My new wing!!

[BigWilly]

Hi all,

After much research, I've found and bought a new wing for my kit. DiveRite Venture Wing (30lb).

Some of you may ask why I didn't go for one of the more popular ones like DSS or Oxycheq. Well, truth is that those were my first choices, specially the DSS. But I dive an Apeks WTX soft harness, so there were some issues fitting those wings on. I'll explain for the benefit of the searchers that may have questions about the Apeks+wing-X fitment.

Like I said, my first choice was the DSS wing, LCD 30 to be specific. The issue with that wing (as well as with the Oxycheq Mach V, for that matter) was that since they are designed for use with BP/W the slot(s) for the cambands are relatively close together (~2.5inches if I remember correctly). Nothing wrong with that, in fact, it is very nice since the "dead" space in the center of the wing is minimized thus making the wing narrower, more streamlined, and preventing tank-wrap. They are very well designed wings and with a backplate and/or a STA they do their job very well. They just didn't fit my application. On the Apeks WTX harness (and I believe the TransPac has a very similar design), the cam bands are threaded under some webbing sewn on the back which are ~5.5inches apart. Way to wide to work on the LCD30 and the Mach V, and I really didn't want to go the backplate or the STA route.

My third choice was the HOG 32# wing. Seemed nice enough, and it has the cam band slots where I needed them. BTW, the OMS 32# will also work on the Apeks harness. Then I ran across a post from fnfalman (many thanks!!), saying that Xtreme Scuba Technical Dive Center | Ventura CA Dive Shop/Store had some DiveRite Venture Wings of the discontinued 30# variety in stock not that long ago.

So I went to Xtreme Scuba Technical Dive Center | Ventura CA Dive Shop/Store (great service and fast shipping, highly recommended) and there they were, and for 50% off! It was $179.99 with free shipping! So I bought one since I knew for a fact that the Venture works on the Apeks harness, thanks to Teamcasa, who has that exact same setup.

So anybody that is interested on the 30# Venture (I know I've seen a couple of people looking for them on the classifieds section), check them out as they may be running out of stock. NOTE: they only had red and blue to choose from, I'm not even sure if they made that wing in any other colors, but that is what XtremeScuba has available.

I received the Venture tonight and it went on the Apeks harness without any problems, it is very secure with just the cam bands. Now I just need to get it wet, which will happen this Sunday, I'll post again after I test it out and let you know how it goes.

Here are some pics of the rig. I took one of the kit with the Apeks WTX4 (44#) and one of the Venture next to the WTX4 for comparison purposes...

Enjoy!

 

[fnfalman]

I sure like my 30-lbs Venture wing a lot more than the 45-lbs Venture wing for regular fun dives. If I were to go and harvest scallops, I'd break out my bigger Venture wing though. Eight or so of the big scallops add real quick to one's dive weight.

BTW, good choice of color!!! Red is the fastest. Hehe.

 

[scubafanatic]

...thanks for sharing ! I'm somewhat of a scuba gearhead 'perfectionist'.....and am heavily into customizing/mix-and-matching of various components/bits/parts across numerous brands, selecting the best designed items...so it's always neat to see photos/read descriptions of other like-minded divers to see what they've done to solve various problems and optimize gear. By the end of this year, I'll have modernized/upgraded 2 BCs...and built from the ground up 2 more complete BCs. (3) Deepoutdoors-Matrix harness/Oxycheq EXTREME wing/DSS Kydex plate/Halcyon vertical-weight pocket/Halcyon mack pocket set ups, plus my old backup Zeagle Ranger. Aside from my soft-back Ranger, I'm using Kydex BP's/DO SS STA's as I like the stability of a BP/STA.....and for reasons you touched upon, it's easier to route all my Apollo Bio Lock cam bands through STAs instead of through the harness/wings slots...so that when I mix brands I don't have to worry about all the cam band slots lining up with each other.

Karl

 

[BigWilly]

I took the Venture for a dive today and all I can say is, what a difference!!! It really dives very nicely. I had a little trouble during the first couple of minutes while I got used to how it handles, but once I got it's behaviour down, it was a pleasure to use. It is a lot more "touchy" than my WTX4 and my old Seaquest Balance. So I had to get used to making small adjustments. The pull dump on the inflator hose is a lot easier to pull than on the Balance, the first couple of times I went to grab the inflator to put some air in and ended up dumping some; but I just needed to get used to it.

I have to say that I really like the wing! And yes fnfalman, I did notice that the red one was a lot faster than the black that one of the people I dove with today had.

so it's always neat to see photos/read descriptions of other like-minded divers to see what they've done to solve various problems and optimize gear.

scubafanatic, that is exactly the reason I decided to post my setup and the issues I ran into trying to get it to work for me. I have to admit that I don't post much here on SB, but believe me, I spend a LOT of time searching and reading about gear. And I've learned a lot just from seeing other's member's descriptions and pictures of their gear. I may go for a BP/W setup in the future, but for now, my setup works great for me and I'll be diving it for a while!

 

[JohnAC]

Hey BigWilly, thanks so much for sharing your new wing set up. I'm looking at the same wing rightnow. The price sure is great. Please post a review after you have some dives on it.

 

[BigWilly]

I'll be taking the Venture out to Puerto Rico and doing some diving with it in warm waters. I'll post a quick review after that.

I can say that in my 7mm and steel HP120 last Sunday in the quarry, it worked very well. It took me a little time to get used to it, but that is true with any new gear. Actually, I only have about 5or 6 dives on my Apeks harness so I'm still getting used to that too.

But, so far, I really like the whole setup. The Venture handles very well and it's compact. NO MORE TACO!

and like you said watchmanjc, you can't beat the price!!

 

[lemon]

I'll be taking the Venture out to Puerto Rico and doing some diving with it in warm waters. I'll post a quick review after that.

I can say that in my 7mm and steel HP120 last Sunday in the quarry, it worked very well. It took me a little time to get used to it, but that is true with any new gear. Actually, I only have about 5or 6 dives on my Apeks harness so I'm still getting used to that too.

But, so far, I really like the whole setup. The Venture handles very well and it's compact. NO MORE TACO!

and like you said watchmanjc, you can't beat the price!!

do you guys find the 30# lift wing to be sufficient with a 7mm and a steel HP120? thanks in advance for the info!

 

[Teamcasa]

Nice setup BigWilly!

 

[BigWilly]

do you guys find the 30# lift wing to be sufficient with a 7mm and a steel HP120? thanks in advance for the info!

In most applications, it is plenty. I actually asked my dive buddy on Sunday to keep an eye on the wing to see how much air was in it during the dive. He mentioned that it had very little air throughout the dive.

Try playing with the "lift calculator" on one of the stickys in the BCD forum. It should give you a very good idea of how much lift you really need. For me, at the very heaviest, I'm about 25lbs negative. So 30lbs lift in a wing is more than adequate.

 

[BigWilly]

Nice setup BigWilly!

I had a feeling you'd like it!