The advantage of the Horseshoe wing is the fact that you can trap air on one side. Imagine diving with 3-4 stages,or -20lbs cine-light on your side. You would want to counter balance it for proper trim. It is much easier with u-shaped wing.
Golem Gear is at it again!
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ams511
Contributor
cool_hardware52:
Most of the dives I do require some sort of surface swim so I need to vent before decending. My jacket BC does tend to trap gas which one of the reasons I am looking to replace it. Thanks for the info. Are you going to run a holiday special also?
This reasoning has intuitive appeal, but I've not witnessed (or experienced) the act of intentionally trapping air on one side or the other to be a problem with a donut doubles wing, which is the only configuration I can imagine diving with stages (especially multiple) etc...lof:
*Floater*
Contributor
ams511:
When you are in horizontal trim your wing will be wrapped up around the tank with gas on both sides where the wing is highest, but not at the front or rear unless the wing is close to full, and usually they are never that full except on the surface. If you vent gas from the rear dump on the left then the left side will become less buoyant and you may want to balance the remaining gas out in your wing by shifting a little bit of it from the right side to the left. There are other things also that may make you want to shift gas from one side to the other. So to do this you can tilt slightly head up so that the gas will go to the front of the wing and then you can shift some or all of it to either side - if you go straight down back to trim position the gas in the front will divide about evenly. This whole process becomes automatic after a while so you won't even notice it.
This is also the only way to shift gas with a horseshoes wing, whereas with a donut you can also tilt head down slightly so that the gas goes to the rear and then you can shift it where you want through the rear arc. I use the rear dump almost exclusively and find myself therefore preferring to shift gas through the rear (since I tilt slightly head down anyway to dump it) and hence my preference for donuts.
I also like to descend from the surface by going a little head down and pulling the rear dump cord, which generally doesn't work with the horseshoes because half the gas will get trapped on the right side of the wing if you try it. With a horseshoe I always had to hold the inflator up and press the deflate button while in vertical position until my head dipped below the surface. Obviously this wasn't a big thing, but it's one of several small benefits I noticed with donuts. And of course you can still descend feet first with donuts if you prefer.
As lof pointed out this is also a benefit of the horseshoe design. i.e. you are able to trap more gas on one side if you need to, however, I've always been able to trap sufficient gas with donuts too so it's not an issue for me - maybe with a buttload of stages on one side it would be. But I've owned several horseshoes and they dove fine too. A lot of people don't think the difference is significant so it largely comes down to personal preference. Just my opinion. Good luck.
cool_hardware52
Contributor
jagfish:
I agree. A wing will shift gas from one side to the other only when diver makes the either the top arc or bottom arc of the wing the high point. This requires being either heads up to butt up to some extent.
Gas seeks the highest point. It does not magically go from one "pontoon" down under the tank(s) and back up into the other pontoon, the diver has to assist.
Tobin
Sounds like people with no actual experience are talking.Crawl79:
I know a number of photographers, myself included, who dive a bp/w and wouldn't think about going back to a jacket.
Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, perhaps, if the photogs you spoke to have actually tried a bp/w and given it a fair shake, but I can't imagine why someone who dives a bp/w would have any difficulties taking photos (that is related to the bp/w). I sure don't...
Torontonian
Contributor
I took the plunge and ordered the Golem 35 SS Combo. Should get it next week. Well I won't be diving till next summer, so will have many months to thread the webbing and enjoy looking at it while feeling jeolous of all of you guys going diving. No I don't dive in cold or cool water, don't like cold water. In the winter will go snowboarding, skating, or hockey.
Will also take the advise from Rick Inman to practice butt venting.:mooner: I mean venting from the bladder. I mean venting air. You know what I mean, venting from the wing.
Will also take the advise from Rick Inman to practice butt venting.:mooner: I mean venting from the bladder. I mean venting air. You know what I mean, venting from the wing.
Torontonian:I took the plunge and ordered the Golem 35 SS Combo. Should get it next week. Well I won't be diving till next summer, so will have many months to thread the webbing and enjoy looking at it while feeling jeolous of all of you guys going diving. No I don't dive in cold or cool water, don't like cold water. In the winter will go snowboarding, skating, or hockey.
Will also take the advise from Rick Inman to practice butt venting.:mooner: I mean venting from the bladder. I mean venting air. You know what I mean, venting from the wing.
Great, let us know what you think when you get it.
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