Runaway BC

[SNorman]

Wait, you're saying that you should have dumped air from your BC to descend further from depth?

I think he meant that after his BCD was overinflated he should have vented instead of trying to fin down.

 

[DayBob]

If your instructor did not make a big deal out of the possibility that the BC inflator may one day stick in the on/inflate position, then your instructor SUCKED.

This thread is the first I've heard about a stuck inflator.

 

[D_B]

You will remember this and be the diver better for it

BTW I was taught about alternate dumps , and use my rear dump often because it's more often in the right place to be effective ( I do not and did not ever get in the habit of pulling on the inflater hose to dump .. one excited too hard pull could leave the hose in your hand ..and besides, in my case, I have an alternate dump on the other shoulder ) the alternate dumps do take some use to build a muscle memory of exactly where it is

we also did stuck inflater drills, and you do remove it first, then deal with the excess air ... you want to first stop the source of the problem

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

All of the BC's I put divers in have kidney dumps. The boat I work for has mostly Mares vests, the LDS I rent from has Aqua Lung vests and I have a few old SeaQuest vests; all with kidney dumps. Even though all my students and many of my certified renters are told/shown the use of the kidney dump. I also tell them "we" call it the DM dump, because nearly every too buoyant renter I have ever seen is trying to vent with the deflator and the DM swims behind to pull the kidney dump.

 

[rongoodman]

Mistake number 2, in my opinion anyway, was to go head down to swim after without dropping air out of my BC.

Unless it's large BC, you should be able to swim it down even if it's full, while you're dumping from the rear dump. I know I can do it with a full 30# Eclipse.

 

[captain]

Unless it's large BC, you should be able to swim it down even if it's full, while you're dumping from the rear dump. I know I can do it with a full 30# Eclipse.

Can you also swim 30# of weight up with no BC. I can swim down an inflated 200# lift BC if I am 190# overweighted.

 

[SNorman]

Unless it's large BC, you should be able to swim it down even if it's full, while you're dumping from the rear dump. I know I can do it with a full 30# Eclipse.

Updating my response because I misread what you said. Sure *if you're dumping from the rear dump* you can swim it down. If you're not dumping it probably won't work. The main dump is fast enough that I use that and don't exert myself.

 

[SNorman]

This thread is the first I've heard about a stuck inflator.

Yikes.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Updating my response because I misread what you said. Sure *if you're dumping from the rear dump* you can swim it down. If you're not dumping it probably won't work. The main dump is fast enough that I use that and don't exert myself.

Why would you claim that someone didn't post what they meant?

I totally agree that I can swim down either of my BC's when fully inflated, without venting.

If I wear my Pinnacle Merino-Elastiprene 5 mm wet suit, I need ~14 lbs with an AL80. If I do a pike surface dive I probably need to make a couple strokes with my arms to get my fins completely underwater, but from there all I need is fins.

I regularly drag myself down mooring lines without venting my full at the surface BC, while the tourist divers I just told to watch me wiggle, flap and kick while taking large breaths in a heads up position wondering why they can't sink.

 

[DayBob]

I went back and looked through the book and couldn't find it. I asked my wife if she remembers it and she didn't remember the instructor mentioning it.

So the procedure is to disconnect the inflator line and dump air right after? I can practice that on land no problem. Any way to practice this in a pool or shallow water? I'd like to practice this before it ever happens.