What if you forget to deflate your bcd on ascending?

[mrbheagney]

Forgetting to deflate could lead to an uncontrolled ascent depending on the amount of air in there. Most BCD will vent automatically one they are at maximum so the big bang isn't very likely. Unless you hold your breath and both your lungs pop. As ascent is a conscious decision you are unlikely to forget to do it and ut's another reason why you should always do a safety stop.

[larryjoe]

There is nothing like hearing the words "you can die", "and "people die in swimming pools", to put the fear of God in you. As a newbie, scuba is a bit overwhelming to me. I almost quit 4 times during my OW course. I could do all the skills, but staying underwater with restricted breathing longer than 5-10 minutes was hard. I,(my body) just wanted real air. I did stay under 30 minutes during OW's, but I would not call it enjoyable. People either take to scuba or they don't, I have been fighting thru it, and it has got a bit easier. During OW navigation, we were at 20' close the bottom swimming horizontal, I goosed my bc a little too much, and saw myself rising 2' above my 14 year old buddy. I hit the dump valve, and I did not go down, I held the dump valve down, but kept rising, all the way to the top. I thought I was holding it above my head, but I guess I wasn't. Being new, holding the dump valve down, I did not know what else to do. Next time I'll get verticle with the valve over my head.
We are signed up for 1 week of ocean boat diving in Florida after Christmas. Besides worrying about anything goinig wrong while underwater, it looks like I got fire coral, sharks, getting lost, night diving, throwing up from the boat ride, throwing up under water, current, getting on the boat in the waves, and rude divers to worry about. Did I miss anything? Add in watching over my 14 year old, and not letting him see dad as anxious. I need more dives, I know, but we are done diving till Florida. Sorry for the rant, but I have never been behind in anything or any class I have ever taken. I'm usually waiting for the rest of the group, or class, now I know what it feels like to be at the other end. Needless to say, I'm alot more sympathetic now. Thanks for all your replies.

lj

[wgt]

Originally Posted by larryjoe

There is nothing like hearing the words "you can die", "and "people die in swimming pools", to put the fear of God in you. As a newbie, scuba is a bit overwhelming to me. I almost quit 4 times during my OW course. I could do all the skills, but staying underwater with restricted breathing longer than 5-10 minutes was hard. I,(my body) just wanted real air. I did stay under 30 minutes during OW's, but I would not call it enjoyable. People either take to scuba or they don't, I have been fighting thru it, and it has got a bit easier. During OW navigation, we were at 20' close the bottom swimming horizontal, I goosed my bc a little too much, and saw myself rising 2' above my 14 year old buddy. I hit the dump valve, and I did not go down, I held the dump valve down, but kept rising, all the way to the top. I thought I was holding it above my head, but I guess I wasn't. Being new, holding the dump valve down, I did not know what else to do. Next time I'll get verticle with the valve over my head.
We are signed up for 1 week of ocean boat diving in Florida after Christmas. Besides worrying about anything goinig wrong while underwater, it looks like I got fire coral, sharks, getting lost, night diving, throwing up from the boat ride, throwing up under water, current, getting on the boat in the waves, and rude divers to worry about. Did I miss anything? Add in watching over my 14 year old, and not letting him see dad as anxious. I need more dives, I know, but we are done diving till Florida. Sorry for the rant, but I have never been behind in anything or any class I have ever taken. I'm usually waiting for the rest of the group, or class, now I know what it feels like to be at the other end. Needless to say, I'm alot more sympathetic now. Thanks for all your replies.

lj

You may have had the dump valve held up over your head, but the air in the bladder may not have reached the hose due to a horizontal position in the water. Alternateively, you may have been a pinch underweighted.

Given your concerns and aptitudes, I would suggest working out all of the bugs in the pool (skills, weighting) before venturing into the open waters of Florida. Right now, skillwise and anxiety-wise, you are not likely to to be in a position to watch over your 14-yr-old or anybody else (in fact, you may prove to be a liability).

