back plate vs Ultra Lite Travel Plate for FL diving?

[redacted]

What if you have a BC failure?

I had one fail a couple weeks ago in Bonaire. Lower pull dump inner nut failed leaving me a 2' diameter hole as I descended. I handed the extra 2 lb I was carrying to my wife/buddy and completed that dive and one more after it with no problem. Did a duct tape patch job on it when I got back to the hotel (can't even leave a Save-a-dive kit in the vehicle) And dove it that way for the rest of the week. In warm water recreational diving, a BCD is more of a convenience thing than a necessity.

 

[Tortuga68]

Yes, I was talking about wing bladder failure

I too dive warm water (3mm shorty or less) without a weight belt/extra weight - with a SS BP/W - on either single tank or doubles, with little (doubles) or no (single) air in the wing

I'm not sure I could swim up from depth with full steel tank/s though, although I swim ok; and not sure I could stay at the surface as long as I may need to (eg surface swim back to shore/wait for boat) - never had to though, will have to try it next dive and see how I cope

I'm planning on changing to an alloy BP with weight pockets on the tank so I have some ditchable weight (and also carry less weight for travelling)

I have always carried an SMB when using doubles, and sometimes with a single (deep/drift); but not on every dive when using a single tank - especially if I'm using rental gear and not my own rig. So, I guess there's a lesson there for me (always carry SMB) - although I don't know if that's entirely the answer, especially since I often do 'spur of the moment' dives when travelling for work

Thanks for your response, happy to hear more thoughts if you have them - I find your posts informative, and am always happy to learn from someone with more experience than me

 

[Nemrod]

You need some ditchable weight and you need to get an aluminum plate or other material, not steel.

You may not be sure, but I am absolutely positive I can swim anything I have up and stay on the surface. I thought we were talking about ultralight wings and plates, not doubles here? I just don't see the heavy reliance on a BC in warm water, you should be just about neutral, if not, then your set up to heavy as in I notice you have a steel plate and steel tank or tanks. Even the GUE pages I have read suggest aluminum tanks in warm water, maybe your double steels need to go to aluminum instead if you are so heavy you cannot swim up. I am just going by what you say but that is not a desireable or tolerable circumstance except in a few specific cases.

N

 

[Tortuga68]

Thanks again

To clarify - I realise that the person I quoted was initially talking about a travel wing; although that was not the original topic (BP vs Ultra Light)

But I took the comment about not ever dropping weight until you reach the surface as a general comment for any situation; maybe I mis-interpreted that. Still not sure I agree with that

My usual rig is a halcyon eclipse 30# with a single DIN (rental) tank, which (in my experince) means steel. Doubles are the exception rather than the rule for me

With regards to my "I'm not sure" comment, I was saying that I'm not sure that an SMB would keep my head above water with a wing bladder failure - IMHO SMB is useful when you're underwater but not so much on the surface? I never saw them as anything else - but perhaps that means I am overweighted as you say?

Anyhoo, ditchable wight and aluminium BP are most definitely in my near future

 

[AndyA]

Just my 2 cents

I use the 18# wing and the travel plate, I have 4 small weight pockets on the cam bands and place a 1# weight in each one (total 4 lbs). I am weigh 225 wear 3mm shorty and at the end of my dive with about 700 PSI I floated just under the surface. I know that I do not have any ditchable weights but my trim is almost perfect.

Andy