glbirch
Contributor
jonnythan:
Depends on individual bouyancy. Jonny, is that all the weight you use, or do you wear a belt as well?
BC's ability to float gear at surface
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Depends on individual bouyancy. Jonny, is that all the weight you use, or do you wear a belt as well?
I have to say, I love my 45# wing from Oxycheq for cold water diving. I use a PST E7-100, with a 12# FredT Backplate, and a 6# Koplin Heavy STA, and the can lite from Hades, and No problemo with it floating on the surface...
I wouldnt want anything less for diving up here in NE...
I wouldnt want anything less for diving up here in NE...
Glad to hear this isn't something that I need to freak out about, you have convinced me I can take my time in finding a replacement. I float fine on the surface, and was already slowly increasing my maximum depth just so that I could ensure that I had adequate buoyancy to get back up after each descent. Meaning the deepest I have been is 85 ft, and I won't jump to a depth of 100 ft without first having a dive or two in the 90ish range. After giving it some thought, I can't see the point in moving weight to a belt. As long as I remember to ditch some weight from the bc should I need to remove it in open water, it will float. That seems like an even trade since if I had a belt I would have to drop it before removing the bc or I would may sink. If the suit floods, I will have already mentally programmed myself to think about whether or not I need to ditch some weight to compensate for the smaller bc.
As to being overly bouyant or overweighted, I don't think so. I dive a DC compressed neoprene drysuit. It didn't seem like I required more weight than everyone around me in my classes, but I am also not very experienced (around 50 dives since I started alittle over a year ago). I have been working hard to get my weight correct, but I have found that the required weight changes as my insulation layers change (summer's 68 degree water doesn't require nearly the layering as the winters 38 does). Even the equipment I carry with me seems to have an effect (night dives that I take a big flashlight and a medium spare, adding a pony bottle, etc). I have got it down to where I am usually within +/- 2 lbs of the ability to remain neutral at 15 ft with 500 psi, but it seems to be a moving target.
My boyfriend recently got an Oxycheq Signature Series 45. In a few months I'll considering going that route if he has good experiences with it. Thanks for all the input!
As to being overly bouyant or overweighted, I don't think so. I dive a DC compressed neoprene drysuit. It didn't seem like I required more weight than everyone around me in my classes, but I am also not very experienced (around 50 dives since I started alittle over a year ago). I have been working hard to get my weight correct, but I have found that the required weight changes as my insulation layers change (summer's 68 degree water doesn't require nearly the layering as the winters 38 does). Even the equipment I carry with me seems to have an effect (night dives that I take a big flashlight and a medium spare, adding a pony bottle, etc). I have got it down to where I am usually within +/- 2 lbs of the ability to remain neutral at 15 ft with 500 psi, but it seems to be a moving target.
My boyfriend recently got an Oxycheq Signature Series 45. In a few months I'll considering going that route if he has good experiences with it. Thanks for all the input!
glbirch:
That's usually all the weight I wear.. If I'm diving very cold (below 45) water, and I pile on lots of insulation, I usually toss on about 5 pounds on a weight belt. That being said, I haven't done a real weight check with all that insulation on, and once I do I'll probably put whatever extra weight I need, if any, somewhere on the tank straps or something.
BillAllbritten
Contributor
use of a BC - Case in point, my Zeagle Ranger, which I like very much. Rated at 44lbs, Rodales stated that it was tested to be within 15% of that figure but ran on the low side (38-39lbs), presumably in saltwater. Navy tests pegged it in upper 30's, as well, in saltwater. So I'm not too worried about a "44lb" wing being too large, actually in the 30's in saltwater, closer to 35 in freshwater.
If,and it's a big if, the LDS will let you. There are two things you can do at the LDS. If they have a pool and a rental in the same BC, take it in the pool, inflate until the OP valve opens, hang weights on it with a weight belt till it sinks, adjust upwards by about 7% for additional bouyancy in salt water but remember for quarry or other freshwater diving, what you see in the pool is what you get.
Second method, wet the BC completly, remove inflator hose (or fill through inflator in non-removable) and weigh the wet BC with an empty wing (be sure there is no water in the wing). (You can leave the BC dry if you can avoid spilling any water on the BC during the filling, which will increase the weight of the BC in the post-fill weighin and provide an overly optimistic estimate of the lift)
Fill wing with freshwater, weigh it again. That's the weight of the water it will displace when filled with air, more or less the lift it will produce (for the purist, minus the weight of the air when it is filled, but not enough to be a real world issue) in freshwater. Adjust upwards 7% for saltwater bouyancy.
From many threads, most wings are overrated in terms of lift, heaven knows why.
Sincerely,
Bill
If,and it's a big if, the LDS will let you. There are two things you can do at the LDS. If they have a pool and a rental in the same BC, take it in the pool, inflate until the OP valve opens, hang weights on it with a weight belt till it sinks, adjust upwards by about 7% for additional bouyancy in salt water but remember for quarry or other freshwater diving, what you see in the pool is what you get.
Second method, wet the BC completly, remove inflator hose (or fill through inflator in non-removable) and weigh the wet BC with an empty wing (be sure there is no water in the wing). (You can leave the BC dry if you can avoid spilling any water on the BC during the filling, which will increase the weight of the BC in the post-fill weighin and provide an overly optimistic estimate of the lift)
Fill wing with freshwater, weigh it again. That's the weight of the water it will displace when filled with air, more or less the lift it will produce (for the purist, minus the weight of the air when it is filled, but not enough to be a real world issue) in freshwater. Adjust upwards 7% for saltwater bouyancy.
From many threads, most wings are overrated in terms of lift, heaven knows why.
Sincerely,
Bill
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