Lift Capacity for Steel Tanks Warm Water

[ScottCocoaBeach]

I am currently diving aluminum 80's but am interested in either Steel 100s or possibly 119's or whatever is the next one up.

I am considering a new BC, possibly a Zeagle Stilletto.

I am a warm water FL diver and typically wear a full 3mm suit with about 12 lbs of weight with my current jacket style BC. In the middle of summer I dive a shorty or just bathing suit.

I have heard people say not to dive steel in warm water. Is this referring to a steel back plate or tanks? I think it's referring to back plates?

Is 35lbs. of lift adequate for single steels in the sizes mentioned, or do I need to consider some of the options in the 45lb range?

Thanks,

 

[Tanked Monkey]

I may be wrong here, but I think people recommend not diving steel in warm water is because you aren't wearing enough neoprene (to add bouyancy) to counter the added weight (from the tank). I think 35 lbs of lift is more than enough.

 

[Tom Winters]

I have a 45-pound lift wing becasue they were out of 30-pound wings at DEMA. I dive with a 1mm full suit, either a steel 85 or 121, and a steel backplate ---> and no weightbelt. I'm neutral or a little negative at the end of the dive, but going in, I sure don't a problem getting down. I have to shoot a little air to balance off the -10 pounds of the steel and all the gas I overpump it with. Not much - just neutral out and cruise. By the end of the dive, the wing is empty.
Nice with no weight belt! With the 121, I can wear a 3/2 over the thin suit and still skip the weight belt with careful easy breathing during deco.
I recall that I used to wear 12 pounds of lead with a conventional bc and an aluminum 80. Gotta finish getting rid of those last aluminums. Steel baby - all the way!

 

[Rick Murchison]

I have heard people say not to dive steel in warm water.

The caution is the steel tank/wetsuit combination. Some steel tanks are quite negative, especially when full. Combined with the loss of buoyancy a wetsuit experiences at depth, the concern is that you may not be able to swim the tank up - and remain safely on the surface - in the event of a BC failure.
Many of us (I include myself) recommend a redundant source of buoyancy when diving steel tanks. This can be in the form of a drysuit, or a lift bag - just something you can use to help you get back to the surface should your BC bust a seam or have some other failure.
Rick