Solo with no BCD?

[JMBL]

Hi !

Concerning dry suit as a buoyancy device : not a problem ! It's been done for years. Although I was dry suit trained relatively recently (a bit more than 10 years ago), I was taught both way (i.e using my dry suit as a main buoyancy source or my BCD, with just enough air in the suit to prevent squeezing).

My concern would be the lack of redundant buoyancy, as already stated. A SMB might help, as already stated (once again) but I would STRONGLY advise that you get someone to teach you that skill. Unproper use of an SMB as an alternative buoyancy device can be disastrous : meaning rocketing to the surface, with all the unpleasant consequences.

Over the years, I've seen (then helped) fellow divers who were complacent while using SMB, that I'm "almost" scared of the device now.

 

[SlugLife]

As others said, you want to put extra effort towards redundancy and safety when solo-diving.

The majority of accidents, incidents, and near-misses I've seen follow a sort of "rule of 3s." The accident wouldn't have happened, except for 3 things went wrong or were neglected at the same time. Just as a standard disclaimer, this rule-of-3s doesn't mean it's safe to neglect 1-2 things. With solo-diving, we're already at 1/3. Ditching any safety-equipment, puts you closer to a 2/3. If anything random goes wrong, now you risk being a 3/3. This risk isn't something disposable like "I crashed my car, but it can be replaced" but rather potential for severe injury or death.

A lot of what we do in solo-diving with redundancy, is try to move the "1/3" in terms back to a 0/3. In some ways, solo-divers with redundancy may be much safer than standard buddy-diving, if done properly.

As others said, you can definitely dive without a BCD, and that used to be very common. However, I'd recommend the following:

• Ensure your weighting is absolutely correct. Even a fully emptied BCD has bouyancy, so it's likely you'll need to ditch some weight.
• Ensure you have 2+ reliable ways of returning to the surface, whether that's swimming, crawling up a slope towards shore, a DSMB, etc.
• Do a test-dive, with a BCD that's deflated from start to finish.
• Check craigslist to see if there's a really cheap used BCD you can use temporarily. They tend to go VERY cheap locally, if you're not too picky on fit/brand/etc. Or rent a BCD from a dive-shop.

 

[Doc Harry]

My rule: Two of everything for solo

 

[Moerae]

I never get all the "we used to do X" arguments.

We used to drive without seatbelts and chain smoke in the car with our toddlers, too.

Not that everything we do today is better than what we did in the past, but the point is "we used to do it and I'm still alive" isn't really a meaningful point.

 

[Gone for diving]

"we used to have smarter people "
Diving has been dumbed down so much that most people should not dive with out a bcd...
but its amazing how freeing it is without a bcd...

I have seen someone lose their bcd at the surface when the inflator hose came off at the bcd bulkhead...(is the same a hole in the bladder )
Believe me it's not pretty. The reg was not in there mouth. Luckily I was close enough to grab them and not let them sink too far...

I personally think everyone should have a reg with a necklace under there chin. Even recreational divers.

 

[Ana]

As a true solo diver (to you), our thoughts on this should be meaningless.

If you haven't yet arrived at what is an acceptable risk to you (with ABSOLUTELY NO outside info) then you are a work in progress.

If you have to ask, then you already know the answer. Keep pushing, you'll get there. ..

That to me is #1

A person should know if they can or can not, full stop.
There will be people that will respond claiming the person doesn't know what he doesn't know , and there may be a chance those people are correct. It doesn't matter. A diver (solo or with company) has to find the way to know.

Makes me wonder if there are people out there relaying purely on the magic of redundancy. Gear is very important but sometimes it doesn't matter that one has 2 masks, double bladder wing with a lift bag, 2 pony bottles and a whistle.

 

[jale]

Hi
The question is: should people have enough skill to be able to dive without using a bcd in 10M of water?
If you are properly weighted it should not be a problem.
It is better to be able to dive solo or not without (or without using) a bcd than not being able to do so.
I would say if you cannot use your lungs only to control yor buoyancy in 10M of water, something is wrong.

 

[Doc Harry]

Hi
The question is: should people have enough skill to be able to dive without using a bcd in 10M of water?
If you are properly weighted it should not be a problem.
It is better to be able to dive solo or not without (or without using) a bcd than not being able to do so.
I would say if you cannot use your lungs only to control yor buoyancy in 10M of water, something is wrong.

Not true
Now figure out why that's not true.

 

[SlugLife]

I never get all the "we used to do X" arguments.

We used to drive without seatbelts and chain smoke in the car with our toddlers, too.

Not that everything we do today is better than what we did in the past, but the point is "we used to do it and I'm still alive" isn't really a meaningful point.

To many modern divers, a BCD is a necessary safety feature.

• Divers have become massively over-reliant on their BCDs, and are frequently overweighed.
• Divers are unaware that it is practical to safely dive without one, or safely handle a complete BCD failure (if they're not overweighed)
• Modern divers haven't trained or practiced diving without a BCD.

If someone practices doing complete dives with an empty BCD, or surfacing with an empty BCD, then the BCD itself becomes a redundant safety feature.

From a solo-diving perspective, I think it's amazing if we can reduce reliance on any of our equipment, and increases safety significantly.

"we used to have smarter people "
Diving has been dumbed down so much that most people should not dive with out a bcd...
but its amazing how freeing it is without a bcd...

I have seen someone lose their bcd at the surface when the inflator hose came off at the bcd bulkhead...(is the same a hole in the bladder )
Believe me it's not pretty. The reg was not in there mouth. Luckily I was close enough to grab them and not let them sink too far...

I personally think everyone should have a reg with a necklace under there chin. Even recreational divers.

Being unable to find a regulator is something that freaked me out from the beginning, and I always found the regulator retrieval drills a little odd. Specifically, that people would be comfortable with the idea of their regulator floating off to somewhere difficult to find or reach. I thought people didn't use regulator retainers or clip off regulators, because that was some unknown hazard.

Though it was a while later before I discovered that regulator necklaces & retainers are perfectly normal. Also that they're really inexpensive, and can easily be made cheaply DIY. All of my regulators, including the octo, have a necklace-bungee & a breakaway bolt-snap. When not in use (octo, right-side mount, or pony-bottle), the excess necklace-bungee is secured and loosely tied.

It's almost impossible for me to lose either regulator now. Primary is always around the neck & secondary is always clipped to the chest d-ring, which is positioned where my thumb naturally points when pointed towards the shoulder.

 

[ginti]

Let’s be honest, thirty+ years ago this would have been common.

Are you throwing away 30 years of development? What kind of suggestion is this one?

It sounds like: guys, let's drive our cars without safety belts and airbags, and our motorbikes without helmets, because 30+years ago they did it like that!