wing for cold water diver.

[bwerb]

If you are using a 7mm wetsuit, suit compression can be significant at 100-150 ft. where your suit gets very thin and has very little bouyancy. You will appreciate a larger wing at depth where 28 lbs may be on the edge of being not quite enough.

A diver has no business diving much below 100 feet, let alone to 150 feet on a single AL80 tank...moot point.

 

[mossym]

so bwerb you think the venture is enough then????

 

[bwerb]

As per my first reply...yes...based on your details...diving a single AL80...you ARE going to drop weight with the backplate/wing. You should be fine. If you are concerned...see if you can borrow one from the shop or a friend to give it a try before you buy.

 

[mossym]

thanks for the reply bwerb, i appreciate you sharing your knowledge...but if i was using bigger steel tanks would it still be enough? just tring to suss out the best fit for me, i also intend getting a drysuit in the next year, but will still dive wet during the summer..

 

[bwerb]

I dove a Seaquest Raider and dropped from over 30lbs of lead to 16lbs of lead plus plate on my first dive...approx an 8lb drop. The bp/wing itself is far less "floaty" than the BlackDiamond with all it's padding etc.

I have a 36lb Halcyon but have never had the wing anywhere close to being full irregardless of the depth.

As for the steel tank...it will likely simply allow you to remove even more lead from your belt. The steel in the tank will offset the lead on your belt.

 

[mossym]

true...sorry for all the questions, i don't know anyone that owns one of these so i'm researching it as well as i can before buying

 

[Henryville]

Not to complicate your thought process here, but if you start thinking about going to heavier steel tanks, you might want to be thinking about a very different set up. Go with what you're diving now (Al 80 and 7mm,) have fun, and worry about how to dive heavier steel tanks when you have a real reason to do so. When you get to that point, as Bwerb hinted you are probably going to be asking about things like doubles, drysuits, etc.

 

[mossym]

oh i know i'll be looking for a completely different wing for doubles...but you mentioned drysuit..i figured the setup i was talking about would work for a drysuit too...

 

[Henryville]

It will. And then you will be covered for heavier steel tanks, cause you would have a redundant source of buoyancy.

 

[mossym]

got ya..okay..i'm starting to get a much clearer idea of what i need...one of the reasons i want to switch is that tec diving is somwhere i want to go, and i want the adaptability of the plate, having so much choice in combinations makes the choise a little difficult to figure of at first...