Venting Horseshoe wings

[bolantej]

I tried to search. I hear that horseshoe wings can be a pain at times to vent. Are there any techniques anyone would like to share?

 

[evil_xander]

I tried to search. I hear that horseshoe wings can be a pain at times to vent. Are there any techniques anyone would like to share?

I just posted this 2-3 days ago:
http://www.scubaboard.com/showpost.php?p=2999586&postcount=3

Or, you just use the inflator dump as you were used to with regular BC's. Just remember that the dump valve of your choice has to be the highest point of the wing/BC in order for air to escape. How you make it a highest point is up to you, or how you get air to that part...

 

[rockjock3]

The easiest way to dump the air in a horseshoe wing is to dump the wing for a donut wing.

 

[cool_hardware52]

I tried to search. I hear that horseshoe wings can be a pain at times to vent. Are there any techniques anyone would like to share?

Why would you expect a donut wing and a horse wing to perform any differently?

You need to consider where and why gas is distributed in a wing, and when during a dive you will be venting the wing.

Hint: Gas rises and will fill the highest parts of the wing first.

Tobin

 

[Jim Baldwin]

I tried to search. I hear that horseshoe wings can be a pain at times to vent. Are there any techniques anyone would like to share?

I have three horseshoe wings on different plates and have made hundreds of dives with these rigs. I don't have any problem venting, changing my position in the water or shooting pictures.

I also a have Black Diamond and Knighthawk that I teach in and have no problem with these back inflation jackets as well.

Air is stupid it only want to go up. Proper weighting, breath control and a little use of your deflator and yoiur excess air can be gone. Whether it circles around your butt or across the top of your shoulders doesn't really make a difference.

 

[bolantej]

Thanks Evil_Xander. I do not know how I missed that one.

I appreciate the reassurance, everyone else.

Tobin:
I thought I read that a few people had to change the way they vented to avoid air being trapped on one side or something, which is proven by the link provided above. I've been diving a Knighthawk, and that thing has a ton of air dumps, so I never have to roll to move air around.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Tobin:
I thought I read that a few people had to change the way they vented to avoid air being trapped on one side or something, which is proven by the link provided above. I've been diving a Knighthawk, and that thing has a ton of air dumps, so I never have to roll to move air around.

Consider a horizontal diver with a partially inflated wing. Where is the gas? In a bubble along each side of the tank. These bubbles will cause the "side pontoons" of the wing to wrap the wing up around the tank.

There is no gas in the top arc, and no gas in the lower arc of the wing. To move gas in to either requires that they become the high point in the wing.

Consider a typical ascent, with 10 ft stops. If you are neutral at say 70 ft and want to move to 60, inhale and hold it just until you start to rise, exhale, and vent a small amount of air from your OPV. If you vent the correct amount you will coast to a stop at 60 ft.

With either style wing you will have vented only the left side of the wing. After a few moves you will need to equalize the wing side to side. That will require you either raise your shoulders slightly, to fill the top arc, or go distinctly butt up to fill the lower arc.

Remember the lower arc of the wing is held down by the lower end of your cylinder. The top arc is held down a bit by the tank valve and first stage, but it can still fold up around the tank some, the bottom arc cannot.

If your diving a Drysuit you will also need to occasionally raise your shoulder to vent your suit, the wing will equalize then too.

What is key is the degree of tank wrap. If you have a wing that is too large for the application, and / or has a wide center section (the part that does not inflate) the bubbles in the side pontoons can be well above the tank. That requires a very exaggerated change in position to get this air into the top or bottom arc of the wing.

A narrow wing of the right volume will have much less wrap.

Tobin

 

[Damselfish]

Some people prefer to dump while tilting down rather than up sometimes. I use my butt dump much more than the shoulder (on a Ladyhawk) - don't have to change position just bend at the hips a little. If butt-dump is your preference then the donut makes a big difference. (I tried a back inflate with a horseshoe and despised it. It also had a butt dump but on a horseshoe I found it way too much of a pain to use.)

 

[dbg40]

Short answer. Nothing is dificult if you practice. I dive both, and find little to no diference in ease of use between the two. Thier just a little diferent is all.

 

[bolantej]

Thanks to all that replied. I will be testing out my new rig in the next couple of weeks. If it's a pain, I'll be sure and report.