A drag issue : to bungee wings or not to bungee

[Blackwood]

(I think we'll skip on putting a hole in them.

:mooner:/2

("half-assed" for anyone who isn't a little tipsy)

 

[LiteHedded]

I have video of aj with a hole in said wing. it's kinda funny

 

[The Chairman]

And NetDoc, you see real caught up on these "hypothetical" situations that don't really happen. Some dude on another forum (dirx, for the interested reader) had his corrugated hose completely detach on a dive. I've personally had a hole in my wing before. I'm reasonably sure that someone who posts on this board frequently had an OPV separate. These are real things. If a bungee is constricting your wing, wouldn't it also force air out, making a bad situation worse?

Caught up? Not on your life. I punctured my OMS wing back in 2002. Put a hole into the tail end of it as I was trying to snip my buddy out of a mess of mono on a wreck in the Keys. I felt/heard it rip, but I thought it had only gotten the outer cover. I dove for two full days (4 dives a day) before I had realized that I had a 1/4" hole in the bladder. That is reality and not some made up hypothetical nonsense. I finally realized that I had the puncture when I could not over-inflate the wing. What did I do? I just switched to the other bladder until I could patch it with a tire patch. However, I weight myself to where I need very little air in my bladder. I guess if I had to run it at near full capacity, I would have felt it right after I punctured it.

I have seen the other hypothetical situations you referred to as well. A corrugated hose that came off of a non-OMS wing nearly resulted in a drowning. Panic was the culprit and bungees would have made little difference. A great buddy and an attentive captain resolved her plight.

What I am caught up on, is people pontificating about gear that they have never used, and being pretty snarky about it at the same time. They present their opinion with such confidence that you would think that they have had many dives on it. It's the "If I don't dive it, so it's trash" syndrome that we see among a lot of LDSs. I hate it when politicians pull the same crap, constantly exaggerating some "potential" flaw as if it were fact. Stick with what you know. State your theories as just that. State your second hand knowledge as the hearsay that it is. If you are going to try to back up your theories with logic, please use GOOD logic. The "I don't have to be shot by a gun to know it's not a good thing" logic is just crazy silly. Like I tell my children: don't try to reason with unreasonable people. Logic that bad, is simply unreasonable.

In the end, it's OK (and intellectually honest) to say "I don't like the looks of them and they make me uneasy" rather than to invent a litany of hypothetical/potential scenarios to try to prove your unqualified opinion of them. If you have a concern about one of these scenarios, then by all means ASK. You might find that a few of us who have deigned to throw all caution to the wind by diving the BWOD, have actually experienced them at one time or another. After all is said and done: there is always more said than done! Don't let unreasonable fears control your life.

FWIW, I departed from the use of bungeed wings because of peer pressure. I was going to take cavern and cave and just didn't want the hassle I KNEW they would generate. I kind of resent that now. FWIW #2, I think it's funny that I have gotten back to using bungees again. To paraphrase a petulant basketball player from another century: I'm as bungee as I want to be!

 

[rjack321]

Funny how all the bungie people claim it won't vent (more) from a hole when OMS actually advertizes the power as "power deflating"

But as Tobin pointed out many many posts ago it only power deflates to a point where the bungies are relaxed, and after that you've got to work the small bubbles trapped between the bungies to one end to get them out.

This is assuming the bungies aren't super tight in which case you run the risk that you can't fully inflate the wing before the OPV vents. Which is what Dan Volker experienced in a recovery mentioned earlier.

People are overwhelmingly diving wings with minimal (DR Nomad, Recwing etc) bungies or without them at all (Golem, DSS, H, Oxycheq and others) so its apparent they are optional, heck even OMS calls them optional/removable. So exactly what problem are the OMS bondage bungies solving? Not can you dive with them, but why are they needed? I totally get this is about being an argumentative contrarian, but I'm not seeing the "for" argument anywhere.

 

[OneRestlessNative]

I have video of aj with a hole in said wing. it's kinda funny

Maybe that video should be posted, obviously nothing too serious came of the incident.

A bladder failure has the same consequences weather it is a poodle jacket, BI, or wing, bungeed or not.... How you are weighted and mitigate that particular failure that determines your fate. If I happen to snag a bungee I'm perfectly capable of removing said gear and freeing the snag, that is a basic skill after all.

 

[stairman]

Here is an example of what bungees on a wing are designed for. Notice it says "aids in dumping air".If your paranoid of wing failure use ditchable weights, a dry suit or a dual bladder wing. With doubles the cord is removed for additional lift so its not an issue. Dive Rite Rec Wings (50 Lbs. lift) # 2074

 

[stairman]

I will admit, it may be better to chose a wing design that is exclusively for a single tank if thats all you do, without bungees however if a dual purpose wing is chosen it performs better with the bungee installed when diving singles. Ive tried it both ways and have come to this conclusion. Im officially done with this thread, safe diving!

 

[LiteHedded]

Maybe that video should be posted, obviously nothing too serious came of the incident.

A bladder failure has the same consequences weather it is a poodle jacket, BI, or wing, bungeed or not.... How you are weighted and mitigate that particular failure that determines your fate. If I happen to snag a bungee I'm perfectly capable of removing said gear and freeing the snag, that is a basic skill after all.

im not sure where it is. it was a total non issue. the wing held together fine for a half hour scooter and about as much deco. just made for some laughs

 

[Randy43068]

Again, I'll say it.

1) There is no need or good reason to bungee a wing.

2) they look pretty damn silly

3) There is no reason to vent that wing at jet-speed.

 

[Blackwood]

3) There is no reason to vent that wing at jet-speed.

Extra propulsion when your scooter fails.