Do I need a larger wing?

[lukemillar]

Hi,

My current setup is a SS BP with travel wing and I am very happy and comfortable with this setup.

Anyway, up untill 6 months ago, pretty much all my diving was warm water tropical diving which is why I initially chose the travel wing. Recently I have been diving regularly in NZ (current water temp is 7-9c) and I dive wet with a 7mm suit. This makes my setup very negatively buoyant (I carry around 15lbs + the BP). Tank is usually AL80 (don't own my own tanks)

On a recent rescue course, I had to ditch my gear for a training exercise and even with the wing fully inflated, it started to sink. Luckily the instructor caught the BC before it disappeared. I hadn't ditched the weight pockets because it was a training exercise and given the location, finding them again may have been a pain!

My instructor commentated after the exercise that my wing wasn't large enough! Is this the case? I haven't had any hassles diving with the wing in cold water with my suit and weight. In a real emergency I would obviously drop my weight for real so is this really a non-issue highlighted by a training exercise or is it unwise to dive with such a small wing with a combination of thick wetsuit/lots of weight?

Any thoughts much appreciated!

Cheers
Luke

 

[cool_hardware52]

Hi,

My current setup is a SS BP with travel wing and I am very happy and comfortable with this setup.

Anyway, up untill 6 months ago, pretty much all my diving was warm water tropical diving which is why I initially chose the travel wing. Recently I have been diving regularly in NZ (current water temp is 7-9c) and I dive wet with a 7mm suit. This makes my setup very negatively buoyant (I carry around 15lbs + the BP). Tank is usually AL80 (don't own my own tanks)

On a recent rescue course, I had to ditch my gear for a training exercise and even with the wing fully inflated, it started to sink. Luckily the instructor caught the BC before it disappeared. I hadn't ditched the weight pockets because it was a training exercise and given the location, finding them again may have been a pain!

My instructor commentated after the exercise that my wing wasn't large enough! Is this the case? I haven't had any hassles diving with the wing in cold water with my suit and weight. In a real emergency I would obviously drop my weight for real so is this really a non-issue highlighted by a training exercise or is it unwise to dive with such a small wing with a combination of thick wetsuit/lots of weight?

Any thoughts much appreciated!

Cheers
Luke

Your wing should be able to float your gear with a full cylinder if you have to ditch your gear.

Mounting ballast to your rig can increase the required wing lift.

Moving ballast off your rig and onto your person *may* allow you to use your current wing.

Keep in mind your wing needs to be able to compensate for the maximum possible change in buoyancy of your exposure suit.

Tobin

 

[japan-diver]

The travel wing has 27lbs of lift a 6lb plate + 15 lb wb + 6 lb full tank + 2lb regs etc = approx 29lbs negative at start of the dive.

The wing probably has enough buoyancy to compensate for the wetsuit compression etc but if you are carrying integrated weights not enough to float the rig. You will need a larger wing or as Tobin said shift some weight to a weightbelt and keep the same wing.

 

[lukemillar]

Hey,

Thanks for the replies. I think I would prefer to trade up to a larger wing rather than offset weight onto myself.

Cheers
Luke

 

[lukemillar]

Travel wing is now for sale:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/cl...dive-rite-travel-exp-27-wing.html#post5383367

 

[drbill]

I dive wet (7mm plus hooded 3mm vest) in water temps as low as 47-48 F, carry 36# in weight and have used a 27-28# travel wing for the past 10 years. No problem with it and I absolutely prefer the oval or donut wings to the horseshoe ones (like the one I'm diving temporarily now) because the air is evacuated much more effectively (I film).

Of course they don't work well for doubles, but I've frequently done dives as deep as 200 ft (60+ meters) with that setup. Of course your mileage may vary.