The right lift capacity??

[imransan18]

I'm planning to buy my own BC but first I would like to know how do you determine the lift capacity of your BC. Let's say I am 140 # and wish to carry only one tank

 

[Rookie_J]

I'm planning to buy my own BC but first I would like to know how do you determine the lift capacity of your BC. Let's say I am 140 # and wish to carry only one tank

recreational BC's have sufficient lift for your average diver. if you decide to go tech, dry, deep you'll need to look at additional lift..

 

[Charlie99]

It has to meet two lift requirements:

1. When not on you, it needs enough buoyancy to float your tank, BC and any attached gear such as integrated weights. This lets you dump it off a small boat, then don it in the water.

2. It needs to have enough lift to offset your most negative buoyancy. When diving wet, a very conservative assumption would be to assume that the wetsuit is totally compressed at depth and has zero buoyancy. Sum up the rest of the negative buoyancies of your gear such as lead weights and a full tank. Add a few pounds for good luck and to account for overweighting by using more lead than you need.

Your body weight doesn't play all that important a part, since most people are within a few pounds of neutral. As with tanks, what counts is net buoyancy, not the dry land weight.

If you look at the recreational BCDs and wings on the market, you will see that they range from around 18# on the low side for tropical oriented thin wetsuit use, up through about 40# for cold water heavy wetsuit use.

 

[spectrum]

I'm planning to buy my own BC but first I would like to know how do you determine the lift capacity of your BC. Let's say I am 140 # and wish to carry only one tank

As stated any recreational BC will handle what you describe. If you decide to go with something like a back inflate avoid going with much more than 30 LB of lift. A larger bladder will mean extra drag and since it will always be lightly loaded may feel sloppy.

Pate

 

[randy54]

Many variables, including the type of tank, water temps-thus what type of termal protection, if any. Your best bet would be to have a long talk with your local shop and or the dive master who trained you. If there's a club you can join, that would be a good source of info too. More lift is not better. Too much can cause problems, just as too little can.

 

[Tod]

In simple terms, "they" say the standard for minimum BCD lift is the sum of your total weights (lead) plus 8 lbs (tank). As others have stated above, most BCD will cover this minimum requirement. Charlie99 makes some other good observations as well - which you may want to consider if you're planning ahead.

 

[lord1234]

i weight 185lbs, and use a 27lb wing with a single tank...i don't doubt I could probably get away with a 20lb wing if i had to....

 

[drbill]

I weigh 230#, dive with 28# of weights ("over-weighted" to keep on the bottom when filming), have a steel HP120 (single tank) and use a 28# wing. It works fine for me as long as the sea isn't real rough. Then I simply don my 50# wing. I found jacket BCD's with 35-50# just had too much lift and too much trapped air for my tastes.

 

[UnixSage]

Wow, the BP/W I just bought is a 50#. what happens when you have too much lift

 

[Tod]

Wow, the BP/W I just bought is a 50#. what happens when you have too much lift

Nothing really happens with too much lift capacity. Some will argue that it only amounts to more drag, which I suppose can be true.