25# or 30/35# for CA diving?

[KillerJupe]

Hi, looking to buy either a 25 or a 30lb wing for diving in ca
right now i am 6.1@180 and dive w/ al80's and 2piece 7mm farmer john. not much extra stuff, maybe a camera or light and using a SS back plate w/o sta.

i used the buoyancy calculator and think im coming up w/ 28lb lift (not sure if im using it right)

I think i'v read where ppl diving similar situations and use even a 25lb, would this be sufficient for my needs? I like the Hollis 25lb but i dont think it'll be enough.

tobin suggested a 30/35 for this kind of diving and i tend to believe him but just seeing what others think too.
thx

 

[aquaregia]

My math had me around 27lb for my 7mm 1piece and an LP95, so your numbers seem in the ballpark. I'm nowhere near an expert in this, however.

 

[Peter_C]

I am switching from a 30lb to a 40lb wing because my HP130 with my weighted back plate, dual regs, and a can light is slightly negative at the beginning of the dive. You need to decide what tanks you are going to be using and what accessories. For most a 30lb is plenty for Cali diving. Even if just using a regular weighted back plate and an HP100 I would still use a 30lb wing. The Oxycheq Mach V series are very popular as are Tobin's wings.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Tobin has been doing this thing for quite a while. It's difficult to second-guess his recommendation.

A 2-piece farmer john wetsuit has a significant amount of positive buoyancy -- probably in the 20-30 lb. range. In combination with the tanks you're diving, I'd look at getting a wing in the 30-35 lb. lift range.

FYI, there really isn't much of a difference in size between a 25 lb. wing and a 30 lb. wing. The concern is that ignorant divers will be using wings that offer significantly more lift than is required and the wing "tacos" around the tank. This "taco" effect makes it difficult to vent the wing and can cause more drag in the water. 5 lbs. more lift really isn't enough to cause the "taco" effect.

I'm a drysuit SoCal diver who uses a 30 lb. lift wing for both local diving and warm water diving.

 

[fnfalman]

It all depends on where you mount your weight. On your body ala weight belt/weight harness or on your rig?

On your body? You can probably go with a pretty small wing. On your rig? You'd need a bigger wing, though if you need anything bigger than 40-lbs then you're doing something wrong (we're talking about single tank diving and not double tank diving).

Take my own rig to go diving in SoCal with a 7mm wetsuit (single piece), and at this configuration I am properly weighted:

Dive Rite SS plate = -6lbs
Dive Rite STA = -2lbs
Tank valve = -2lbs
Regulator set = -2lbs
Faber M-series tanks HP100/HP120 = -14.11lbs/-15.58lbs full

So, add them all together equals to -26.11lbs/-27.58lbs when the tanks are full. That means in worst case scenario, the ring has to lift either 26lbs or 28lbs. Throw in a few extra pounds for fudge factor = 30lbs wing for me.

Now, imagine that if I were to not want all that weight on my body and instead go with a lighter steel tank and a separate weight belt/weight harness. Say, a Faber L-series LP120 with a buoyancy characteristic of -4.87lbs and the lead to make up the rest of my dive weight in a belt on my waist. In this case, I can get away with properly a 20lbs wing because my rig is now lighter than the previous configuration (with the M-series Faber HP120 tank) by around 10lbs.

My wetsuit can probably handle the lead in the weight belt, or if not, then I'd ditch the weight belt then my wetsuit will handle my own body weight with ease, while the wing will float the rig if I were to ditch the rig.

 

[Lenaxia]

I dive a 35lb wing. It is more than sufficient for Monterey. 7mm jumpsuit, and HP100.

I could probably manage with a 25-30lb wing, but as with fnfalman's numbers, I'd like to have a bit of wiggle room should the worst case happen.

 

[cmburch]

I use a 40 lb because it was on sale. It works well for me. A 30 lb will also work. NorCal. One Piece integrated hood 9/7/6mm wetsuit, SS BP, steel tanks.

 

[Hatul]

The diving here can be challenging at times and it's nice to have extra buoyancy. When swimming on the surface a larger wing can help keep your face above the water.

ADam