New in N. Cal! - Question about BC

[skynscuba]

chickdiver once bubbled...


I think you misread. If the wing has enough bouyancy to offset the negative bouyancy of FULL bottles, plus wetsuit compression, it will float tanks alone (removed fromte body) just fine.

I didn't misread. With a weight-integrated BC, the BC also needs to be able to float the weights. To provide some more margin for that, I moved some weight from my BC to a belt.

 

[Spectre]

skynscuba once bubbled...
With a weight-integrated BC, the BC also needs to be able to float the weights.

Why? Why would you be ditching your rig on the surface unless you are getting into a boat? You wouldn't ditch your rig without ditching, and handing up, your weightbelt, so why would you ditch an integrated system without pulling the weights and handing them up?

 

[RichLockyer]

Spectre once bubbled...
Why? Why would you be ditching your rig on the surface unless you are getting into a boat? You wouldn't ditch your rig without ditching, and handing up, your weightbelt, so why would you ditch an integrated system without pulling the weights and handing them up?

How about putting it on?
Those pockets are a pain to insert and secure while you are in the water.

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

Soggy once bubbled...

Quoting Karl_in_Calif... ...

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The problem around here (SF Bay Area) is that a lot of the popular jacket B/Cs are really East Coast designs not meant for the West Coast.
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Soggy's bubbles:
I'm struggling with this one. How are the properties of west coast water different from the properties of east coast water? Is it thicker or something? I thought only Lake Erie had that problem.

Divers out here, Soggy, on the West Coast Best Coast, particularly the further north you go along the West Coast Best Coast, typically wear more lead. Especially until they get used to the cold water, or even until they finally break down and buy a drysuit.

I've seen divers with anywhere from 20 lbs to 45 lbs of lead with their wetsuits. The 7mm farmer john wetsuits are bad enough. But then, above and beyond that, some divers wear full 7mm wetsuits with shortie 7mm wetsuits on top of that!

A 35 lb capacity B/C is definitely meant for the East Coast Least Coast of Florida. Believe it, or not.

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

scubaxris once bubbled...


I'm waiting to hear his answer to this as well...should be good!

Costa Mesa, huh? Anything south of Point Concepcion doesnt really qualify as cold. I used to scuba down there in my swimsuit.

 

[Soggy]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...
Divers out here, Soggy, on the West Coast Best Coast, particularly the further north you go along the West Coast Best Coast, typically wear more lead. Especially until they get used to the cold water, or even until they finally break down and buy a drysuit.

So you really mean Florida, not East Coast/West Coast. I guarantee that the water we dive in on the east coast is colder than you ever see down there in Cali. You have to get down to North Carolina before you come close to warm water.

 

[Spectre]

RichLockyer once bubbled...

How about putting it on?
Those pockets are a pain to insert and secure while you are in the water.

Not following you Rich. I can't think of any time I've ever gotten in the water without my weight on, nor had to put my weight on while in the water; aside of during OW class, and that one time that I kinda sorta had a little weightbelt mishap. But other than that.. I can't think of any reason you would be putting weight on in the water, with your BC off your body.

 

[Spectre]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...
A 35 lb capacity B/C is definitely meant for the East Coast Least Coast of Florida. Believe it, or not.

Karl. You keep repeating this. And you keep avoiding the explination of how west coast cold water divers need more weight then east coast cold water divers.

From what I've heard from the folks like Bwerb and Uncle Pug, who are Pacific NW divers, they all wear reasonable amount of weight [IIRC 16#].

Where is your evidence that the conditions on the west coast differ from the conditions of the east coast. I wanna hear water temps and bouyancy characteristics here... not 'because the people I've seen wear more lead". Sure.. I can find divers around here that wear 50# of lead. Does that mean they need it? Does that mean you need more lead in new england?

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

Spectre once bubbled...

From what I've heard from the folks like Bwerb and Uncle Pug, who are Pacific NW divers, they all wear reasonable amount of weight [IIRC 16#].

Experienced divers everywhere wear "less" weight.

Its the beginners that have the excess weighting issues.

And while they are beginners, until their learning curve works for them, the popularly marketed 35 lb B/Cs are inadequate for any diving north of Point Concepcion.

And even a 35 lb B/C for an experienced diver north of Point Concepcion is barely adequate, with 45 lbs being a much more reasonable minimum.

 

[boomx5]

Karl_in_Calif once bubbled...
And even a 35 lb B/C for an experienced diver north of Point Concepcion is barely adequate, with 45 lbs being a much more reasonable minimum.

When I dive a single tank (which is rare anymore) I use a 36# wing which is more than adequate. I've used that setup from Monterey to the PNW and it has always been more than enough. It's amazing how you pontificate about things you really do not understand. Someone needs to call NAUI quick about this clown before he hurts someone.