Looking for advice from Warm Water Open Circuit Tech Divers

[gbirch]

I am a cold water (New England) Open Circuit Tech Diver, typically diving 2xsteel 100's and drysuit. I'm travelling to Florida (Key Largo) in August and curious to know what cylinders & exposure protection you typically use in Key Largo, and if wetsuit & not drysuit, what is your plan for redundant buoyancy in case of wing failure?

Thanks in advance for your advice & experience.

 

[RyanT]

I like LP85s for the buoyancy characteristics. On the down side, you'll be hard pressed to find fills much over 2400 psi in Key Largo.

 

[tursiops]

I am a cold water (New England) Open Circuit Tech Diver, typically diving 2xsteel 100's and drysuit. I'm travelling to Florida (Key Largo) in August and curious to know what cylinders & exposure protection you typically use in Key Largo, and if wetsuit & not drysuit, what is your plan for redundant buoyancy in case of wing failure?

Thanks in advance for your advice & experience.

You are planning on driving and taking your steel 100s with you? You are speaking of boat diving?

My wing has dual bladders for use with a wetsuit. I can move my inflator hose to the second bladder much faster than someone can inflate a DSMB for additional buoyancy.

Be advised that anyone with a dual bladder wing is apparently asking to die, according to ScubaBoard.

 

[gbirch]

You are planning on driving and taking your steel 100s with you? You are speaking of boat diving?

My wing has dual bladders for use with a wetsuit. I can move my inflator hose to the second bladder much faster than someone can inflate a DSMB for additional buoyancy.

Be advised that anyone with a dual bladder wing is apparently asking to die, according to ScubaBoard.

Haven't decided on driving or flying and, if driving, whether or not to take to steel 100's with me as steel doubles seems like a lot of weight for warm water diving. Hence why I'm looking for input.

Yes, boat diving.

Good to know that you are still alive after using such a risky piece of kit

 

[tursiops]

Good to know that you are still alive after using such a risky piece of kit

Reminds me of the old Stephen Wright line: "My plan is to live forever. So far, so good."

 

[InWay2Deep]

Be advised that anyone with a dual bladder wing is apparently asking to die, according to ScubaBoard.

lol apparently i haven't been around long enough, but why is that? I have a Dual Bladder in my sidemount harness for mexico cave diving since I'm in my wet suit. I keep it unhooked unless I need to switch over to it. I'd love to see someone come out of a cave riding a DSMB one day.

 

[tursiops]

lol apparently i haven't been around long enough, but why is that? I have a Dual Bladder in my sidemount harness for mexico cave diving since I'm in my wet suit. I keep it unhooked unless I need to switch over to it. I'd love to see someone come out of a cave riding a DSMB one day.

See, for example: DIR- Generic - dual bladder wings...

 

[boulderjohn]

My earliest technical diving was strictly DIR, and I was absolutely, positively, no-two-ways-about-it taught that dual bladder wings were the work of Satan.

Eventually I became a TDI instructor, and with one of my very first tech students (AN/DP), I passed on some of that, but only some of it. I said some people don't like them, and I explained why. That student then moved to Florida and continued with the Trimix class there. He told me that they said he should absolutely, positively, no-two-ways-about-it use a dual bladder wing, because he would die in a drysuit in a Florida summer, and a DSMB/lift bag is a terrible choice for redundant buoyancy.

I now use a dual bladder wing on all dives.

 

[Centrals]

Good to know that you are still alive after using such a risky piece of kit

Plenty of tec divers are still using it except from certain sector.

 

[johndiver999]

You are planning on driving and taking your steel 100s with you? You are speaking of boat diving?

My wing has dual bladders for use with a wetsuit. I can move my inflator hose to the second bladder much faster than someone can inflate a DSMB for additional buoyancy.

Be advised that anyone with a dual bladder wing is apparently asking to die, according to ScubaBoard.

I’m curious if moving an inflator hose is the standard response when time is a concern? I always assumed oral inflation would be the go to response, but that is an assumption without any basis on my part.