Considering BP/W switch and need input

[cool_hardware52]

I don't dive anywhere without exposure protection, so you'll need to ask someone else.

flots.

Perhaps then you should refrain from speaking in absolutes. What is appropriate for one set of conditions may not be for others.

Tobin

 

[cool_hardware52]

How exactly do you manage to be neutral at the end of the dive without being negative at the beginning of the dive?

flots.

I need to be neutral at my shallow stop. At ~15 fsw, if I dive in a buoyant compressible exposure suit I can rely on the suit to loose buoyancy at least equal to the weight of the gas in a typical single cylinder.

Try this:

Put on your 7mm wetsuit and add enough lead to get neutral at the surface.

Now swim down to 15 ft. Are you becoming more negative? If so why and by how much?

Tobin

 

[flots am]

I need to be neutral at my shallow stop. At ~15 fsw, if I dive in a buoyant compressible exposure suit I can rely on the suit to loose buoyancy at least equal to the weight of the gas in a typical single cylinder.

Try this:

Put on your 7mm wetsuit and add enough lead to get neutral at the surface.

Now swim down to 15 ft. Are you becoming more negative? If so why and by how much?

Tobin

Sorry, I don't see an advantage to being underweighted.

What if I want to stop at 10' or 2'?

flots.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Sorry, I don't see an advantage to being underweighted.

What if I want to stop at 10' or 2'?

flots.

1) No need to.

2) Wetsuits don't rebound instantly, infact they do so very slowly

3) You still have your lungs.

Tobin

 

[dumpsterDiver]

1) No need to.

2) Wetsuits don't rebound instantly, infact they do so very slowly

3) You still have your lungs.

Tobin

Wow.. that is surprising advice. No need to be able to stop at 5 feet depth? I think it might be vital to be able to stay under... what if a boat is going to run over you? I want to have enough lead to stop my ascent easily and comfortably at any depth.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Wow.. that is surprising advice. No need to be able to stop at 5 feet depth? I think it might be vital to be able to stay under... what if a boat is going to run over you? I want to have enough lead to stop my ascent easily and comfortably at any depth.

Are you saying you can't swim down a couple lbs of positive buoyancy? Wow, if I was incapable of swimming down against 3-4 lb soy positive buoyancy I'd hang up my fins.

Tobin

 

[lulubelle]

Hi there, can I please have my thread back?

Now that I am clear on what material plate I will likely need, and pretty much know already that I want continuous webbing, can I get some feedback on your favorite brands of wings with the "why"? If it helps, and not to derail the thread again, I dive in the ocean almost exclusively, sometimes in heavy current, and would be interested to know what shapes and brands might be best suited for this type of environment. I have heard stories of drag and air trapping in some.

Many thanks all.

 

[TSandM]

I think the key is to have the size wing you need, and not more. That will minimize the size of the "pontoons" on the side, and thus drag. Having too much lift means that the air gets too far from the ways to vent it, and then you end up with solutions like bungied wings, which have a rough surface, air trap, increase drag, and may cause problems if the wing is holed.

I like DSS gear because I like Tobin's customer service. He won't sell you equipment unless he's convinced you are buying something that will work for your application, and although he sometimes annoys people by insisting they get him the information he wants, I think the end result is that people get gear with which they go on to be happy.

We have a couple of HOG setups for our students. They are less expensive, and work fine, but they don't have quite the nice little things the DSS wings have.

The only properly sized wings I've run into that air-trap are the Frog ones -- we had one on the boat in the Red Sea where the bladder was oversized and crammed into a smaller outer covering, so it was crumpled inside and hard to vent.

Other than that, there are a lot of good choices.

 

[lulubelle]

I think the key is to have the size wing you need, and not more. That will minimize the size of the "pontoons" on the side, and thus drag. Having too much lift means that the air gets too far from the ways to vent it, and then you end up with solutions like bungied wings, which have a rough surface, air trap, increase drag, and may cause problems if the wing is holed.

I like DSS gear because I like Tobin's customer service. He won't sell you equipment unless he's convinced you are buying something that will work for your application, and although he sometimes annoys people by insisting they get him the information he wants, I think the end result is that people get gear with which they go on to be happy.

We have a couple of HOG setups for our students. They are less expensive, and work fine, but they don't have quite the nice little things the DSS wings have.

The only properly sized wings I've run into that air-trap are the Frog ones -- we had one on the boat in the Red Sea where the bladder was oversized and crammed into a smaller outer covering, so it was crumpled inside and hard to vent.

Other than that, there are a lot of good choices.

Yes, I have already ruled out the bungeed wings, they look they would be problematic and I have indeed seen people have problems with them. I can see how one might have a collection of wings for different applications. I'll probably start with a minimalist one for my singles diving, and size up if and when I decide to do doubles.

Thanks again all!

 

[fisheater]

Good observation.

Avoid "I can do everything" wings. They can't do anything particularly well.

For singles, you need an appropriately sized single wing. For doubles, an appripriately sized doubles wing.

In my case, I have a 40# singles wing for my cold water drysuit diving and an 18# singles wing for my light wetsuit tropical diving. I don't dive doubles (yet), so I don't own a doubles wing.


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