What wing size for a 6'7" 330lb guy diving a single?

[kathydee]

I'm posting this thread to help a newbie SB friend who is very intrigued with the GUE path. He has located an OW instructor who he says has GUE T1, is about to take his first OW class and he is already kitted out in excellent DIR equipment.

Can you all offer him some wing advice?

I have no idea which wing size is best for a single tank, 6’7” 330 lb rock solid pro-athlete who is diving a 3mm wetsuit in salt water (clams to be negatively buoyant).

His LDS sold him a Halcyon 40lb wing & steel plate - which he can still return. Is a 40lb wing/steel plate the right equipment for a guy of this size diving warm So Fla water? I'm a bit skeptical.

Also, some discussion about proper cylinder selection would useful. I just dissuaded him from purchasing a Steel HP130 to dive with a 3mm and shared the “GUE balanced rig” clip from youtube. He’s put the tank purchase on pause until after OW class, but he wants to pick up the bp/w now.

He will read your advice on this thread, but is not quite ready to dive into the DIR forum .

Thanks!

 

[AndyNZ]

In a 3mm wetsuit, a steel plate would seem like too much weight for someone who is a sinker.

If it were me, I'd probably look at an aluminium plate and a 30lb wing. A single 40lb wing only really makes sense if you are diving with a lot more buoyant exposure protection.

If it's any help, I'm a sinker as well - I used my steel plate and 30lb wing on a warm water trip last year (wearing a 2mm spring suit) and used no weight with an AL80 tank.

In terms of tank selection, looking at the plate/tank combination would be the way to go - I'd be loathe to use a steel tank and a steel backplate in a 3mm suit.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

No way is a steel plate appropriate for 3 mm suit and big steel tank. 40 lb lift should be eough, but he needs an Al plate. He is going to be wearing a large steel tank almost without a doubt.

 

[Jorgy]

I dive an H 36 lb Pioneer wing as my single tank cold water rig.....

It fits and works well with my SS BP and LP95 tank.......

I use 36 lbs of lift because I dive dry and put all my ballast on my BP/W rig.......

Is he planning on a weight belt? If so then 40 lbs seems on the high side for a warm water single tank rig......

That being said my 36 lb wing is not unduly huge.....

I dive an 18 lb wing for my warm water rig where many dive a 30 lb wing with no issue at all......

Sounds like the key for him is how much lift he will need to float the rig with a full tanks and any trim ballast......those large tanks weigh a ton at the beginning of a dive......

Hope this helps......M

 

[Wookie]

I am 6'2" 300 lbs and a floater. I dive a steel HP 100, wear a 30 lb oxycheck wing, steel plate and STA and a 3 mil fullsuit with no lead or trim weights. I am perfectly neutral at the end of a dive. I see no reason for your friend not to start out with the combination you've described. Wings are cheap, and he can replace it when he needs to. Worry about an aluminum plate when he gets his steel doubles. I keep 2 rigs except for regulators, one for tech and one for rec.

 

[lamont]

I am 6'2" 300 lbs and a floater. I dive a steel HP 100, wear a 30 lb oxycheck wing, steel plate and STA and a 3 mil fullsuit with no lead or trim weights. I am perfectly neutral at the end of a dive. I see no reason for your friend not to start out with the combination you've described. Wings are cheap, and he can replace it when he needs to. Worry about an aluminum plate when he gets his steel doubles. I keep 2 rigs except for regulators, one for tech and one for rec.

For a newer diver, I'd be cautious about going with no ditchable weight.

And IMO, worrying about the 10# difference between a 30-40# wing is maybe a little bit obsessive. The 40# wing will not impact his diving and its a bit more versatile for cold-water trips and forgiving of weighting mistakes (e.g. old, very negative LP104 tanks).

 

[TSandM]

I'm with Lamont. I think new divers ought to have some ditchable weight. If he's in a wetsuit, I'd go with the Al plate and a weight belt. He's going to want more gas than an Al80, though, if not immediately then very soon.

 

[AndyNZ]

I'm with Lamont. I think new divers ought to have some ditchable weight.

Even from an entirely prosaic point of view, having ditchable weight will also make a "standard" OW class a little easier to manage.

Later, with an aluminium plate, the diver could just shift the weight from a weight belt to cam band pockets.

 

[amascuba]

For singles, I dive a 6# steel backplate and a 40# oxycheq wing. If he's using a 3mm suit and diving in salt water then an AL80 or even an AL100 will be fine with that combination of suit and bp/w. That's the same combination of ALL my tropical saltwater trips.

 

[alwaingold]

For singles, I dive a 6# steel backplate and a 40# oxycheq wing. If he's using a 3mm suit and diving in salt water then an AL80 or even an AL100 will be fine with that combination of suit and bp/w. That's the same combination of ALL my tropical saltwater trips.

I too dive a steel backplate with a 3mm suit and Al80 with very little weight. But I am nowhere close to solid muscle, like this guy apparently is. It sounds like an Al plate is much more likely to work for him. It may be the case that a steel plate would work, but an Al plate will give him more flexibility. In the worst case, he has to wear a few extra pounds on his belt or cam bands.

As far as tank selection, his best bet is to experiment with that. I would not dismiss a single steel tank with 3mm wetsuit as an unbalanced rig out of hand. For one thing, with a 3mm, you aren't talking about that much compression at depth. Second, if this guy is really athletic and in super good shape, then the amount of weight that he can comfortably swim up is probably quite different than the typical person. He would have to experiment to figure out how much weight he can swim up (preferably in shallow water, with an instructor).

Allison