How much lift is too much lift?

[ams511]

Current ones seem to have slots. https://www.extreme-exposure.com/product/2823

The plate had slots for a long time at least since 2006 or so. The wings do not, hence the need for an STA.

 

[danvolker]

I really and truly think you are doing new divers a disservice by making statements like this. While I agree that it may be non-optimal it is certainly not "a lot worse". Statements like this just confuse new divers and make them afraid they are going to purchase the wrong wing. I see very little difference going from a 20 lb to a 30 lb, even my 37 lb wing is not a lot worse.

As you should know from my posts by now, I really do believe most shops sell too much lift in the BC's/wings to new divers....and on a thread like this, the majority of posters will be suggesting the maximum lift need of 30 or 40 pounds....when the diver might really need 20 pounds less.

Each diver needs to consider an upper AND lower limit....since few others are posting the "actual need" side or low end boundary, I guess some members will come to hate me for this.
Sorry, but I believe in this way, not the high lift way. I also don't believe you sell some student a high lift BC, to compensate for poor instruction and poor swimming skills.

It was so easy for us to learn Scuba safely in the 70's....with no BC being used at all. I actually never even heard of anyone back in the 70's that ever had problems at the surface. We had good instructors, and we were weighted properly, and we did not have greedy shops pushing stupidly negative tanks on us that required a virtual RAFT to keep floated.

On another note... I see you are in Miami....How about diving with Sandra and Bill Mee and I sometime off of Boynton....communication and discussion on the Internet is pathetic compared to "in-person"....Plus, it would be fun to meet another Scubaboarder

 

[ams511]

As you should know from my posts by now, I really do believe most shops sell too much lift in the BC's/wings to new divers....and on a thread like this, the majority of posters will be suggesting the maximum lift need of 30 or 40 pounds....when the diver might really need 20 pounds less.

I do know your posts but the newer divers don't. There are so many posts from divers who seem to agonize over how much lift their wing should have.

Each diver needs to consider an upper AND lower limit....since few others are posting the "actual need" side or low end boundary, I guess some members will come to hate me for this. Sorry, but I believe in this way, not the high lift way. I also don't believe you sell some student a high lift BC, to compensate for poor instruction and poor swimming skills.

I doubt most students are trained to figure out how much lift they actually need. BCs are sold mainly on looks and features rather than fit and lift. My first BC was a Beuchat Masterlift I used that BC both for tropical diving in the Keys to quarry diving in Pennsylvania. In the quarry (Wet w/2-pc 7 mil) a 20 lb wing would have been too little a 30 lb wing would be marginal, while a 40 lb would give a margin of safety. Another thing to remember is when you look at a wing it says "approximate lift" so the actual lift may be somewhat less.

It was so easy for us to learn Scuba safely in the 70's....with no BC being used at all. I actually never even heard of anyone back in the 70's that ever had problems at the surface. We had good instructors, and we were weighted properly, and we did not have greedy shops pushing stupidly negative tanks on us that required a virtual RAFT to keep floated.

I learned to dive in the early 90s, so I really don't know what the diving scene was like in the 70s. Diving is a business and as such there is "equipment creep" more items the diver needs. Since the early 90s it seems computers and SMB are now considered almost mandatory.

On another note... I see you are in Miami....How about diving with Sandra and Bill Mee and I sometime off of Boynton....communication and discussion on the Internet is pathetic compared to "in-person"....Plus, it would be fun to meet another Scubaboarder

I appreciate the invitation but unfortunately I no longer live in Miami. Currently I am living in Northern Louisiana which is a 2 day drive to South Florida.

 

[akivisuals]

Thanks for all the help guys! I wound up finding a great deal on a brand new Halcyon Infinity system. Saved several hundred dollars over retail and am set. The kit came with a 40# wing. I carefully considered what everyone was recommending. The overall width is only an inch more but I'd rather err on the "too much is better than too little" side when it comes to lift. I don't need it to bob up and down like a cork, but I often find myself with a bag full of heavy urchins or lobster and don't want to be under weighted. I also plan on carrying a fair amount of camera gear when I get a housing for my camera so I'm planning for that as well. I'm thinking that a 40# wing would be better than 30# for that kind of use with my cold SoCal diving.

 

[KevinNM]

I was told a 40 pound singles wing was fine for dry suit divers by my GUE instructor.

 

[akivisuals]

I'm not actually diving dry.... yet. Sometime down the road perhaps.