Any old time divers out there? Back in the day of no pressure gauges and the J valve, what was diving like with no BC?
Did they use less weight? And Getting back to the surface from depth must have been a chore with no air assist. Did they even have J valves from the very beginning?
Clue me in on what it was like...from the hassles to the nostalgic memories.
You realize there is a vintage forum here?
We don't use an "air assist" today either to get back to the surface.
Quite simply, we swam (swim) down, we swam (swim) around and then we swam (swim) back up. Why do you think this would be difficult?
Taken a few days ago, vintage brand new Voit 50 Fathom, vintage Sportsways SPG Sea Vue with banjo adapter, Voit Snug Pack, no BC, don't need one. Proper weighting and technique can eliminate the need for a BC even with relatively heavy exposure protection. The lungs make a great BC.
Some people talk about minimalism and streamlining and reducing clutter, I do it.
We weighted, with exposure gear, such that it was required to swim down, once the suit compressed a bit the diver will go slightly negative, as the tank is depleted much of the dive is completed within the tidal volume of the lungs to adjust for buoyancy. By the end of the dive the diver will be slightly buoyant to assist the swim upward. We did not make safety stops but I can easily hold my 15 foot stops. Once on the surface, the diver will be slightly buoyant with the depleted tank, if an emergency develops on the surface, drop the weights and now the diver will be very buoyant.
I am often amazed at the amount of lead modern trained divers carry, this is often exacerbated by poorly designed equipment such as poodle jackets that are buoyant due to the padding and bulk even when sucked empty.
Do jelly fish need a BC?
The less equipment you use, the less equipment you need.
N