Yes any diver that runs out of gas probably has an issue with proper dive planning although that is not the only reason a diver can be in this predicament. But you know what? It happens, and the results are often fatal. Of the limited options available to an OOA diver at depth, breathing the remaining gas from their BCD is one, but it too can be fatal if the BCD harbors dangerous microbes.
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Yes any diver that runs out of gas probably has an issue with proper dive planning although that is not the only reason a diver can be in this predicament. But you know what? It happens, and the results are often fatal. Of the limited options available to an OOA diver at depth, breathing the remaining gas from their BCD is one, but it too can be fatal if the BCD harbors dangerous microbes.
I have used a solution of water and Listerine. I also use this on my wetsuits. May cause some sort of problem, but so far it has not. If there is something better I will use it, I just don't know how much good it does...I mean it seems like the inside of a bcd could pretty quickly get biologically "active" on a dive. Still, I think it is a good idea, it is easy to breath in a little air when manually inflating. I was surprised to learn how much water manages to work its way into the bcd bladder during a dive.
In regards to the air in the bc as a last resort...I have wondered about that. The only thing I have ever seen or heard about it is "no, don't do it". I am PADI OW and there was a very brief short and sweet blurb in the book that just says don't. As posted, it seems like breathing possibly "bio-tainted" air from a bc beats the hell out of zero air at all and certain death. I think I will take my chance if it ever gets down to it. Lets see.....possible lung infection or guaranteed certain death???? There's a no brainer, at least for me. Is there anything taught different regarding this in more advanced training????
If "gas management" was the complete and final answer I wouldn't worry about it, but I don't believe it is. I know a very experienced diver that I asked about problems with mechanical pressure gauges. He said he once had one stick on 1900 psi....needless to say, he ran out of air. He survived obviously and didn't give any details of how things transpired. He did say that later when they took the gauge apart the needle remained on 1900. How exactly should he have "planned his gas better"?????
I guess if diver cert groups advocated the use of air in the bcd for emergencies there would be people out there that figured it must be okay to do anytime {practice} and end up with lung infections???
In regards to the air in the bc as a last resort...I have wondered about that. The only thing I have ever seen or heard about it is "no, don't do it". I am PADI OW and there was a very brief short and sweet blurb in the book that just says don't. As posted, it seems like breathing possibly "bio-tainted" air from a bc beats the hell out of zero air at all and certain death. I think I will take my chance if it ever gets down to it. Lets see.....possible lung infection or guaranteed certain death???? There's a no brainer, at least for me. Is there anything taught different regarding this in more advanced training????
If "gas management" was the complete and final answer I wouldn't worry about it, but I don't believe it is. I know a very experienced diver that I asked about problems with mechanical pressure gauges. He said he once had one stick on 1900 psi....needless to say, he ran out of air. He survived obviously and didn't give any details of how things transpired. He did say that later when they took the gauge apart the needle remained on 1900. How exactly should he have "planned his gas better"?????
I guess if diver cert groups advocated the use of air in the bcd for emergencies there would be people out there that figured it must be okay to do anytime {practice} and end up with lung infections???
oldschoolto
Contributor
Not a very good diver if he keeps checking his gauge and it still shows 1900 psi and he believes it..
jim...
jim...
As far as why dive agencies don't encourage emergency breathing out of a BCD and techniques to sanitize the BCD, as well as an account of a diver fatality from breathing from a BCD, this is a good read:
Emergency Breathing from Your BCD: Undercurrent 06/2011
Emergency Breathing from Your BCD: Undercurrent 06/2011
There has been 1 (one, singular, uno, ichi) case of a diver dying due to getting an infection, and even then the fact that he died from an infection that is so common among, well, everybody, shows just how rare it is. Especially considering we breathe the air in our BCD's pretty regularly doing casual inflator checks or sucking the air out for storage or travel.
You want to sterilize it? Go for it. You can get a literal case of steramine on Amazon for a few bucks, or whatever your local quaternary solution equivalent is. Steramine just happens to be convenient because it's easily dissolved in hot water.
You want to sterilize it? Go for it. You can get a literal case of steramine on Amazon for a few bucks, or whatever your local quaternary solution equivalent is. Steramine just happens to be convenient because it's easily dissolved in hot water.
Thanks for posting this article!!! Some interesting points...not the least of which is: "there are more cures for a lung infection than there are for drowning".....and "it's there if you need it"
"Peripheral narrowing" was an interesting item as well...it doesn't just happen in emergency situations, my wife suffers it when I need to spend any money.
Edit: On a serious note, I guess my biggest question is: How do you dry out the inside of the bladder of a bcd??? I mean, sterilizing it is one thing, but if you are unable to then get the thing dry wont bacteria, microbes, fungus...{whatever else alive you don't want in there} start to immediately grow again if it's left wet inside??? I rinsed mine out and filled it with air and deflated it several times, but I doubt that did much to dry it out. I even filled it full of air and sat it in the sun for a while, but I don't know if that did much.
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jfe
Contributor
I agree, IF he believed it two things would happen....yes, he wouldn't be "a very good diver" and he would be dead. As it stands though, he is a very good diver {he didn't believe it} and he is still alive.
I guess I should have explained it at length...he said he looked at the gauge the first time and thought, wow, I am not hogging air as bad as I usually do....the next time he checked it and it was the same he {obviously} headed for the surface. I am going to go way out on a limb here and guess wildly that this is why he might still be alive????? The point is again getting lost....how does a "good" diver plan a faulty gauge to not happen???
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It isn't necessary. A tiny bit of water/moisture will do no harm, even over months and months of storage. Now, if you are buying into the idea that the air inside a BC should be sufficiently free of microbes to be considered safely breathable, you would want to dry it out, but as the Undercurrent article points out, the training agencies don't advocate BC breathing. As I recall from my training, PADI (and I suspect the others) teach CESA, not BC-breathing, as a last resort option. BC breathing is nowhere in my list of options.
It seems like it would be possible to dry out the BC bladder by removing the dump valve(s) and letting it air out for several days, but I recall one thread in which a manufacturer said he did not recommend doing that--he didn't say why, but maybe the concern is that it might be reassembled incorrectly, the gasket might get lost, etc. I think the point is that the benefit does not outweigh the possible downside.
I suck air out of my wing for packing every time. I also once had an atypical immune response to a bacterial infection.
I am fairly certain that proper biological agents do nothing to harm the non-biological material the bladder is made of.
Next season it'll probably be time to pull my butt dump apart for check-up, I might just leave it un-done for the winter: when the heating kicks in, the inside of the bladder will get very dry very fast.
I am fairly certain that proper biological agents do nothing to harm the non-biological material the bladder is made of.
Next season it'll probably be time to pull my butt dump apart for check-up, I might just leave it un-done for the winter: when the heating kicks in, the inside of the bladder will get very dry very fast.
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