My advice: Relax, work on the skills (you have plenty of time before the holiday), expect that your anxieties will diminish as your skills improve, dive with the guide on your trip, and have a great time.

[Grin]

Most ( I thought all)people are verticle positioned when accending. This makes letting air out easy as you accend. Simply hold the inflator hose up ward a little and hit the release valve. In the pool that may be awkward unless the pool is 50 ft deep or something. While the diver is horizontal the inflator valve may not be positioned correct to relase air, if not inflated alot.
All modern BCs have overinflation valves that release pressure when they get to a certain point. No need to worry about blowing up the bladder. That absolutly will not happen.
The real concern is: Getting the bends from a uncontrolled accent, or an Embolism from not exhaling as you accend to quik. Meaning the air in your lungs is expanding and your not exhaling, resulting in lung overpressure expansion damage.

[BoomerNJ]

You def. need to get more diving in before you go out on a boat dive. You are not ready for it. Sorry to be so blunt. Many boats require some experience before allowing you aboard, some even require an AOW certification... I don't know about down in FL though, but it's especially true here in the NY/NJ area... There are plenty of places (Dutch Springs for example), to practice in a location without tides, currents & rolling waves, which will overwhelm a new diver. I was overwhelmed on my first boat dive. That was after I already had 18 dives at Dutch. I think you will be fine eventually, but you just need to practice the basics & dive, dive dive! My instructor told me the OW cert. is like a learners permit, it's used to practice in a more controlled environment until you are ready for more advanced stuff...

[fisheater]

Another factor in a newbie's unwanted rise to the surface is breathing.

I'm willing to bet that you were highly anxious when you were going up but trying to go down. Consequently, you were holding your lungs as full as possible.

Next time, calmly dump air from your BC while exhaling fully and trying your damnedest to relax all your muscles. Your lungs have about a 10 pound lift capacity, use them to your advantage.

[MSilvia]

Originally Posted by fisheater

Another factor in a newbie's unwanted rise to the surface is breathing.

I'm willing to bet that you were highly anxious when you were going up but trying to go down. Consequently, you were holding your lungs as full as possible.

Next time, calmly dump air from your BC while exhaling fully and trying your damnedest to relax all your muscles. Your lungs have about a 10 pound lift capacity, use them to your advantage.

Yeah... the more relaxed you are, the easier diving is. The more you stress out and fight it, the harder it'll be and the more anxious you're likly to get. If you start to feel that viscious cycle building, stop, breathe, and think rationally.

[monant]

You have several of the common prerequisites for panic. Training and experience should alleviate these but it sounds like you are going to dive regardless. Check out these links, they may help. No matter what happens just remember to breath.

http://scuba-diving.suite101.com/article.cfm/scuba_diving_anxiety_and_panic

http://scuba-diving.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_scuba_dive_ascent

http://scuba-diving.suite101.com/article.cfm/scuba_diving_buoyancy_control

http://www.diversalertnetwork.org/medical/articles/article.asp?articleid=38

[petronius]

If you want to know what will happen to the BC, just orally inflate it (out of the water) as much as possible, then add more air with the inflator. It's really not impressive at all.

As for during the ascent, it's a good idea to stop ascending at around 30 ft or so before surfacing to be sure you're in control, and make sure you're properly venting the BC as you ascend. Proper weighting (not over- or under- ) will greatly influence ascent control...

[RikRaeder]

Now that you've been thoroughly chastised, and somewhat assuaged, do as a couple of others have suggested and RELAX!
If you can practice your skills in a pool, that's just great. If not, just take it easy and take it slow. Do a few ascents in your head. Think about the things you have to do, what your equipment is doing, etc. You probably won't have your BC fully inflated so don't worry about it poping (like you've seen, they do have overinflate valves). Remember, air goes up so be sure that the release valve is the highest point of the BC so it can go out. It's not skydiving! You should have plenty of time to think through things and do it step by step, like you learned (of course NEVER holding your breath). Don't worry about impressing your kid. Worry about enjoying your dive and doing what you've learned to do. Mellow....M E L L O W