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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 to maintain close proximity with him or her at
all times. Do not depend on any flotation device to hold your face above the surface in the event that you are
rendered unconscious in the water while diving.
WARNING: While this manual provides some basic guidelines for certain buoyancy control
techniques, it is not a substitute for training from a professional diving instructor. Failure to
weight yourself properly may create a hazardous condition that could lead to serious injury or
death. If you are unsure how to weight yourself in order to achieve optimum buoyancy
underwater and on the surface, do not dive until you have obtained the necessary instruction
from your diving instructor or an authorized Halcyon Dealer.
If you have any questions regarding your Buoyancy Compensator or these instructions, contact your Halcyon
Dealer or Halcyon at: (386) 454-0811.
