Question regarding emergency removal of SCUBAPRO Classic Unlimited

[DiverAmy]

Hi,

I am a 49 year old woman who weighs 135 lb and is 5'3 tall. I have a SCUBAPRO Classic Unlimited in size small. It fit perfectly.

I am currently working on my PADI rescue diver training. When I was the "victim" in rescue scenarios this past weekend, the two gentlemen I was teamed with could NOT get the BCD off of me, inflated, on the surface, while giving rescue breaths and towing. (simulated rescue breaths) I became concerned. Other people's BCDs have quick release clips on the chest to ditch their BCDs. Mine would not come over my shoulders, nor would my arms pull through the arm holes. I started searching for information on removing my BCD in an emergency, and did not find anything useful.

To give you more information, we were doing this at the Blue Heron Bridge in Riviera Beach, FL in about 8 feet of water. The water temp was about 74 degrees and I was wearing a 7 mm full wetsuit, with a 3/5 hooded vest, 3 mm gloves and 20 lb of lead. 8 lb in each front pocket and 2 lb in each trim pocket. They dropped the front pockets, but did not attempt the ditch the weight in the trim pockets. Please advise me regarding the BEST way to remove this BCD in an emergency.

Thank you,

Amy Rabinowitz

 

[theduckguru]

Can you get it off easily in the water? In a real emergency where I coundn't get your BC off, I'd cut a shoulder strap.

 

[DiverAmy]

IT doesn't have shoulder straps. It is not EASY to get off in the water, but I can get it off and put it back on.

 

[WheelsUSN]

How did they attempt to get your arms out? With that type of BC I teach students to "chickenwing" the victim. You bend the victims arm at the elbow and stick the hand back thru the armhole and pull the arm out that way. After you get the first arm out you can slide the BC down the other arm to get it completely off. All of my students practice rescues on victims wearing BCs with quick releases, ScubaPro Classics, and Backplate and Wings, in real life you don't get to choose the gear that the person needing help will be wearing. I agree with theduckguru, in a real situation if I was having trouble removing your BC I would cut it off.

 

[tkdgodess]

If you were in the state of life or death i would just yank you out with little regard to your limbs, your not breathing.... Or cut it.

 

[TSandM]

Wow -- that wouldn't be all that easy to cut off, either, I don't think.

I think if I were dealing with someone wearing this, I'd dump the weight pockets and any weights the diver was wearing, then deflate the BC at least partway, pull the diver's arms up over her head, and try to slide the BC out from under her along the arms. This approach works fairly well with backplates with continuous harnesses, although the width of the shoulder portion of a harness is far less than that BC. But you might try that, the next time you go out to practice.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Line cutter or trilobite to the bottom of each arm hole looks like the best way.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I had to use one of these this last dive season when I grabbed the wrong bin. I had my wing but the plate that was supposed to be on the bottom of the tub was not. So I rented one for the day. I can honestly say that I have never felt so uncomfortable, restricted, and to be honest, unsafe in any other rig I have used. The first thing I did was tell the people I was diving with was if I did have a problem and they needed to get me out of this to cut the damn thing off. In my drysuit there was no way they were going to chicken wing my arm and get it through that little hole. I don't dive a seven mil and hopefully never will as water that cold I want to be dry, but I can imagine a similar scenario fighting with that much neoprene on.

I also discovered that the weight pouches would not pull out as easy as I thought they should. So I put a few pounds in them and the rest on my weight belt. This is why I dive a BPW and recommend them. It really is a simple matter to get me out of it as it is adjusted properly. Or cut a single strap in a half second. This thing cannot be adjusted for proper fit and it appeared that it would take some doing to cut it off.

I'd take two clorox jugs, a piece of plywood, and some old web belts and make a BC or use no BC before I'd use one of these again.

 

[James R]

If, for some reason, I couldn't cut it or get your arms out of it I would drop the weights and release your tank from the cam band. This would make it as light as possible, which would help get you out of the water easier.

 

[nimoh]

I am not familiar with the BC, but no matter how well it fits, do you really want to keep using it if someone trying to rescue you can't get you out of it?

I mean, even if you are able to get a good reply in this thread of a "trick" to get people out of that BC, what would you do with that information? add it to every pre-dive briefing and hope they remember?