Bcd filled with water

[Litefoot]

I’m new enough to remember the instructor dumping what seemed like two quarts of water from each of the students BC’s after our OW check out dives.

 

[Fastmarc]

It's not uncommon, particularly if you use your dump valves to correct buoyancy (which a lot of new divers do). Nothing particularly bad or wrong with it; it's part of the learning process.

As said above, eventually you will reach the point where you correct your buoyancy primarily with breath control. Amazing things start happening then: your BCD will have significantly less water in it, you will consume less air, your hair will become radiant and have more body, your skin and nails will be flawless, you will become popular among certain religious sects who may worship you as their god. Your personal experience may vary.

In seriousness, regardless of whether you have a lot or little water in your BCD, make sure you are rinsing it out thoroughly with fresh water post-dive. I use a little bit of antibacterial detergent (maybe a capful) and water when rinsing; I put the solution in, blow air into the BC and slosh the mixture around the bladder (like shaking an unusual cocktail), empty it out, and then flush several times with fresh water. Hang it upside down in a dry room with air inflator hose disconnected for a couple days.

I'm always amazed at the amount of water I see being expelled from other people BCDs after a dive as I always check and have never had any in my BCDs.
On my previous BCDs, I always pulled on the corrugated hose's dump valve. It was so convenient and I didn't have to get out of trim much. No water.
On my present Xdeep Ghost I only use the dump valve except when letting out air at the surface. No water.
The only thing I can think of that is letting in that water, especially that amount is possibly keeping the button pressed even after going under water during the initial descent. As someone above said hold hose above your head, let out some air and once you start to go under, exhale and let go of the button before that hand goes below the surface. This might be what's happening.

Regardless, I always rinse thoroughly after every dive.

HTH!

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

I've gotten to the point where, on initial descent, I'll fin to stay above the surface holding the inflator above my head until the BC is fully deflated. No more water to dump. But ...

And I don't put any air back into the BC until I'm at the surface waiting to climb back aboard.

 

[inquis]

I'm amazed at the number of people advocating to not adjust the BCD underwater. Using lungs to offset negative buoyancy (which you'll have due to the weight of gas you haven't yet breathed) typically precludes full exhalation, which is a recipe for CO2 retention: increased air consumption, headaches, and increased propensity for narcosis are some of the consequences. A similar thing happens to those who only adjust once after initial descent, then breath shallow toward the end of the dive.

For optimal ventilation, use lungs to initiate depth changes, then adjust the BC to move your breathing back to its normal range, allowing full exhales at the new depth.

 

[grantmac]

Using the bottom dump once under and not being borderline on weighting will fix this issue. Really needing to squeeze the last bit out of the BCD you'll always get a bit of water left after a dive. Just inflate and dump it as you walk out.

 

[rongoodman]

I've gotten to the point where, on initial descent, I'll fin to stay above the surface holding the inflator above my head until the BC is fully deflated. No more water to dump. But ...

And I don't put any air back into the BC until I'm at the surface waiting to climb back aboard.

So you’re compensating for 5 pounds of gas in addition to the loss of buoyancy of your exposure gear entirely with your lungs? Why?

 

[boulderjohn]

I advocate being a few pounds over ideal weight so that you can descend quicker and--as some have already noted--so that when you do need to dump a little air, you don't have to work so hard to get that tiny bubble to the exit point. Trying to dump air when the bubble is not at the exit point (very highest point of BCD) is indeed a reason you get water in the BCD.

With that level of weighting, you will not be adding or dumping air from the BCD very much on a typical dive. You will indeed use your lungs as the primary buoyancy control device, BUT, when you do change to a new depth, either up or down, it takes very little effort to add or subtract a little bit of air to make your diving effortless.

 

[The Chairman]

What the old man said.

I found that dive knife you're missing... in my back!

I first learned to dive in 1969 without a bladder and was not introduced to a BCD until much later. Our kit was always balanced so we could breathe ourselves up or down using only our lungs. It appears that trim and buoyancy have been abandoned by some to a mere gadget.

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

I first learned to dive in 1969 without a bladder and was not introduced to a BCD until much later. Our kit was always balanced so we could breathe ourselves up or down using only our lungs. It appears that trim and buoyancy have been abandoned by some to a mere gadget.

What he said ^^^

But then, I like flying taildraggers instead of tricycle.

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

So you’re compensating for 5 pounds of gas in addition to the loss of buoyancy of your exposure gear entirely with your lungs? Why?

What is "exposure gear"?

As to the "why", because I can. Really, it's easier (more intuitive) for me.

I also drive a stick shift over a slush-o-matic.