New diver BP/W and weight distribution questions for cold water

[georgk]

I'm a new diver in California(only Monterey up to this point) and I'm slowly starting to put together my own diving rig(I don't love every rental being a new experience in figuring out my gear). I've got a dive computer and regs ordered from my LDS, and I'm slowly starting to look into wetsuit and BCD options. The BCD and weight system is what I'm the most confused about. Apologies in advance, as I know this subject has been covered extensively in this thread, but I still have a few questions.

First, here is a bit on me for reference:

• Weight: 195 lbs
• Height: 5'11"
• Typical exposure suit: 8/7mm semidry (dry suit may be something I'll investigate in the future, but the semidry suits my needs for now)
• Optimal weight on AL80 tank with jacket BCD: 30 lbs
• I'm interested in a setup that can support single tank dives within recreational limits(130 ft max depth, within NDL, etc)

I'm interested in the BP/W options since those intuitively seem like they would be easier to manage during a dive.(although I haven't been able to dive with one) However, there seem to be more considerations to buying them.

1. Wing lift capacity Based on the fact that I needed 30 lbs of weight for an AL80 tank, if I were to distribute most of that weight onto the BC (more questions on this later) it seems like the DGX single BP/W setup with 30 lbs lift capacity may be marginal.(for the rig being able to float at the surface on its own) As a result, I'm wondering if a 35 or 40 lbs wing is more appropriate (thinking dive rite voyager wing) to give me a bit more margin. Also, other than having sufficient lift capacity at depth and being able to float the BCD at the surface, is there any other consideration for minimum lift capacity?
2. Backplate material Seems like stainless steel is the best option since I'll most likely be carrying a lot of weight on local dives if I'm renting AL80 tanks. Is it worth also getting an aluminum backplate in case I use a steel cylinder?
3. Weight distribution In my last few dives, I have been able to transfer all of the weight into the jacket BCD in ditchable integrated weight pockets and some trim pockets on the tank strap. This was pretty convenient, I was pretty happy to be free of the weight belt since it kept riding up under the BCD on earlier dives, and I was able to maintain decent trim. The only noticeable downside was the BCD was a bit heavy and cumbersome out of the water. However, after reading a bit more, a decent number of folks advocate for wearing a weight belt to allow a diver to remain relatively neutrally buoyant if they need to get out of their BCD for some reason during a dive and also to give a bit more control of how much weight they ditch in case of an emergency. So here are some questions:
   • Is it inherently bad/unsafe to try and fit all of my weight onto the BCD out of convenience? (I was initially thinking of 20lbs capacity in ditchable dive rite pockets augmented by a few trim pockets)
   • If I were to go back to a weight belt, is there an option which might ride up less? So far I've only tried somewhat worn out webbing belts with with velcro pockets.
   • Aside from trim considerations, what should I be thinking about in how I distribute weights in the various ditchable vs non-ditchable locations? I'm aware of the possibility of a BC failure at depth and needing to possibly drop weights in order to swim up. I've looked at the optimal buoyancy calculator but I'm not sure I'm grasping all of the details in the wetsuit tab. My general understanding is in in a BC failure scenario you would want to drop just enough weight so you can swim up but not so much that you have an uncontrolled ascent, but not sure how you would best plan for this in practice.

Any feedback would be much appreciated!
Georg

 

[Marie13]

Don’t bother with the aluminum BP. Steel BP with steel single tank is fine.

 

[georgk]

Don’t bother with the aluminum BP. Steel BP with steel single tank is fine.

Ah, that's what I was thinking. Thanks for confirming Marie!

 

[lexvil]

A lot to unload here, I mostly dive Monterey, dry but I have done it wet. If you are good at 30lb at the end of the dive with a jacket b/c and aluminum tank you can probably drop 3-4 lbs with a stainless plate, the jacket floaty padding being removed, ~4 more if you move to steel tanks. For your size a 30lb wing should be good.

