Question about weighting with doubles in Florida

[doctormike]

Hi,

I dive double steel 119s at home (NYC area) with a dry suit and a steel backplate. The tanks are pretty negative, but manageable, and I like having the extra gas (I'm a fairly big guy, SAC around 0.7). I'm going to Florida twice this summer, once for technical training and once for a wreck diving trip, and I'm going to be renting doubles for both of these trips.

From what I understand, most people down there dive wet and just use a lift bag (or a double bladder wing) for redundant buoyancy. I was a bit concerned about doing this with heavy steel tanks...

I now have an aluminum backplate, and I was able to try diving up here (in a pool) with double aluminum 80s, the aluminum backplate and my 5 mm wetsuit. I loved it, it my buoyancy and trim felt much better, much easier to move around in the water than with my regular gear... I was able to sink easily with no extra weight, but I guess with empty tanks and salt water I might have to add a bit of weight to be neutral at a stop. I also felt pretty comfortable that I could swim that rig up with an empty wing, given that it's a fairly light wetsuit so the extra buoyancy loss at depth wouldn't be that great.

So the question is, what to dive in Florida? No one seems to rent double aluminum 100s. Here are my options:

1) Dive double aluminum 80s with the aluminum backplate and the 5 mm wetsuit, and be more limited in terms of gas than I am used to? On the wreck trip, I will be able to top off between dives, so as long as I stick to recreational diving (with the friends who are going), that shouldn't be a problem. Not sure if it will be an issue for the tech training...

2) Dive double steel 100s with the aluminum backplate and the 5 mm wetsuit, and bring an SMB and a lift bag for redundant buoyancy.

3) Dive double steel 100s with the aluminum backplate and the 5 mm wetsuit, and buy a double bladder wing.

4) Bring my dry suit, and be the laughing stock of the Florida diving community


Any thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[PfcAJ]

al80s. Great tanks for summer Fl diving, and a good amount of gas for 150' dives for 30mins, and deeper for shorters BTs. If you're really looking to get sporty, you can add an al80 stage to extend your range/ bottom time and not be overweighted.

 

[doctormike]

al80s. Great tanks for summer Fl diving, and a good amount of gas for 150' dives for 30mins, and deeper for shorters BTs. If you're really looking to get sporty, you can add an al80 stage to extend your range/ bottom time and not be overweighted.

Thanks!

 

[bamafan]

Not sure where in Florida you are diving but I dive a drysuit all year-round in the springs. In the heat of the summer I will dive a wetsuit for some short dives of 45 minutes or so. Of course I only dive in that nasty salt water 1 -2 times a year at most. I did the Oriskany a few years ago at the end of June and did it in a drysuit. If you have a shell suit you can just go with very little undergarments and be comfortable in 80 degree water especially for a long dive.

 

[doctormike]

Not sure where in Florida you are diving but I dive a drysuit all year-round in the springs. In the heat of the summer I will dive a wetsuit for some short dives of 45 minutes or so. Of course I only dive in that nasty salt water 1 -2 times a year at most. I did the Oriskany a few years ago at the end of June and did it in a drysuit. If you have a shell suit you can just go with very little undergarments and be comfortable in 80 degree water especially for a long dive.

Yeah, that's definitely an option... I guess it's just that the people that I am diving with all suggest diving wet, and I really did like that feeling of diving "light"...

 

[OtherHalf]

I'm not a florida diver, but when I went down for training, I was in a wetsuit, and I was outnumbered by dry-divers. I was not the only diver in a wetsuit, but was certainly in the minority in the springs.

a wetsuit may feel 'lighter' in the water, but if you've got a shell suit it'll be lighter for air travel, assuming you're flying down (why else would you be renting tanks...)

Get the steels, take your suit, spend your time diving in a configuration you're comfortable with and have experience in.

 

[doctormike]

I'm not a florida diver, but when I went down for training, I was in a wetsuit, and I was outnumbered by dry-divers. I was not the only diver in a wetsuit, but was certainly in the minority in the springs.

a wetsuit may feel 'lighter' in the water, but if you've got a shell suit it'll be lighter for air travel, assuming you're flying down (why else would you be renting tanks...)

Get the steels, take your suit, spend your time diving in a configuration you're comfortable with and have experience in.

Yeah, it's just that I was actually more comfortable in the wetsuit with the aluminum tanks! I had just never tried that configuration before. But you do make a good point...

I'm pretty sure that my dry suit outweighs my 5 mm in terms of luggage...

 

[Tickler]

You should do your training in a rig that you plan on using regularly.

 

[NAM001]

I did my lp85's wearing a 3mm shorty and a steel backplate wtih 8# weighting in salt.
I also did fresh water dive wth a farmer john and steel bp no weights, blew a wing and did not have a lift bag to fall back on.
Take the DS, you dont have to use it. perhaps you can dive dry with no undies.

 

[doctormike]

You should do your training in a rig that you plan on using regularly.

Yeah, but I'm not training in the environment that I generally dive in. So while that's a good idea in general, I also think that equipment should be appropriate for the dive site.

FWIW, I'm also doing some of the same training (with a different instructor) at home in NYC, so I'll get plenty of time with the old 119s and dry suit!