Lesson 125

Lesson seven: BCD Oral Inflation Underwater

Course Complete

Skills Overview

If you were to have a runaway low pressure inflator (it becomes frozen or has a serious leak), as you’ve already learned, you would disconnect it. To maintain buoyancy control as you end the dive, you may need to orally inflate your BCD while underwater.

This is similar to orally inflating at the surface, except that you take each breath from your regulator and there is no need to kick up as you inhale.

Blow a third to half your breath into the BCD by pressing the deflator (exhaust) button while you blow in (and only then). You won’t put in as much air per breath as at the surface, because you’re only adjusting to become neutrally buoyant.

Let go of the deflator button while you’re not blowing in, so the BCD does not deflate.
Remember to blow a steady stream of bubbles when the regulator isn’t in your mouth.

Replace the regulator, clear it and resume breathing after blowing into your BCD. Wait a moment to see how your buoyancy has changed before making further adjustments.
Do not continue a dive with a malfunctioning low pressure inflator. Use oral inflation/normal deflation to maintain buoyancy control as you abort the dive.
Once neutrally buoyant, hover for a least a minute using breath control and small adjustments.

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