BC doesn't float

[ShakaZulu]

I have a Zeagle Ranger BC, size small. I use a steel 72 3000 psi tank. I use 26 pounds of lead total, 12 pounds in each pocket and 2 pounds on the

blah, blah, blah..........

My husband's Zeagle Ranger (size large) holds up his tank and 40 pounds of lead! (Why he dives with 40 pounds is a whole nuther story...) How serious is my gear problem? I would appreciate any comments, thoughts, advice, etc.

Are you guys trying to kill yourselfs, your bouyency control must be all over the place with so much weight. At 120lbs and a steel tank, start with 18lbs of weight and work down. Let out all the air in your BC, STOP kicking and EXHALE when you desend!

 

[NAVMED82]

I must sink very well. In a 5mil suit and 500psi in my tank the 6lbs of my ss plate is plenty to sink me.

 

[TheRedHead]

It's the excess bone that most guys have in their heads... :07:

 

[Shadow]

It's the excess bone that most guys have in their heads... :07:

Thank you!

Unfortunately, some divers simply do not understand the extreme demands of diving in cold water, and the differences in water salinity around the planet. I, too, can sink with only a few pounds of weight in a 6 ml neoprene wetsuit in the Caribbean. If you tried to dive in Canada, in the winter (or probably even in the summer) in the same equipment I used in Belize, you would die of hypothermia in a very short time. There is NO recreational diver in these waters who uses a BCD, drysuit, hood, gloves, etc., who can dive with less than 18 pounds, no matter how good they are. In fact, if you go further north, around Port Hardy, people are adding even more weight as the salinity of the water is greater in that area than it is around here.

 

[Shadow]

Thanks to everyone for some very good pointers.

Appreciate the help from the Zeagle reps, too. I don't mean to suggest that the Ranger is not a good BCD. I really like my Ranger.

Anyhow, I took photos but the files are greater than 200kb, so I will work on reducing them so I can include them here as attachments.

I double checked, and I must have been mistaken about my BCD. It does not have the 44 pound tag. Only my husband's BCD has the 44 pound tag. I thought mine did, but I can't find it. My BCD is a much older version, that I bought used, from a very reliable source (a staff member on this board). Perhaps all the new ones have the same bladder assembly, regardless of the vest size, but my older BCD definitely has a much smaller nylon cover that impedes the full inflation of the inner air bladder. The whole BCD is significantly smaller. I'll post photos ASAP.

My question again: how much of a safety concern is it? At depth, and at the surface, when I put air in my BCD, it lifts me up. I never noticed a problem. When I take the BCD and its accoutrements off, the rig sinks. Huge problem? As in, Don't dive problem? Only if your suit rips a 10-inch gash problem? Only if aliens can beam you up? Not a big deal, but upgrade if possible?