BC Care: What To Do After Every Dive     

Inspect it. Look for small tears and punctures, stressed fasteners and loose stitching. Make repairs now, before small problems become big ones.

Test the valves. Work the oral inflation button and the power inflation button to make sure they move freely. Stickiness may indicate sand or salt inside, but if washing doesn't cure it, you may have a more serious problem.

Wash it. Soaking in a tub is much better than splashing with a hose. Use warm fresh water. You may add a mild detergent. Work both the oral inflation button and the power inflation button while they are submerged. Wash the inside, too: Partially fill the BC with water, then fill it with air. Slosh it around and drain the water from both the oral inflate valve and the remote exhaust while squeezing the BC.

Check for leaks. Pressurize the BC using the oral or power inflator and submerge it to look for leaks. Rotate it in all directions to give small bubbles a chance to escape.

Repair leaks with a BC repair Kit

Scrub it. Use a small brush such as a toothbrush to scrub the Velcro to get sand out.

Dry it. Hang the BC or prop it up in the shade while partially inflated. Position it with the hose downward to collect drips from inside. After drying for a while, operate the oral deflate button to drain it.

Fold carefully. Avoid undue strains. Be careful not to stress the connection between the hose and the body of the BC.

Store it. Store your BC partially inflated. Protect it from sunlight, ozone, car exhaust, fumes from solvents, etc. If your BC has to live in the garage, it may be best to seal it in a heavy-duty trash bag.

A buoyancy compensator (BC) is NOT a lifejacket! It is not de-
signed to provide face-up flotation in all situations, and therefore
it does not meet U.S. Coast Guard regulations for a life preserver
or personal flotation device (PFD). If you become unconscious in
the water without a buddy present to immediately assist you, you
may suffer serious injury or death from drowning.
Your buoyancy compensator is primarily designed to help you maintain
neutral buoyancy while in a comfortably balanced, face-down swimming
position underwater. It is also designed to provide you with flotation so
that you can rest on the surface, but it is not designed to function as a
life preserver or personal flotation device (PFD). In order to meet U.S.
Coast Guard regulations, a PFD must be designed so that it automatically
rights you to a face-up position and holds your head out of the water on
the surface. The design characteristics of a personal flotation device are
therefore different from those of a buoyancy compensator. The ability of
any flotation device to float you in a face-up position can also be affected
by other diving equipment you wear, including a cylinder or exposure suit,
and whether it can be inflated before you lose consciousness.
For this reason, it is important to always dive with a buddy, and main-
tain close proximity with them at all times. Do not depend on any flota-
tion device to hold your face above the surface in the event that you are
rendered unconscious in the water while diving.