30 or 40 lbs wing? - 12l steel, double 7mm wetsuit

[Karel_de_Goeiste]

I am looking into buying my first backplate and wing systeem, for a single cylinder set (long 12 liter steel).

In The Netherlands the water can be pretty cold. Outside the summer season I will probably be using a 2x (double) 7mm wetsuit. This means I need extra weight to go down, but lose buoyancy at depth (a lot). I can buy a nice 30lbs wing, for a really good price, but I doubt 30lbs will provide enough lift. Especially if I need to help my buddy, in case of an emergency.

What do you think? Will a 30 lbs wing will provice enough lift or should I look for a 40lbt wing?

 

[runsongas]

depends how much ballast you are running to offset the wetsuit. If you would lose more than 24 pounds of buoyancy from the wetsuit at depth, you would end up being negatively buoyant even with a fully inflated wing at the beginning. if you can move to a hooded semidry instead, you might be able to get away with less ballast.

 

[swimlikethefish]

I often dive a similar setup:
Semi dry with a stainless back plate with weighted sta and steel 100. It requires 20lbs to sink my suit and gloves. The tank and back plate offset some of this weight so that I only really put 4 lbs on a belt. A 30lbs wing in saltwater is fine unless there is no bottom. But shore diving with a hard bottom I tend to not worry, although I do carry an SMB and Lift Bag just in case. However, 30 is really pushing it. I ended up selling my 30 and bought a 40 for single tank dives. It provides me with a little cushion. Now freshwater, in that setup, is a whole different story. A 30 is not enough. You will need a 40. And even with 40 it is pushing it. It isn't too bad once I get to a half tank of air, but on the initial descent it takes every bit of the 40 lbs wing to stop my descent.

Buy once, cry once. Get the 40.

 

[swimlikethefish]

The best option if it is in your budget would be to buy a drysuit. You could probably use less lead than a double 7mm. And it would work as a back up B/C. Or your primary B/C depending on who you talk to. You do not have to go buy the latest, greatest, fancy new drysuit. Search around for something used, worst case you have to put new seals on it for a few dollars. If treated well the suit will last many many years. In my region you can find them used for $5-700 depending on the brand and time of year.

Either way, good luck in your hunt to find something that is suitable for your needs.

 

[runsongas]

you should be using less lead in freshwater and need less lift from the wing to offset unless if you are using different exposure protection in saltwater vs freshwater. if you are using the same amount of weight and the same semidry for both saltwater and freshwater, you would be overweighted in freshwater if correctly weighted for saltwater or underweighted for saltwater if correctly weighted for freshwater.

 

[elmo]

I used a 25lb wing with a 7mm semi-dry and hood and gloves and 12l steel tank and steel backplate most satisfactorily. 30lb would be fine too. 40lb should be more than needed *unless you are carrying too much weight* (in which case ditch the lead!). I now dive twin tanks and drysuit so my needs have changed. Drysuit is a good idea in cold water. It gives redundant buoyancy, but more importantly lets you dive year round.

 

[RayfromTX]

With a kydex plate, a 12l galvanized steel tank and a 5 mil suit in fresh water, I use a 20 lb wing. I wear no added weight with this setup. With a 7 mil, I would go to a steel plate or wear 4 lbs of lead and I would then go to a 30 lb wing(or a 26 lb)

 

[Bob DBF]

When calculating minimum wing buoyancy, make sure that you get all the buoyancy when the wing is on your rig with a tank. This is especially important on donut wings where the bottom and sides may be kept from fully inflating by the tank, 8" diameter is more of an issue.

I use a 40# Oxycheq with a 7mm step in jacket Farmer John (two 7mm layers), which has worked well for me around rec limits using a single tank. I also have used it in a pool without thermal protection and maintained buoyancy without issue.


Bob

 

[Karel_de_Goeiste]

I might switch to a drysuit later, but I like to start my dive adventure in The Netherlands using a wetsuit. So far I did all my training and dives in the Red Sea and Southeast Asia, so I might regret that decision later

Anyway ... I think I should indeed start looking for a 40 lbs wing. Thank you all for your advice!

 

[scubadiver888]

I dive a double 7mm wetsuit with a HP100 (this is around the same as your 12 litre cylinder). I have two rigs.

The first rig was a 27 pound wing with an 8 pound plate and a single tank adapter (STA). I found that this system worked great diving down to as deep as 130 feet (40 metres). On some shore dives I would put my rig in the water, wade out to deeper water then put my rig on. With a 27 pound wing it was pushing the limits. My rig would JUST float. If I had a tank which was more negatively buoyant or a heavier plate it might have actually sunk. With this rig I also wear around 8 pounds of lead on a belt.

My second rig is a 32 pound wing with an aluminum plate. The wing has built-in tank stabilizers. So I don't need the STA. So this one is better if I'm floating the rig on the surface or if I had to take the rig off underwater and put it back on (did that once when I got stuck on something in a wreck). However, it also means that I have to wear more lead in order to make the wetsuit sink. So I tend to use the first rig for cold water diving and this second rig when diving down south (2.5mm wetsuit and AL80 tank). I have to use this suit when diving with my 2.5mm wetsuit or I'm always negatively buoyant.

I recently got a drysuit. Everyone was telling me that I was going to need more weight switching from a wetsuit to a drysuit. Oddly, I did not find that. I use 9 pounds of weight with the first rig. I do find when doing REALLY shallow dives (5 to 10 feet) that I don't have enough air in the drysuit to keep me warm. So I might go up to 12 pounds if I know the dive will be fairly shallow.

Bottom line, I'm happy I didn't get the 40 pound wing. However, everyone is a little different. Maybe you need more weight to get down. Maybe your wetsuit compresses a lot more than mine. So you'll need more lift when you go down to 30 or 40 metres. Kind of hard to be sure without you trying it.

P.S. I have spent probably a decade working on my breathing and mindset to reduce how much lead I have to wear. If you are still learning to shed some weight, you might need the extra lift.

P.P.S. I once had a cave diver get my head into a space where I dropped another 2 pounds and it was amazing. So even I know I could probably shed a few more pounds. Wish I could get back to that mindset.