I use weight on my waist belt of the rig, I have a heavy plate and I add more weight to it (about 16lb on the plate) the rest goes on the waist in Zeagle pouches. I don’t worry about floating the rig but if I did I would just drop some of the weights.

you can also use a rubber weight belt or a weight harness shooting for just enough weight to be slightly positive on the surface with the thick suit and the rest in tank band trim pockets.

it important to find what works best for you, think about what you’re doing and why so that when you try different combinations you’ll have the understanding of why it worked or didn’t which will make thing easier when you go dry, and if you keep diving Monterey you will eventually go dry.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Get the DGX stainless BP/W package with the 30# wing. It will be fine for any diving around here.
Use hard weights on a rubber freediving belt.
You could probably get away with 16 to 18 lbs. or possibly less.
The idea is that you want to be neutrally buoyant at your 15’ stop with little to no air in your wing at the end of your dive with your preferred ending tank pressure (300 to 500 psi). It might take a few dives to figure this out. Diving with too much weight is miserable and there’s no need to do so.
Lose the aluminum tank and use a HP steel 100 instead.
Using the heavy stainless plate and the negatively buoyant steel tank, you can make up the remainder of the weight you need on the rubber belt.
Aluminum tanks are floaty and suck for cold water diving. All they do is require more weight on your belt to offset their floatiness.
Your wetsuit will be fine for now. If you enjoy diving wet and want a better suit eventually look into getting a custom two piece made at JMJ Wetsuits in Torrance, CA.
If you want to go to a drysuit, then someone else will need to supply that info because I hate them.

 

[Darnold9999]

+1 on lose the al80. HP100 steel and steel backplate is your starting point. I divide my weight between attached to the backplate and a weight belt. Had a harness for a while but once I moved to steel tank and got my weight down to under 20 lbs it was just not needed. 20 lbs on a weight belt is too much for me but 10 works pretty well. You need to figure out how much you need to have available to ditch so you can swim everything to the surface and comfortably remain there if your BC fails when your tank is full. Once you have that figured out you can put the weight anywhere you want.

I find that if I attach all my weight to the BC it makes the tank/plate/weight/BC combination too awkward and heavy to manage on land - but I am older and weaker than I used to be!

 

[georgk]

Hey everyone, thanks for all the awesome feedback! Based on what I've heard, here is my plan moving forward:

• Pick up the 30 lbs single tank DGX BPW setup with a steel plate with a few trim pockets to give me some flexibility in how I distribute weight (I'll hold off on ditchable pockets for now)
• Get a rubber weight belt (thinking something like this) to try if that works better than my previous weight belt experiences.
• Start renting HP100 tanks instead of the AL80s

Two follow-up questions:

• If I wanted to add weight to the backplate as mentioned above, what are my best options? P-weights?(those seem to be a bit hard to find)
• Is it worth investing in my own weights, or is this just something everyone rents?

Thanks again!
Georg

 

[inquis]

Regarding ditching weights... The calculator will estimate what you may have to swim up if the wing fails. Swimming 10 pounds is probably doable, but 20 pounds is doubtful. At the beginning of the dive, you should be about 5 lbs heavy (from the weight of the air in an AL80) in shallow water, so could drop that much if needed and hold a stop as normal with a defunct wing.

This all assumes you're weighted to be neutral at the end of the dive at reserve pressure in shallow water.

 

[Thunder Struck]

You may want to consider an aluminum plate if you are flying to dive destinations to help with luggage weight allowance. Otherwise the steel will get more weight off your belt. It's why I went with aluminum for mine, something of a "one wing to rule them all."

Get a proper weight check too. Head to the beach in your exposure suit and some weights. Simply float on the surface in three feet of water and keep adding weight (an assistant helps) until you sink on the exhale. That will give you a baseline weight. From there, think along the lines of gains and losses for the kit you are running. Al tank +4, -Regs -2, Al BP -4, SS BP-6, etc.

 

[rx7diver]

Get the DGX stainless BP/W package with the 30# wing. It will be fine for any diving around here.

@Eric Sedletzky, are you no longer manufacturing your Freedom Plate (in SS or in Al)? I've been recommending--proselytizing, really--the SS to people.

Also, I wish you would offer a ZKY version of the (VDH-style) old-school flat plate for double-hose regulator diving--in SS (especially) and in Al.

rx7diver