New diver with questions on one of the certification tasks
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I dive a wet suit. I would take out a weight, open my neck seal, and put the weight down close to waist. Then do the same with the other weight. That would put the weight close to where it would be with a weight belt. Depending on tank, amount of weight, etc. might suffice to just put one weigtht in. This requires unbuckling front of BCD but you keep the arms in so you still have control of the BCD.
No. I would unbuckle the front of the BCD so that it is still on my shoulders. In fact I can leave one attached but loose. The weights come out with a forward pull and stay in the pocket. Pull the neck seal forward and place the pouch in. Both hands are free while you do this. After the weight transfer you take off the BCD. This is best done in contact with the bottom. You will want to not have a lot of air in BCD. Note that I dive HP100s so the BCD will always be negatively buoyant. Once out of BCD you will want to maintain firm contact with it while you deal with whatever it is you need to deal with. You put BCD back on shoulders before you retrieve weights. If you let yourself get head down then gravity will assist you.
However you do it, take your time and move careful.
If you are hung up on something you may well be able to get to it without fully taking off your BCD.
I have done practice off and ons a few times but never had to do it for real on a dive. Always had a buddy next to me when I practiced for safety though I succeeded without their help.
However you do it, take your time and move careful.
If you are hung up on something you may well be able to get to it without fully taking off your BCD.
I have done practice off and ons a few times but never had to do it for real on a dive. Always had a buddy next to me when I practiced for safety though I succeeded without their help.
We don’t do this in BSAC training anymore. Back when they had to swim lengths and tread water with a weight belt we did.
I think the point is not to be able to do it for real on a dive but to gain, and demonstrate, confidence in the water dealing with something a bit difficult. Our skill was known as ‘ditch and retrieve’ and involved leaving all the kit, including weights, mask and fins, on the bottom, surfacing, duck diving back down and refitting it all.
I can’t imagine removing my cylinder on a dive unless in tropical waters with next to no exposure protection. For sure we were being trained for conditions when it would result in heading straight to the surface.
I think the point is not to be able to do it for real on a dive but to gain, and demonstrate, confidence in the water dealing with something a bit difficult. Our skill was known as ‘ditch and retrieve’ and involved leaving all the kit, including weights, mask and fins, on the bottom, surfacing, duck diving back down and refitting it all.
I can’t imagine removing my cylinder on a dive unless in tropical waters with next to no exposure protection. For sure we were being trained for conditions when it would result in heading straight to the surface.
aquacat8
Contributor
@Steve_C that’s brilliant... especially after you mentioned gravity assist... of course if you got upside down the weight would slide right up to your neck. Another possibility if things are a mess would be to just leave it in your wetsuit for ascent. Better have your booties outside at the ankles though. But the best thing would be to have pockets on the wetsuit you had temporarily put them in.
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