Dump Valve Danger in AERIS, Sherwood and Genesis BCDs

Sheico, the San Diego company which manufactures BCDs for a number of scuba equipment lines, has uncovered a potential problem that could cause overpressure valves (OPVs) to stick open in specific models shipped since July of last year. If the problem were to occur in a shoulder dump valve, it would make the BCD impossible to inflate. In a lower dump valve, the BCD would still retain some buoyancy even with the OPV stuck open. A complaint from one diver, who was upset but unharmed when his OPV failed, led to an investigation which uncovered a problem with defective molding on some recently shipped parts.

AERIS, which only recently began offering the BCDs, has issued a safety notice to dealers requiring that all OPVs be updated with new assemblies. Sherwood and Genesis have gone a step further, initiating full product recall for specific models:

Sherwood Silhouette, Magnum, Avid, Luna, Outback and Freedom models purchased after September 1, 2000 with a serial number between 21280001 and 22010740.

Genesis Cayman, Cobra, Athena and Phantom models purchased after September 1, 2000 with a serial number between 21280001 and 22010740.

Talon and ReCon models purchased after July 15, 2000 with a serial number between 20520001 and 22010740.

Serial numbers appear twice on most BCDs: on the white “IMPORTANT NOTICE” tag , and permanently printed onto the aircell. If you have a Sherwood or Genesis BCD which is affected, please take it into your Authorized Dealer for a free OPV replacement. For further information, check the companies’ websites: www.diveaeris.com, www.sherwoodscuba.com and www.genesisscuba.com.