What caused this? - equipment malfunction

[mizzie]

A little back story to start. I consider myself to be non-certified, but I do have a tiny bit of dive experience. When I was 13, I visited an uncle in Washington who was working at a dive shop. He offered my grandparents and I an OW crash course, so we could dive. (why he didn't just take us on a Discover Scuba, I have no idea) We were only going to be there 4 1/2 days, so we spent one whole day going over the book, taking tests and watching videos. Seriously, 13+ hours. The next day we spent in the pool and the two days after we did 3 or 4 ocean dives. (I only remember 3, but 4 is needed for cert, yes?) I did, technically, get a Jr certificate.

The second day, I was buddied with the shop owner. He had told me before the dive to just follow him and do what he said because of my experience level. I understand where he was coming from, but it also put me in the position of feeling I had no control. Anyway, halfway through the dive, my BCD started self inflating. I stayed calm, vented the air (go 13yo me!) and made eye contact with my buddy, who saw what happened. He checked my gauges and went on with the dive. I continued having that issue throughout the dive, having to vent air every few minutes. He noticed the issues, but still didn't end the dive.

When we were done, he berated me for "not rinsing it well enough" and told me to "do a better job today". Given my age and experience level, I didn't speak up, but even then it didn't seem right. I remember very clearly that I was careful to rinse everything I used exactly the way I had been shown. I even remember being at the rinse station longer than everyone else.

I had dismissed this until recently. If I did make a mistake, I want to know about it so I can take that knowledge forward. I plan to get my OW this summer. Yes, I am retaking the whole thing, given the nature of the last class and the fact that it was nearly 20 years ago.

So, can improper rinsing, one time the day before, cause a BCD to start self inflating or was there likely a larger cause? My gut instinct is that I didn't cause the issue, but I don't know enough about scuba equipment to really know.

I do know that I made a mistake in not signaling to surface when I was having an issue. At the time, I didn't really know, or didn't remember, about lung over expansion, but that could have gotten bad in a hurry. But, given my age and experience level, I also feel the shop owner (who knew full well what our training was), should have ended the dive and even supervised me with the equipment more.

 

[TSandM]

Improper care can contribute to this, but not one day's worth. The inflator has several o-rings in it, and debris or salt crystals on the o-rings can cause them to leak like that, but that's generally not something that occurs overnight. Once it happens, you may be able to solve the problem by running clear water through all the moving parts -- the Schrader valve, the exhaust valve, and the inflator button -- or it may be necessary to take the inflator apart and clean it.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Lynne's right. One day is not going to do it. Unless you are diving in really crappy water. More likely the shop owner had piss poor maintenance practices in general and you saw the result.

 

[WaterV]

In cold water, a first stage free flow can cause this, we're talking 40F and below. Also, some bc manufacturers have a bad system were when the wear on the button will eventually cause it to stay in inflating position of "stick" a bit. A small piece of sand in the inflator can also cause that. I agree that one day of bad rinsing would not do that. In any case, your buddy should have aborted the dive (unless it was unsafe to do so because of boat traffic for example). A more experienced diver would have disconnected the bc and carry on the dive inflating the bc by mouth. We do that here in cold water to avoid the bc from inflating because of a first stage free flow. However, you need to be comfortable with your equipment to do so, removing the reg from your mouth, inflating the bc and putting the reg back in your mouth.
In any case, good luck with your new class, I'm sure you'll enjoy it and learn a buch of new stuff!

 

[Searcaigh]

Sounds like the inflator system was knackered before you even used the BC, so I would not worry about it.

If you already have a Jr Open Water cert, why not do a refresher course first then do some diving, unless you really feel that you need to repeat the OW course. Perhaps after a few dives with a DM you might be able to just do AOW to obtain an "Adult" certification.

 

[scubatomwetzel]

Sorry from the lack of training you had at time. This is marketing on what's going on. As far as the equipment problems,
above mentioned on tha matter.
Now for training, take a course tha meets your needs. You may have to pay more. Hopefully it meets what you want
and your future in diving is safe!

