100 HP or 130 HP for single diving?

[TSandM]

Given the depth profiles in Monterey, 130s are very useful. Add a scooter, and they become darned near necessary

 

[kathydee]

I just won't tell them I have the 130, Lynn shhh!, don't tell Kathy so she'll think my sac rate has increased...

I heard that Mike!

 

[Amphibious]

been diving a single E8-130 for quite a few years now. it is an excellent single tank for the deep coldwater diving I do up here. plenty of gas, takes weight off my belt, and balances very well.

I went the other way, I split my doubles into singles after a riding accident buggered my knee....

 

[mikeguerrero]

Given the depth profiles in Monterey, 130s are very useful. Add a scooter, and they become darned near necessary

Lynn,

Will I be okay with my 30 lb Evolve wing, if I switch over to the 130 HP? Will I be able to take off a little weight off my belt? I currently have 17 pounds total; 8 lbs on my belt, 3 lbs as my cannister light, and 6 lbs SS plate.

How about my 40 lb wing, will that be sufficient if I get a X-scooter in the future? I really do see myself getting one. Does it just make sense to get a bigger wing when that time comes and interchange wings?

Thanks,

MG

My understanding from Halcyon, is use the applicable wing to match your profile for a given dive, a wing that is too large makes it harder to manage the bubble and causes drag.

RJack321,

Regarding the use of the 100hp up there in your waters, I understand your logic, and that use to apply to me when I was a wetsuit diver, but now that I dive in drysuit, dry gloves and Argon, I don't get cold at all, at least not yet. My dives have taken me to about 1 hour very comfortably. Do you guys use Argon and dry gloves up there, isn't your waters colder than ours? I know that SoCal waters are a bit warmer than ours.

 

[Rainer]

Mike, you really ought to determine these answers for yourself. It's sort of hard to diagnose someone's weighting needs over the internet.

Research these questions:
(1) Buoyancy of the HP130 empty (mine are less negative than my HP100s).

(2) Gas weight you'll have in a full HP130.

(3) What buoyancy margin do you have with your current 30# wing and your HP100?

Some very, very simple math with (1)-(3) will get you your answer.

And why are people suggesting that a scooter affects your weighting? It shouldn't...

Lynn,

Will I be okay with my 30 lb Evolve wing, if I switch over to the 130 HP? Will I be able to take off a little weight off my belt? I currently have 17 pounds total; 8 lbs on my belt, 3 lbs as my cannister light, and 6 lbs SS plate.

How about my 40 lb wing, will that be sufficient if I get a X-scooter in the future? I really do see myself getting one. Does it just make sense to get a bigger wing when that time comes and interchange wings?

Thanks,

MG

My understanding from Halcyon, is use the applicable wing to match your profile for a given dive, a wing that is too large makes it harder to manage the bubble and causes drag.

 

[TSandM]

Mike, if you want to fine tune it, you need to know the brand of HP100 you are using, and the brand of 130 you are looking at buying, so you can tell the difference in buoyancy empty. THIS site is a good reference.

I do not change my weighting or my weight distribution when going from my LP95s to HP130s. But I don't believe I've ever formally weight-checked with the 130s. I may be a pound or so heavy with them, but I don't care; a pound heavy is a pound warmer, and after diving doubles, you get so used to starting the dive quite negative, it doesn't bother you any more.

If you look around, you'll find any number of little essays by Tobin (cool_hardware 52) taking people through the calculations to determine whether the lift in their wing is enough for their tank and the way they have their gear configured. I use a 30 lb wing with a 130, a stainless steel backplate, 6 lbs on the cambands and the rest of my weight on a belt. I can float the rig set up that way. But actual lift from wings can vary from the published values -- if your calculations show things are marginal, it's probably best to try floating your rig in shallow water near shore, before you try taking it off in deep water.

 

[rjack321]

Lynn,

Will I be okay with my 30 lb Evolve wing, if I switch over to the 130 HP? Will I be able to take off a little weight off my belt? I currently have 17 pounds total; 8 lbs on my belt, 3 lbs as my cannister light, and 6 lbs SS plate.

How about my 40 lb wing, will that be sufficient if I get a X-scooter in the future? I really do see myself getting one. Does it just make sense to get a bigger wing when that time comes and interchange wings?

Thanks,

MG

My understanding from Halcyon, is use the applicable wing to match your profile for a given dive, a wing that is too large makes it harder to manage the bubble and causes drag.

RJack321,

Regarding the use of the 100hp up there in your waters, I understand your logic, and that use to apply to me when I was a wetsuit diver, but now that I dive in drysuit, dry gloves and Argon, I don't get cold at all, at least not yet. My dives have taken me to about 1 hour very comfortably. Do you guys use Argon and dry gloves up there, isn't your waters colder than ours? I know that SoCal waters are a bit warmer than ours.

If a 30lb wing is fine for single hp100s its fine for single hp130s with a steel plate and maybe a little 5-6lbs of trim weight someplace. 30cf of gas weighs about 2 lbs. I would have thought you'd understand these calculations from GUE-F or Essentials or whatever you took?

40lb wing is fine for most everyone in double hp100s. Up here most people use a different brand wing (DSS or oxycheq are common) in a 50ish lb lift size vs. the smaller 40lb or quite large 60lb H Evolves. Basically the big H is not serving what people prefer up here and that's something bigger than 40 but less than 60. I happen to have an older H explorer 55lb wing for local use and its fine.

We use dry gloves and argon but absent alot of swimming at many of our sites people still get cold, or they have seen the whole site and head in. I would say 70% of DIR-like divers around here are using lp95/hp119s or hp100s as singles. Far fewer hp130 and far far fewer hp80 sized tanks in use.

 

[Scott L]

A HP120 works best for myself for deeper single clyinder diving. The increase in drag from moving from 7.25" in diameter to 8.00" (HP130) is material IMO.

 

[TSandM]

Well, one of the differences between Seattle and Monterey is that not many of our shore diving sites have a lot of cool stuff to see in the 100 foot range. But in Monterey, once you get to Beto's Reef, you're at 100 feet, and you had a long, shallow swim to get there. That's why larger tanks really work well for diving there -- the bay is a big, sloping funnel shape, and unlike around here, the deeper places are often even prettier and more covered with life than the shallows.

 

[lamont]

The determining factor in evolve wings is generally tank diameter. The 40# wing is better on double-100s and double-al80s, the 60# wing is better on double-119s and double-130s (and lp104s, etc). The 60# wing on double-100s or double-al80s is annoying and tends to taco and trap gas. The 40# wing on double-130s can work, but one you start adding multiple stages and deco bottles you'll probably want the 60# wing.

For single tank diving i'd just use a 30# or 40# eclipse for all tanks.

I don't really notice much of a difference between minor changes in configs, so I'll use 8" dia. tanks with 40# single tank wings just fine...