Question for BP Wing experts ...

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Question for BP Wing

It is normally suggested that your wing should have enough lift to float your rig on the surface in case you have to unstrap yourself and swim out of it. I was wondering how this is normally calculated for a diver who is carrying all the lead in the same BP Wing weight pockets instead of a seperate weight belt. If an emergency arises where I have to inflate and abandon my rig on surface, I will surely drop all the lead weights before floating my rig. In this case should I not calculate the rerquired lift capacity of my rig without the lead weights even if I intend to carry them on the wing itself?


Thanks in advance for your inputs ...

 

[DevonDiver]

It's not just about emergencies. You don't want to have to lose your lead each time, just because a specific boat operation requires you to doff kit before exiting the water

 

[fisheater]

Plus, experience shows that divers simply are not "sure to dump" their weights in an emergency.


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[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

You mean they tend to put their lives in danger to rescue their lead weights?

 

[Doppler]

Buy yourself a luggage scale or fisherman's (angler's) scale and get your rig to a pool and "weigh" it.


AND yes, there are countless "accidents" caused by some poor punter not dropping ballast.

 

[TSandM]

I'm not enjoying the mental picture of floating on the surface, desperately trying to wrestle weights out of weight pouches, while at the same time trying to support all my expensive equipment so it doesn't end up on the bottom of the ocean. Having a big enough wing seems like a much better option, and if your setup mandates a wing that's unwieldy, maybe the weight distribution needs to be rethought.

 

[Insta-Gator]

You mean they tend to put their lives in danger to rescue their lead weights?

I suppose an OOA situation might make you want to dump lead, where other situations should be fine to swim a balance rig up. I'm with TSandM on having a wing of sufficient size and considering the distribution options. In my 3mm I carry no extra lead in salt water. In my 5mm in fresh water I carry 2# of lead. So I'd either have to swim it up or dump the kit.

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[NAM001]

ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION I HAVE REMOVED my rig to climb into a boat and then myself or a buddy lift my rig into the boat.

Question for BP Wing

It is normally suggested that your wing should have enough lift to float your rig on the surface in case you have to unstrap yourself and swim out of it. I was wondering how this is normally calculated for a diver who is carrying all the lead in the same BP Wing weight pockets instead of a seperate weight belt. If an emergency arises where I have to inflate and abandon my rig on surface, I will surely drop all the lead weights before floating my rig. In this case should I not calculate the rerquired lift capacity of my rig without the lead weights even if I intend to carry them on the wing itself?


Thanks in advance for your inputs ...

 

[DevonDiver]

You mean they tend to put their lives in danger to rescue their lead weights?

No, they panic at the surface. I believe that accident statistics support a trend for divers to reach the surface, fail to attain positive buoyancy, sink and drown.

When divers panic, they tend to focus purely on the immediate need - keeping their mouth above water to breathe. They rapidly tire and sink - still fighting that battle to keep their mouth above the surface. During that struggle, they are often unable to process logical problems or see obvious solutions.

 

[OldNSalty]

Maybe I am missing something here-I am certainly not an expert but if you plan on strapping the lead to your wing (regardless of how) then the wing needs to be able to lift that weight with a full tank and anything else that is strapped to it.