Good luck,
Tom

 

[CT-Rich]

I think it was awesome that your uncle took the time to give you so much dive instruction instead of just dumping you in the water for a discover diving activity. It sounds like there was a bit of bleeding into the BCD, because you were able to manage the problem at depth. The shop owner, probably did not appreciate how much this was affecting you. A lot of experienced divers fail to appreciate how little things affect newbies. I think that the shop owner should have not have blamed you for a malfunctioning piece of rental gear (blame the 35 people that used it before you...). He should have taken your concerns more seriously. The problem could have been addressed, possibly even on the surface by checking that hoses needed to be reseated. He might have been annoyed at the lackadaisical way he thought a 13 y.o. was treating his gear and decided to put a scare into you. The fact that you were extra conscienious that day may show you how effective that was. Time has a way of magnifying our memories, I hope you remember more about spending time with Grandparents and your uncle and how special that vacation was than about the prickish way some DM behaved to a 13 y.o.

 

[mizzie]

Thanks for the replies. It's not like this little experience has been haunting me or anything, just something that has been banging around the back of my head since I started studying for my OW class. I am glad to know I probably didn't cause the issue.

Searcaigh - I know I could probably take a refresher course. But since I literally didn't dive once after being certified and that was nearly 20 years ago, I just feel it would be safer to redo the whole class. Until I got my book, the only thing I remembered about scuba is to not ascend faster than my bubbles. Plus, I have no idea what ever happened to my card or dive log, probably was destroyed in my mom's house fire a few years back and I don't have a clue if the shop was PADI, NAUI or what. Therefore, no real way to prove it, unless I contacted the dive shop, I suppose. Nah, I just feel better about it this way. I'll spend the extra money for my peace of mind.

CT-Rich - Oh, trust me, that one tiny thing is the least I remember about the experience. Diving has been something I've been wanting to do again since way back then, it was amazing! And the rest of the trip with my grandparents, including seeing relatives I'd hardly met before, was something I'll never forget. This was just a nagging question I had and figured this was the right place to find an answer.

 

[stevensamler]

A little back story to start. I consider myself to be non-certified, but I do have a tiny bit of dive experience. When I was 13, I visited an uncle in Washington who was working at a dive shop. He offered my grandparents and I an OW crash course, so we could dive. (why he didn't just take us on a Discover Scuba, I have no idea) We were only going to be there 4 1/2 days, so we spent one whole day going over the book, taking tests and watching videos. Seriously, 13+ hours. The next day we spent in the pool and the two days after we did 3 or 4 ocean dives. (I only remember 3, but 4 is needed for cert, yes?) I did, technically, get a Jr certificate.

The second day, I was buddied with the shop owner. He had told me before the dive to just follow him and do what he said because of my experience level. I understand where he was coming from, but it also put me in the position of feeling I had no control. Anyway, halfway through the dive, my BCD started self inflating. I stayed calm, vented the air (go 13yo me!) and made eye contact with my buddy, who saw what happened. He checked my gauges and went on with the dive. I continued having that issue throughout the dive, having to vent air every few minutes. He noticed the issues, but still didn't end the dive.

When we were done, he berated me for "not rinsing it well enough" and told me to "do a better job today". Given my age and experience level, I didn't speak up, but even then it didn't seem right. I remember very clearly that I was careful to rinse everything I used exactly the way I had been shown. I even remember being at the rinse station longer than everyone else.

I had dismissed this until recently. If I did make a mistake, I want to know about it so I can take that knowledge forward. I plan to get my OW this summer. Yes, I am retaking the whole thing, given the nature of the last class and the fact that it was nearly 20 years ago.

So, can improper rinsing, one time the day before, cause a BCD to start self inflating or was there likely a larger cause? My gut instinct is that I didn't cause the issue, but I don't know enough about scuba equipment to really know.

I do know that I made a mistake in not signaling to surface when I was having an issue. At the time, I didn't really know, or didn't remember, about lung over expansion, but that could have gotten bad in a hurry. But, given my age and experience level, I also feel the shop owner (who knew full well what our training was), should have ended the dive and even supervised me with the equipment more.

Hopefully it won't happen again but if it does and you still want to continue the dive just disconnect lp hose and manually inflate.

 

[faze]

Equipment problem that was not down to you. The shop owner should have simply apologised, explained what the cause probably was and given you a new BC and stick your faulty one in for repair. heed what was aid above - becoming totally comfortable with disconnecting the LPIH and manually inflating is a key skill.