Finally got my own setup

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fobturbo

Contributor
Messages
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Location
San Jose,CA
# of dives
200 - 499
Hi folks, I finally got around to purchasing my own gear after renting for a bit. Please tell me what you think:

Oceanic Probe LX w/XS 2
Ocean CDX5 w/environmental seal + GT3 w/DVT 2nd stage
Vytec DS w/transmitter

The hardest part is waiting for my CLX50/50 drysuit to arrive next month.

I plan to dive mainly in Monterey/Carmel. My main concern right now is that the amount of weight that I dive with (30 lbs w/drysuit) is more than the lift capacity of the BC. Granted the drysuit will give me some buoyancy, but would there be any problems with this setup? I'm 5'4" ~130lbs.

TIA
 
Gear is just fine,good stuff no problems,BUT



CUT DOWN on the weights,your profile is pretty empty,so don't know if you're male or female)but my wife is about your size and a bit over your weight(body that is) and uses 18 to 20 LBS on a drysuit.(7mm noncompressed)women tend to be a bit MORE floaty
Futher you don't state what size the BC is,so hard to tell how much lift the BC has.
 
Thanks 300bar. My LDS says the weight I use will drop down as I dive more.

I've filled in some more of my profile.

Gear is just fine,good stuff no problems,BUT



CUT DOWN on the weights,your profile is pretty empty,so don't know if you're male or female)but my wife is about your size and a bit over your weight(body that is) and uses 18 to 20 LBS on a drysuit.(7mm noncompressed)women tend to be a bit MORE floaty
Futher you don't state what size the BC is,so hard to tell how much lift the BC has.
 
I think that the OP has a size small BCD with 26 lbs. of buoyant lift. ScubaLab reported that the medium version of this BCD has 4 lbs. of inherent positive buoyancy.

Minimum amt. of buoyant lift required...
The size of your wing/BCD should be able to support the larger of: (1) the maximum negative buoyancy of your rig (without you in it) or (2) the total loss of buoyancy of your drysuit in the event of a drysuit failure.

(1) Maximum negative buoyancy of your rig (without you in it)
Your BCD is +4 lbs. positive (with empty bladder) - 2 lbs. for your regulator - 2 lbs. for a full AL80. Thus, your rig is probably about neutral with a full AL80 tank. Your BCD shouldn't need much lift at all to keep your rig at the surface. This calculation only holds true without using the integrated weight pockets on your BCD. If you filled up your weight pockets with 30 lbs. of lead, you can see that you would need 30 lbs. of lift to keep your rig (with weight pockets "loaded") at the surface. In this case, I would recommend dividing up your weight -- 6 lbs. on a weight belt and 24 lbs. in your integrated weight pockets. Then the 26lbs. of buoyant lift in your BCD will be sufficient for your rig.
There are certain situations when diving off of small boats that you have to throw your rig into the water first and then don it in the water. In such situations, you'll be very happy that your BCD has enough lift to keep your rig floating at the surface. :)

(2) Total loss of buoyancy of your drysuit
Assuming that you have done a proper weight check with your chosen exposure protection and that you use an AL80 tank, we can figure out the buoyancy characteristics of your drysuit + undergarment. You currently carry about 32 lbs. of ballast: 30 lbs. lead + 2 lbs. for regulator. Using an AL80 tank, at 500psi your tank will be +3 lbs. buoyant and your jacket BCD is likely +4 lbs. buoyant with an empty bladder. 32 lbs of total ballast - 3 for your buoyant tank - 4 for your buoyant BC leaves about 25 lbs. required to sink your exposure suit. In the event of a total drysuit failure you can only lose at maximum 25 lbs. of buoyancy. Thus, a BCD/wing with 25 lbs. of buoyant lift should be sufficient.

Your BCD with 26lbs. of buoyant lift is safe for your situation if you divide up the weights as I suggested.

This being said, I agree with 300bar that you are probably overweighted. If you do a proper weight check, you might find that you don't need to cart around as much lead as you do. As you know, carrying the minimum amt. of lead will definitely help your air consumption during dives. Moreover, if you can drop 6 lbs. or more, then you won't have to divide up the weight between weight belt and integrated weight pockets as I described.

After doing a weight check with all of your new gear, be sure to practice using your drysuit in a safe environment. Two skills worth practicing are: (a) recovery from a feet-first ascent in your drysuit and (b) air-sharing during ascent with buddy using your XS 2.

Congratulations on getting all of that new gear. Now get it wet!

Have fun and dive safe.
 
Last edited:
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/

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