Single vs Double Bladder Wings - Pro's and Con's ?

[DENFSEA]

I kind of skimmed over the responses to your question in my case
I bought a double bladder because steel tanks are dead weight and
if I lost a bladder my dry suit probably wouldn't be enough Lift or
would blow a seal before and get me up and I've used that double bladder
for 20 some years with no problems never had to use other bladder on
emergency.
I realize diving can be dangerous and can add all kinds of scenarios
and these problems but I figured it was worth it so I knew that I
could get off the bottom Hope this helps.

 

[OMANDIVER]

This phobia with dual bladder wings on SB is absolutely ludicrous. If used properly they are a viable and hassle free way to achieve redundant buoyancy when diving wet... and this does not preclude diving a balanced rig, which should be incorporated by all divers (sport and tech divers alike) even if redundancy is not required. I dive a 55 LB dual bladder wing and have the hose unclipped but bungied to the corrugated hose and my right shoulder harness webbing. In the event of a failure, I simply reach over and clip it on... simple and quick, no ridiculous lift bag decos needed. Like anything else, knowing your rig well and practicing how to use it in an emergency is the key.Diving a balanced rig and having the dual bladder gives me the pleasure of proper weighting as well as the additional safety and peace of mind that extra redundancy provides.

Absolutely agree, also useful if you get a leaking valve in the inflator, which is not uncommon, just plug in the other one, easier than trying to inflate orally. Double bladder v important for dives over about 60 m IMO.

 

[T Mogle]

I am a newbie.

Had plans to get a double bladder wing as my first setup with twin 7L 300 BAR cylinders. Some might think I make it too complex as a newbie. Valid point. At present, I have not changed my mind. Reading this got me to rethink.

For redundancy dual is good. A dual bladder wing from Hollis or Dive Right can also be used with a single tank.

Why do I want to go this way:
a) I know for a fact that I will do a good number of solo dives. My dives will mostly take place from your sailing yacht. More important I will not trust my wife as my diving buddy. Even though she has had her PADI certificate for 20 years (with hardly any dives....
b) As a person, I have always done other sports or activities to the extream solo. Safety, training, redundancy, endless training always had top priority.
c) Why not learn on the gear I will use most? I could start with a single bladder wing (or standard BCD) with one tank. Then after a few dives, until I got my certificate, including diving rescue certificate, change my equipment in the direction of more solo diving. Again, why not learn and practise on the gear I know will use most.

Reading the pro and cons with double bladder, have not got me to change my mind. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Diving Dubai]

I'm with @DogDiver

I have double bladder on my SM Tec rig. The second LPI hose isn't plugged in to the inflator during the dive (but it's all close by just in case)

For the 1st dive after being washed, I always pull the second dump as I descend just to clear that bladder of air. After that no different from diving a single bladder

 

[rjack321]

I am a newbie.

Had plans to get a double bladder wing as my first setup with twin 7L 300 BAR cylinders. Some might think I make it too complex as a newbie. Valid point. At present, I have not changed my mind. Reading this got me to rethink.

For redundancy dual is good. A dual bladder wing from Hollis or Dive Right can also be used with a single tank.

Why do I want to go this way:
a) I know for a fact that I will do a good number of solo dives. My dives will mostly take place from your sailing yacht. More important I will not trust my wife as my diving buddy. Even though she has had her PADI certificate for 20 years (with hardly any dives....
b) As a person, I have always done other sports or activities to the extream solo. Safety, training, redundancy, endless training always had top priority.
c) Why not learn on the gear I will use most? I could start with a single bladder wing (or standard BCD) with one tank. Then after a few dives, until I got my certificate, including diving rescue certificate, change my equipment in the direction of more solo diving. Again, why not learn and practise on the gear I know will use most.

Reading the pro and cons with double bladder, have not got me to change my mind. What am I doing wrong?

Its complex, a false sense of security, and you don't need it? In cold water you have a drysuit. In warm water dive al80s or other cylinders that don't require stupid amounts of lift. 7L steels would qualify as light enough with little enough swing weight that you can kick up in case of a wing failure.

 

[doctormike]

Its complex, a false sense of security, and you don't need it? In cold water you have a drysuit. In warm water dive al80s or other cylinders that don't require stupid amounts of lift. 7L steels would qualify as light enough with little enough swing weight that you can kick up in case of a wing failure.

Preach it, brother! I loaned my double 119s to a buddy and he used them with a wetsuit in fresh water. He basically had to walk on the bottom back to the shore...

But what is this "swing weight" thing...?

 

[rjack321]

But what is this "swing weight" thing...?

The weight of the gas in the tanks. How much they "swing" from negative to positive. If you are weighted correctly, and the cylinder size is small anyway, if the wing fails at the start of a dive you just swim those suckers up. So even though the wetsuit compression of a 3mm suit is small and not very relevant - really big doubles are not a great idea as its hard to swim them up. Depends on the gas in them of course. If someone was in the red sea in a 3mm wetsuit saying they were doing 15/55 dives with double 130s that wouldn't be the end of the world. Most people asking about balanced rigs are not already trimix certified and at this point though, they're talking about nitrox or air dives when those 130s have 20lbs of gas in them.

 

[doctormike]

Yeah, I'm just kidding with you. We all know that the buoyancy swing during a dive has nothing to do with tank composition or size.

 

[bakodiver391]

I love the way some on here advocate using the wrong tanks for the job just to achieve some nebulous goal of "a balanced rig". How about using the right tools, which include adequately sized tanks and a redundant buoyancy system? My thousand + wreck penetration dives using steel tanks and double bladder tell me that this is the right setup for me, not necessarily everyone else.

 

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

I love the way some on here advocate using the wrong tanks for the job just to achieve some nebulous goal of "a balanced rig". How about using the right tools, which include adequately sized tanks and a redundant buoyancy system? My thousand + wreck penetration dives using steel tanks and double bladder tell me that this is the right setup for me, not necessarily everyone else.

I don't think anyone will disagree on the redundant buoyancy part. The question is if a bladder inside a bladder is redundant buoyancy in true sense or are you better off with a single bladder and drysuit?