Preferred BC's/Weighting

[JHAM]

I have a sea quest BC, dive a dry suit, 30 CF pony, 80 CF Aluminum tank, weigh 195lbs and only use 22lbs.

I think you really should investigate why you need so much weight. Something isn't making sense.

 

[dtdesola]

Do all think that wings with 30# of lift are sufficient for NE diving?

 

[Soggy]

dtdesola once bubbled...
Do all think that wings with 30# of lift are sufficient for NE diving?

It depends on your gear. I have a 36# wing that is great. 30# would work for me, too.

Figure out the how negative everything will be, post it here, we can review it, and let you know if you made any mistakes.

 

[dtdesola]

Okay, I'll give it a shot

7mm suit, gloves, boots, hood...I don't know how buoyant--I'll guess +5#, but I have no idea.

Assume AL tank--I've read +4 @ the end of a dive don't know how much to count when full...I'll assume -5#

Then there's me, @ 5'11, 185#. I figure I'm proabably about neutral, no? 0#

Add a bp, if an AL back plate then what about -2#?
If SS about -6#?

Miscellaneous--mask, snorkel, knife, regs, -5#?

Then there's the matter of added weight, and I really don't know how to deal with this. Does one assume that the wings should be able to lift the full value of the weight assuming there is nothing else buoyant? If this is the case, perhaps I'll use a number based on what sounds like worst case based on the posts of others on this board re this thread, -30#.

So:
+5#
-5#
0#
-2#
-5#
-30#

=-37# Required lift

What do you think?

 

[MASS-Diver]

For example, my doubles rigs weighs over 100lbs out of water - but my 70lbs wing (without me attached) floats it just fine.


You'll be fine with a 30-36 wing. What you need to do is suck your tank down to 500lbs and try to get down, keep taking off weight untill you can't sink - this is really the only real way to weight yourself (playing with numbers is a waste of time). Also, if you aren't fully exhaling on decent, it doesn't count - breath all the way out.

Diving overweighted is no fun. Next time you are hitting the water post here and I'm sure someone can meet up with you and help you get weighted.

With the exception of this friday, I do night dives on the Cape most fridays (in a pond) - we do some drills - but it's fun too -drop me a PM if you ever want to come.

 

[nelson]

maybe 1) you weren't used to the bc and didn't empty it completely before submerging 2) when the cold water hits me first, I find myself breathing quite rapidly until I make a very conscious effort to slow down my breathing and exhale completely to descend...if that doesn't work at first, I'll do a swim down head-first descent until the pressure differential does its thing...then I'm fine.....

I'm a little smaller than you , with not much body fat really, and dive now with a steel tank and a slung pony .....and last had 14 lbs with a Farmer John 7mil and a 3mil shorty...and I think I can lose a lb or 2 more....to be neutral at 10-15 feet with an empty tank