Questions about Dual bladder wings

[rlynch]

Learn something everyday- Now i see why the second inflator is not hooked up. second problem, still normally remains, is that the inflator is trapped when i see them in the bungees (i assume that is more of a lack of were to stow it, and practice with them than anything else). Either way a person needs to practice with how the rig is dived, something i also question amongst most i see diving them. I'm not a fan of big steels and wetsuits, but there are a few ways to skin a cat.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

The redundant inflator needs to be secured in a manner that is easily accessible and less likely to be hung up on anything if needed. That's why I like using the Halcyon argon strap. I simply open the velcro on the strap and the inflator is free. I can also pull it out without opening the strap.

I'm not a fan of large capacity tanks. Big steel tanks are better used with scooters. With the machine doing the work and a large gas volume, the tanks will allow for much longer dives. When I do the Bat Circuit at Ginnie the difference in distance that I get on thirds when swimming AL80's when wet compared to PST104's dry is 400 - 500 feet and the difference between LP85's dry (or wet with dual wing) and 104's dry is just 200 - 300 feet due to work of breathing required to deal with the increased surface area of wing and drysuit and the weight of the rig.

While 200 feet can make the difference in a life or death situation, assuming that I obey the Rules of Accident Analysis and apply common sense, I can't justify the work that goes into lugging big tanks around fill sheds and to and from the house to the truck for 200 feet.

Some deep divers might be better off using a bottom stage for the dive and using lower capacity tanks no matter what wings they dive. Stages can always be dropped if not needed in an emergency leaving the diver a little lighter, slicker, and better able to maneuver in any body position.

 

[DogDiver]

Questions about Dual bladder wings
I started my Padi Tech 40 class and the instructor told me i need to purchase a dual bladder wing. So I purchased the wing and another istructor told me I didn't need a dual bladder because if there was a tear in the wing it probably would tear both bladders because they are on top of one another. And PADI is the only agency that uses dual bladders. I listened to my instructor but I am just curious about what I heard. It's really makes sense what he told me. I am diving in a wet suit year round here.

As usual.......Put Another Dollar In.
Duel bladders are used for overhead environment diving where you are using a wet suit rather than a dry suit.

 

[PfcAJ]

Crawling out of a cave is nonsense. That's an awful idea. Even if you do make it out (which I contend is possible only in a small minority of Fl caves due to silt, line placement, and cave shape), it will absolutely demolish the cave. It's not only unrealistic to crawl out, it's a downright irresponsible contingency plan.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

In my post about "push, pull and crawl your way out," I meant getting an assist from the cave with a total buoyancy failure. You can push off rocks, pull and glide off rocks, crawl along the bottom of a high flow cave on the way out much like people do on the way in and eventually you could crawl up the spring and out if you couldn't stand. Large capacity steel cylinders don't lend themselves well to this. But, if anyone ever dove with Eduardo back in the day, he never wore a wing with his twin AL80's at Vortex. I don't advocate diving this way, but if you suffer a total buoyancy failure it can be done provided you wear tanks that are manageable.

 

[PfcAJ]

Sounds like a ginnie springs one-trick-show to me.

Skip the BS and just wear a drysuit if you're going to wear heavy steel tanks. Anything else is just lip service.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

Skip the BS and just wear a drysuit if you're going to wear heavy steel tanks. Anything else is just lip service.

Wholeheartedly agree on that. Just don't expect to have surface buoyancy in the ocean with a drysuit and wing failure. You can often stand up once out of a cave somewhere.

 

[PfcAJ]

The surface is a reasonable place to get out a lift bag or something if you're having a rough time.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

The surface is a reasonable place to get out a lift bag or something if you're having a rough time.

That's where things could get dicey. A diver surfaces and quickly realizes that he is losing buoyancy. Reaching into a pocket or up under the plate for a buoyancy tool probably has not ever been practiced by the diver. If tired or if the seas are rough, or both, that might end badly. The diver in the GUE-F class had a bag, but never thought to deploy it as he called out, "A little help.... gurgle!"

Likewise, a second inflator could present the same issues if not practiced. However, most divers would much rather have a working BC rather than be hanging onto a bag in heavy seas. Fortunately, wing failures are rare and rarer still are wing failures with total loss of buoyancy.

On a side note, instructors need to be careful about teaching drysuits as buoyancy devices from a legal perspective without checking to see if the drysuit manufacturer intends for the suit to be used as part of the buoyancy system. If a drysuit manufacturer states clearly that the suit is not intended as a buoyancy device, then that could open up a can of worms. That's actually the reason why some agencies state that a dual wing is required in their standards - so that instructors don't open that window of liability in which they advocate that a device be used in a way that wasn't intended. The same goes for liftbags and DSMB's.

 

[PfcAJ]

Stay horizontal and handle the bag. No need to go vertical and vent all your drysuit gas. Even if you do, you've got gas to breath and you can reinflate your suit. No biggie.