Choosing 30 or 40 Halcyon eclipse

[Pullmyfinger]

I dive a DSS 30 lb wing with a stainless plate. If I wear a 1mm wetsuit, I do not need any weight.
With a 3mm Pinnacle Seal (it's pretty buoyant for a 3mm), I wear 4 lbs. on a weight belt.
I am neutral at the surface with 300-500psi in either configuration.

The 30 lbs. of lift is plenty of lift. At depth, during the beginning of the dive their is only a little air in the wing. During the end of the dive it's close to being empty.

In reality, 20 lbs. of lift would be enough and then some for tropical diving. I did not want the DSS LCD 20 wing due to it being shorter.
The LCD 30 is pretty much the same length as an aluminum 80, the LCD 20 is the same dimensions, except for length.
I felt the 30 would trim better, so I got that wing.

If your choice is a 40 or 30. I would go with a 30 for warm water diving.

-Mitch

 

[Montana Diver]

I have a Halcyon SS BP with a 30# wing. This is a great set up for tropical dives, 2.5 mm wetsuit, AL80 and 2# weight. However for my drysuit with 400 g undergarment, the 30# lacks the lift when I go to a HP100 steel with 16# of weight. This won't float the tank.

The thirty should work great for warmer water diving, however in MT that doesn't exist.

 

[Gombessa]

I have a Halcyon SS BP with a 30# wing. This is a great set up for tropical dives, 2.5 mm wetsuit, AL80 and 2# weight. However for my drysuit with 400 g undergarment, the 30# lacks the lift when I go to a HP100 steel with 16# of weight. This won't float the tank.

The thirty should work great for warmer water diving, however in MT that doesn't exist.

Hi Montana,

We dive 400g undergarments with steel plate and tanks out here in California too, and still rarely (if ever) need to exceed 30lb lift.

How is your 16lb distributed? Is that in addition to your backplate, and is it on a belt or is it all on your rig? If it's all integrated weight, then a 30lb wing may not float the rig at the beginning of the dive. But if it's on a belt, then I think the wing should need less than 20lb to float the rig with a full tank, and a 30#er should provide enough buoyancy to lift you and your gear in the event of a full suit failure at the beginning of the dive. I haven't done the math, but I dive slightly more weight than what you list and the 30lb is still enough.

 

[Montana Diver]

Hi Montana,

We dive 400g undergarments with steel plate and tanks out here in California too, and still rarely (if ever) need to exceed 30lb lift.

How is your 16lb distributed? Is that in addition to your backplate, and is it on a belt or is it all on your rig? If it's all integrated weight, then a 30lb wing may not float the rig at the beginning of the dive. But if it's on a belt, then I think the wing should need less than 20lb to float the rig with a full tank, and a 30#er should provide enough buoyancy to lift you and your gear in the event of a full suit failure at the beginning of the dive. I haven't done the math, but I dive slightly more weight than what you list and the 30lb is still enough.

Yes, the 16# is integrated on the webbing. Looking at redistributing the weight slightly. I am new to the drysuit and it is creating a fair amount of trouble staying neutral. I have only 4 dives in drysuit configuration, 2 confined and 2 OW. I have a Whites with built in boots and I have been fighting floaty feet. Didn't have any issues in the pool, only when I swapped to the steel HP100. I will probably conteract this problem through the use of ankle weights to get my feet heavier until I master the drysuit.

I don't have an issue with the BP being heavy at the start of a dive. The wing does provide sufficient lift to float me with a full tank. The reason I responded to the OP was regarding the 30# wings inability to float my BP by itself, with the 16# of weight. Most of my dives up here are from shore, so I am not setting it in the water and then putting it on, or in my case it would be watching it go to the bottom from a boat. The wing does provide sufficient lift to float me with a full tank.

Hopefully as I get more dives in this Fall, I will be able to shed a few pounds of weight and cure the floaty feet problem.

 

[Vipa]

Sorry to drag this toppic back up but I'm after some info... have decided to go for the new Infinity and am unsure.... 30 or 40...

If the profiles are very similar, what is the disadvantage of going 40? surely the extra lift just gives more flexibility should you ever need it?

Also in my case it will be used dry suited all year round in off the British Coast... brrrr as well as shorts and a rash vest in the caribbean.

Thanks
Paul

 

[Bossman]

Sorry to drag this toppic back up but I'm after some info... have decided to go for the new Infinity and am unsure.... 30 or 40...

If the profiles are very similar, what is the disadvantage of going 40? surely the extra lift just gives more flexibility should you ever need it?

Also in my case it will be used dry suited all year round in off the British Coast... brrrr as well as shorts and a rash vest in the caribbean.

Thanks
Paul

I recently went through the same thing. I dive mostly cold with some warm water. I went for the 40 lb wing. It doesn't have much more drag than the 30 lb, so I really didn't see a downside. I dive wet in a 7mm farmer john and a steel tank. So the SS BP, STA, steel tank, and regs are about 24-26 lbs negative. I wanted more than 30 to float that at the surface. Also, my suit 32-34 lbs buoyant, so I wanted enough lift to offset that if I lost 100% of buoyancy at depth (120 ft?). That's probably not a reality, but I wasn't comfortable with 30 lbs. I plan on buying a drysuit so I'll have some redundant buoyancy in case of wing failure.