Getting rid of the last bits of junk ...

AD_ward9

Wacky idea ... test area. Well, actually already a bit more than just an idea, but still a test area ...

What do divers think of the idea of removing BCD gas feeds, manual BCD inflator, and all the associated junk?

That is, instead of a feed from the dil or whatever to the BCD, there is a dual wing with a wee 0.3 litre cylinder on left, and same on right just above waist level. BCD is either inflated, or it is not. You get two shots, after that it is time to clonk the guy below with a weight belt.

The Rebreather looks nice and clean as a result.

I am not thinking of using this just for my unit for my own personal diving ... for dry suit diving for now, but this spring for diving in just my shorts, and putting it on the O.R. SCUBA unit as standard for wider use.

It does mean people have to get their weight right, so forces people with a new Rebreather to have some pool and sea checks before taking it diving. The unit is weighted to be perfectly horizontal in the water, so long as the diver does not put on ankle weights or has a lot of fat near his poles.

I plan to keep the dumps in case the valve is turned on at depth, but just get rid of the manual inflate and all it involves.

Alex

Dave1w

Could there maybe always be a need for a little bit of compensation? Heavier batteries, or something, or picking up soemthing from the bottom.

Dave

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SteveJ

I think Mares have produced some BCD's which do without the corrugatated oral inflation tube and have something like a manual injector on the side of the bladder. Easier to reach with a jacket style BCD rather than a wing.

Lots of folk, rightly or wrongly, use both wing and drysuit for trim and buoyancy at depth as well as for a lifejacket on the surface. I think, therefore, that a 'two shot' only approach to inflation would be too restrictive for some.

Not a bad idea to ditch the oral inflation tube though

Mixaddict

I would be reluctant to give up my flexibility to easily adapt on any given day depending on whether I am diving dry, wet, bailout bottles or not, etc. etc. It seems to me that your concept would lock me into one concept without the ability to quickly make changes depending on the circumstances of that dive.

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Randy Thornton (MixAddict)
Inspiration, Evolution,Hammerhead & Sentinel
CCR Instructor

AD_ward9

The "little" bit of compensation makes me really sloppy.

What may be a little bit for some means a lot of leaway for others ...

Pickup up lumps of metal is a bad habit. Portholes, ships bells and anchors should go up on a lift bag, and the gold coins on a bag tied to an SMB ...

Getting rid of the ability to fill up the BCD with 10lbs of lift, forces a rigour of diving properly. I was trying out a contemporary rebreather a few months ago, that was really bad in weight and balance, and made me think: let's get rid of the tolerance factor and go for perfect diving. Many warm water professional divers have it perfect: weight down to the ounce, and it looks really good: they swim like a fish. Both my buddy and I who tried out that rebreather felt more like a moveable monument and looking on other pictures of divers on that unit, I realised the transportable monument business is growing fixtures all over the place. Gave me all the more determination to get the balance right, but am not sure if perhaps I am going too far in converting the BCD back to being what it should be: just a life jacket for use on the surface.

For days diving unknown stuff, I could just slap on the double OMS wing I have been using all these years: 110lb of variable lift.

Incidentally, I also still have a Poseidon 9mm thick unisuit (dry suit), where there is so much buoyancy lost by the time you reach 90ft, there is no choice but to use both a wing and the dry suit at the same time. However, whilst always warm, these are not the ideal fashion accessory: they make the best looking guy look like an Michelin man advert with an out of control beer gut. As a result, I see few of them around nowadays. Membrane suits don't need wings, so taking away the BCD but leaving the lifejacket again forces people to dive properly.


Alex

Nad

At the beginning I did think no way! Then I realized that I usually dive with the BCD completly deflated and never use it. Beside in case of an emergency I don't see why to use it.

It could be an idea but I would also mount an inlet valve for the Dry hose on every wing, it is one more safety help.

Nad

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The Impossible is often the Untried

AD_ward9

The inlet valve is a good idea, with a cap, and no button (i.e. not like a dry suit inflator).

Thanks

Alex

Duncan Price

About 20 years ago I was using an ABLJ with the manual feed removed and just fed from LP hoses. I would loose the manual inflates - dunno about driving them from little tanks - for cave diving you can go up and down a lot so can get through a lot of gas controlling your bouyancy.

Underwaterbear

I like the idea of streamlining things but all or nothing on the wing seems foolish when a controlled inflation could be achieved with little if any extra stuff. What happens if you have a drysuit seal fail and you have no oral (or controlled manual) inflate on the wing? Also what seems like less gear is actually two more cylinders and regulators (albeit built into the cyl valves) to maintain and yet another gear config to be on the lookout for.

AD_ward9

No regulators intended. Just the cylinder and its valve, like on auto inflate SMBs. That is why the cylinders are just 300ml.

On the drysuit failure, sending up an SMB and winding up is the solution (or in reverse, for those in the USA).

Alex