Diving Without an Inflator Hose

[AdivingBel]

I have had countless o-ring issues where the first stage hose connects to the inflator and occasionally a sticking inflator button, but I NEVER let this interfere with my dive plan. Depending on when the problem appears I simply disconnect the hose pre-dive or during. If you are obsessed with eliminating potential failure points go ahead and plug the first stage, but honestly you can easily resolve most inflator issues by disconnecting the hose and add air to your wing manually if/when necessary.

Good point.

 

[TMHeimer]

No offense Warren but this is exactly the problem the BCD created, not solved, for normal rec diving. Properly weighted, neither situation can occur outside of some technical diving where a lot of gear is being carried. I can't comment on rebreathers as I don't dive them. Diving was happening way before the BC came on the market, in that time, proper weighting and breath control was taught, today, the BC is used as a tool to cover for poor diver training/skill. While I do keep my BC hose connected (when wearing a BC) during a dive I almost never use the BC, I am properly weighted so there is no need.......just about to fly home from a week of diving, never touched the BC once. My "normal" diving rig is no BC at all when diving where the scuba police are not around. I am properly weighted and know breath control so I don't need one. We seem to forget it is a buoyancy COMPENSATOR , it's job is to compensate for small changes in buoyancy caused by gas use and exposure suit compression, not to compensate for excessive/improper weighting (outside of tech diving). These are relatively small changes and never happen quickly so there is never a need to quickly adjust for them.

I think I agree with all you say. On most of my dives I rarely use the BC once I have descended (if from a boat or from shore if it's the odd place where there is a sharp drop off to 60'). And of course venting during ascent. I can see what you say about the BC being used today to compensate for poor training/skill. I do on occasion use the inflator when going between say 10/15' and 30 feet, up or down, on my shallow shore dives. I assume that was done by breath control before the BC came out. One could say that the BC is used today to make things easier. Or as you say, due to poor skills.
It probably is difficult to compare someone's breath skills vs. BC use if diving in a skin suit with 4 pounds vs. in a 7 mil with all the trimmings and 40 pounds.

 

[grf88]

In very cold water it is not uncommon for people to leave the inflator detached or to detach it once reaching depth. An inflator that is covered in ice due to free-flowing is almost impossible to disconnect quickly enough to avoid a rapid ascent.

 

[Johanan]

My warm water sm rig has no power inflator. Never miss it.

What do you do for floating? Inflate orally?

 

[caruso]

What do you do for floating? Inflate orally?

Sure hope so! If he was to inflate using the only other bodily orifice that produces gas it would be one of those things you can't unsee.

 

[jadairiii]

This is when I feel old. My basic scuba class, none of the BC's came with power inflators. Nor did my first BC, I added one later.

There was a time when we all learned how to dive by orally inflating a BC.

 

[a878bob]

What do you do for floating? Inflate orally?

I usually do nothing, neutrally bouyant at safety stop, positively bouyant at the surface, if I needed to, give a puff manually.

 

[abnfrog]

disconnect your your power inflator at depth (without it being stuck ) is plain stupid and dangerous advising that procedure is down right moronic.....I have in all my years of diving have never seen any one do it once with a working inflator

 

[chillyinCanada]

disconnect your your power inflator at depth (without it being stuck ) is pain stupid and dangerous advising that procedure is down right moronic.....I have in all my years of diving have never seen any one do it once with a working inflator

Who are you responding to, please?

 

[lamarpaulski]

Bad idea. I remember how happy I was when they came out. I had a horse collar BC and it required oral inflation. Life got a lot easier and safer with inflator hose and connection.

It was a big safety improvement because the last thing you might be able to do (or want to do) in an emergency was remove your reg and orally inflate your bc.

So imho you would be taking a safety step backwards.