Posted by Paul on October 21, 2003 at 20:50:37:
In Reply to: Re: horse collar BC posted by Chris on October 21, 2003 at 18:21:45:
No doubt there are tradeoffs and I also agree that a horse-collar BC would have kept him face up. I have no disagreement with that. The only comment I was making was regarding the statement that horse-collar BC's are nicer to dive with - and as you (and I) pointed out, it is a personal preference with tradeoffs, there is no perfect universal BC (although some would argue there is :)).
In my case (backinflate), I would hope that my buddy would be there (as a buddy should be) to assist in the event I did become unconscious. This may depend on someone else instead of your equipment to keep you face-up in the event I become unconscious, but it is a choice that was made with the understanding of the consequences (and we practice our skills to make sure we can take care of each other in the event of an emergency). We ride motorcycles as well, and God forbid we become unconscious riding, but the same choices were made with the understanding of the possible consequences untaking such a hobby.
Bottom line is that a diver can not be 100% prepared for all contingencies - we do the best we can with the best methods available to us. Would a horse-collar BC have helped this man? Possibly. But does that mean we should all be diving horse-collar BCs? (again, directed at the statement that horse-collar BC's are nicer to dive with than other kinds). As already pointed out, we each make that decision with the understanding of the pros/cons of each system.
BTW - I mean no disrespect to the deceased or his family by carrying on what is a trivial discussion by comparision, my condolences certainly go out to his family and friends.