the extras and offered a viable solution. That is exactly what the OP is asking for..... OPTIONS.

Here on SB, We have the ability to to improve on the lack of training others receive. Maybe the best thing we can share is the way we think, there are always several options.

 

[AZFinDiver]

As I stated previously, I don't blame the instructor, they were chasing another student who freaked out and was ascending to rapidly. They signalled for the rest of us to surface, but the valve was already stuck open.

I don't think it is impractical for an Open Water student to remove the BCD and turn it upside down, removing your BCD underwater is even one of the skills you must demonstrate for your certification. I think what is practical is to use your training and knowledge to find whatever means get you safely back to the surface. Which is precisely why I enjoy reading about experiences other divers have and how they adapted.

 

[AZFinDiver]

Sorry, Duplicate post...

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Taking your BC off underwater, making it bouyant and then holding it, might, just might, get away from you. Then what? You are on the bottom with no air and a big fat weight belt around your waist. While you life support equipment bobs on the surface??? I would rather crawl up a line...

 

[AZFinDiver]

I'm sure there is a level of risk in any manuver like this, for example what if I couldn't find my way back to the line, I could find myself halfway across the lake. With regards to removing the BCD, could/should you put it back on over your shoulders after turning it upside down?

 

[TSandM]

I wouldn't take my gear off and try to hold onto it.

Most people can swim up 10 lbs negative. I know I can, and I'm little and have little fins. An Al80 starts out about 2 lbs negative when FULL, and is +4 when empty. If you are weighted so you are neutral at the surface with 500 psi in the tank, you should be able to swim up from anything above 60 fsw. Below that gets dicey, which is why the recommendation not to do deep diving in a very thick wetsuit. If you cannot remain at the surface with an empty tank, you are overweighted.