Tech Tip:
Will back inflation float an unconscious diver face up?

We usually hear this from divers who have always worn a jacket style BC, and we'd like to point out that it's irrelevant. It's true, that boating regulations require an approved wearable Personal Floatation Device (PFD) to float the unconscious victim face up in the water. But a Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) for scuba divers is not designed to be a PFD for an unconscious boating accident victim, regardless if the BC is jacket or back inflation.

We offer back inflation style options because experienced divers have learned the back inflation BCD is better than a jacket BCD, offering very precise control of buoyancy and trim as well as offering a more streamlined profile. An improperly fitted back inflation BCD might cause you to tip forward, but a properly fitted back inflation BCD, worn with a crotch strap, will allow you to assume and hold any position under the water, or on the surface.

When on the surface, divers new to back inflation will need to break the habit of holding down the power inflator until they feel squeeze (there won't be any), or hear the OPV release. With an over inflated air cell they will have a huge amount of buoyancy on their back, causing them to float too high in the water and tip forward. Instead, they should add only enough gas until their head is just above the water.

Finally, a very common error when selecting a back inflation BCD is to choose an buoyancy aircell (called a 'wing') that is much too big, causing a 'taco effect' that makes managing buoyancy considerably more difficult. The cylinder size, type and configuration, not lift capacity, is the best guide to selecting the correct wing. While many doubles wing designs can be adjusted for occasional use with singles, keep in mind they are not designed to be used primarily as singles wings and they are not optimal with singles. Unless you are diving one of the very large steel cylinders, a 30 lb (14 kg) is about the maximum lift you need for single tank sport diving.

Hopkins Reef

Reef Dive | Boat access

Hopkins Reef, Warrnambool
© Sally Watson

Depth: 6 m (20 ft) to 12 m (39 ft)

Level: Open Water and beyond.

Hopkins Reef is an exposed reef located directly out from the mouth of the Hopkins River, east of Warrnambool, on Victoria's Shipwreck Coast.

Diving at Hopkins Reef

Hopkins Reef Dive
© Sally Watson

Hopkins Reef offers a wide variety of ledges and gutters. It's a horseshoe shaped reef with a high wall.

The marine life here is prolific, with lots of Port Jackson Sharks, large Wobbygong's, Stingrays and fish of all kinds. The scenery is amazing. Truly a lovely dive.

Location: Warrnambool, Victoria, 3280

Ideal Conditions: Calm conditions and a very flat sea is needed to dive in this area. See WillyWeather (Hopkins River Entrance) as a guide for the tide times and the height of the tide.

Boat Launching: Hopkins Reef is reached by boat from the nearby Warrnambool (Lady Bay) boat ramp.

Eastern Maar country

Traditional Owners — This dive site is in the traditional Country of the Eastern Maar people of south-western Victoria between the Shaw and Eumerella Rivers and from Yambuk in the south to beyond Lake Linlithgow in the north. This truly ancient Country extends as far north as Ararat and encompasses the coastal townships of Port Fairy in the west, Warrnambool, Peterborough, Port Campbell, Apollo Bay, Lorne, and Airies Inlet in the east, including the Great Ocean Road area. It also stretches 100 metres out to sea from low tide and therefore includes the iconic Twelve Apostles. "Eastern Maar" is a name adopted by the people who identify as Maar, Eastern Gunditjmara, Tjap Wurrung, Peek Whurrong, Kirrae Whurrung, Kuurn Kopan Noot and/or Yarro waetch (Tooram Tribe) amongst others. We wish to acknowledge the Eastern Maar as Traditional Owners. We pay respect to their Ancestors and their Elders, past, present and emerging.

Hopkins Reef Location Map

Latitude: 38° 24.474′ S (38.407903° S / 38° 24′ 28.45″ S)
Longitude: 142° 30.419′ E (142.506986° E / 142° 30′ 25.15″ E)
Datum: WGS84 | Google Map
Added: 2022-05-21 17:48:42 GMT, Last updated: 2022-05-23 19:20:12 GMT
Source: Google Earth
Nearest Neighbour: Edinburgh Castle, 1,239 m, bearing 321°, NW
Warrnambool, Shipwreck Coast.
Depth: 6 to 12 m.

[ Top ]

DISCLAIMER: No claim is made by The Scuba Doctor as to the accuracy of the dive site coordinates listed here. Should anyone decide to use these GPS marks to locate and dive on a site, they do so entirely at their own risk. Always verify against other sources.

The marks come from numerous sources including commercial operators, independent dive clubs, reference works, and active divers. Some are known to be accurate, while others may not be. Some GPS marks may even have come from maps using the AGD66 datum, and thus may need be converted to the WGS84 datum. To distinguish between the possible accuracy of the dive site marks, we've tried to give each mark a source of GPS, Google Earth, or unknown.