Are the Super Wings too much?

[decoeric]

There is no need for one 100 lb wing for 104/130 tanks, let along duals.
Everyone I know dives those tanks, including deco bottles, with 50-55 lb wings.

MD

130's with a 55lb wing??? Dual 130's alone weigh 94lbs empty not counting hardware and a manifold, they are negative 10lbs full but +.75 empty. With stage bottles and possibily a can light you are looking at well over 150lbs of gear? 55lb wings would not even keep you a float with that kind of gear, with out adding a ton of air to your dry suit. To me it seems like a bad plan. Dive Rite recommends at minimum Classic wings with 59lb of lift for "heavy" doubles. Like I said a little more lift is always a better plan, especially if you do any diving that have a surface swim involved the more lift on your back will get your head out of the water better for those swims. Also the SS back plate with possibly a tank weight of some kind and ankle weights would most likely reverse the need to carry a weight belt at all. Which is very nice. When it comes right down to it you are going to buy what you think is best. Everyone in the Tech community is going to tell you something different. Case in point here. Best advice I got was buy the best you can afford, but a little more than you might need now when planning for future tech dives... Have fun.

 

[MechDiver]

130's with a 55lb wing??? Dual 130's alone weigh 94lbs empty not counting hardware and a manifold, they are negative 10lbs full but +.75 empty. With stage bottles and possibily a can light you are looking at well over 150lbs of gear? 55lb wings would not even keep you a float with that kind of gear, with out adding a ton of air to your dry suit. .

I would suggest you bone up on in-water buoyancy and displacement, as you obviously have some, err, misconceptions on what constitutes negative buoyancy and what it takes to overcome it (lift). You also might want to do a search here on wing size and similiar terms.

I dive LP-95s (weigh about the same as E8-130s), SS bp, can light, two alum 40s and one alum 13. My 55lb Explorer is not fully inflated on the surface with no air in my ds.

MD

 

[The Fresh Prince]

I would suggest you bone up on in-water buoyancy and displacement, as you obviously have some, err, misconceptions on what constitutes negative buoyancy and what it takes to overcome it (lift). You also might want to do a search here on wing size and similiar terms.

I dive LP-95s (weigh about the same as E8-130s), SS bp, can light, two alum 40s and one alum 13. My 55lb Explorer is not fully inflated on the surface with no air in my ds.

MD

Really. I don't know how he got into technical diving not knowing this. Wonder who his TDI instructor was? :06:

 

[decoeric]

I would suggest you bone up on in-water buoyancy and displacement, as you obviously have some, err, misconceptions on what constitutes negative buoyancy and what it takes to overcome it (lift). You also might want to do a search here on wing size and similiar terms.

I dive LP-95s (weigh about the same as E8-130s), SS bp, can light, two alum 40s and one alum 13. My 55lb Explorer is not fully inflated on the surface with no air in my ds.

MD

Sounds like you are the expert... I can only comment on my gear set-up and what I have found to be helpful...

 

[MechDiver]

Sounds like you are the expert... I can only comment on my gear set-up and what I have found to be helpful...

No, not an expert. I can, however, on a good day, tell the difference in buoyancy between air and water.

MD

 

[MechDiver]

Really. I don't know how he got into technical diving

Just because someone is in the forest doesn't make them one of the trees

 

[The Fresh Prince]

Just because someone is in the forest doesn't make them one of the trees

LOL, but if he falls, will he make a sound????

 

[decoeric]

Just because someone is in the forest doesn't make them one of the trees

“There is no need for one 100 lb wing for 104/130 tanks, let alone duals” - Maybe IANTD doesn't teach this but the first rule of thumb of tech diving is redundancy. 2 lights, Primary Regs, back up Regs, knife, back up knife, dual bladder air cell, I think you’re starting to get the picture. You guys can make fun of me all you want, I know my diving. I have done many, many deco dives beyond 180'. I have 400+ logged dives, 80% are deep dives beyond 130’. All of them safely. I have done TDI training with John Avery and John Clifton with Scuba Center here in the Twin Cities. Like I said in an earlier post, I can only comment on what works best for me and give my 2 cents to a new diver that ultimately he is going to make his own decision. This is the problem with the tech diving community; there is a ton of arrogance. “I don't know how he got into technical diving not knowing this. Wonder who his TDI instructor was?” For people in this thread to ask how I got into technical diving is a little below the belt and not called for. And in a sense for them to suggest that I am not qualified because I am suggesting to a newer diver that maybe more might be a little better? Or that I don't understand in water or out of water buoyancy. All I know is when you are carrying 150 plus pounds of gear, your BC better be able to handle that kind of load. You load all of your stuff on top of your 55lb wings, your full dual 130's or 95's, your 2 full 40's, your full 13 and your light, all of your regs, reels, lift bags, make sure that you put the lead in the jacket and fill those wings and tell me if they float, because they won't. Put your body in that jacket and it may float but I bet you will have your reg in your mouth. Because you are riding so low in the water. Most of the diving that I do requires a short surface swim, so I like having more lift to get my head further out of the water so I do not need to waste air at the surface. I started with a dive rite transpac with classic wings and as I started to carry more junk, I found that it was harder to stay higher in the water during surface swims. Underwater sure the wings worked fine. But all in all I am glad that I made the switch to a OMS harness with SS BP and bigger wings.

 

[WJL]

All I know is when you are carrying 150 plus pounds of gear, your BC better be able to handle that kind of load. You load all of your stuff on top of your 55lb wings, your full dual 130's or 95's, your 2 full 40's, your full 13 and your light, all of your regs, reels, lift bags, make sure that you put the lead in the jacket and fill those wings and tell me if they float, because they won't.

What jacket are you talking about? I thought you were diving a wing?

My 55# wing floats me just fine at the surface with dual 104s, AL backplate, can light, reel, lift bag, etc., even when I'm carrying a stage bottle, with no gas in my drysuit. Everybody I dive with has the same setup, in fact most of them dive multiple stage bottles, deco bottles and scooters, and none of them has any problem floating comfortably at the surface, even in considerable chop. You really don't need 100# of lift in your wing, especially at the surface.

Put your body in that jacket and it may float but I bet you will have your reg in your mouth. Because you are riding so low in the water. Most of the diving that I do requires a short surface swim, so I like having more lift to get my head further out of the water so I do not need to waste air at the surface.

Shouldn't the priority be on efficiency under the water, rather than turning yourself into a raft on the surface?

 

[MechDiver]

I know my diving. I have done many, many deco dives beyond 180'. I have 400+ logged dives, 80% are deep dives beyond 130’. All of them safely. I have done TDI training with John Avery and John Clifton with Scuba Center here in the Twin Cities.

Well geez, that makes all the difference bud. I had no idea I was in the presence of greatness. I have a special place I keep special divers like you...