Instruments of Torture?

In the mid-1970s, the hot thing in dive equipment was the then-new concept of the “buoyancy compensator,” or BC. Unfortunately, the only models available at the time were these ugly and uncomfortable “horse collar” models.

By the early 1980, horse-collar BCs had been replaced by more-modern jacket-style models. In 1985, SeaQuest introduced the ADV, the first front-adjustable BC jacket, and the forerunner what we use today.

Note that all the cylinders in the picture have “J” (reserve) valve mechanisms. In 1976, submersible pressure gauges were still fairly new, and a number of divers still felt the need to use a J valve as a backup. By the late 1980s, dives had largely given up on J valves, as they were not entirely reliable (and didn’t provide much of a reserve any way).

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