Double steels with wetsuit

[elan]

Divers need to learn how to inspect equipment pre and post dive. This will lead to few if any failures. Care for equipment on boats is important as well. Keep your gear tidy. In your space and not all over the place and it will rarely if ever get damaged.

cheers
JDS

So true , I saw it many times when people leave their octopuses, second stages, spg laying on the deck of the boat and anyone who passes by can easily step on it...

 

[elan]

On the other hand, the average diver around here (wearing 14 mm on the core, and 7 on the legs and arms) will need about 25 pounds of ballast with a steel tank. Doubled steels will take about 6 or 7 pounds off that, but you're still left with a weight belt. So, if you're wearing 12 or 15 pounds on your waist, once you ditch it, you're only around 15 pounds negative, and that's pretty doable, especially since you will begin to regain buoyancy as you ascend. In fact, that will end up being another big problem . . .

TSandM He is in Kitchener, Ontario which locally means he is diving the lakes so that would be at least 10lb less lead with the doubles given the person weights in the 200lb range and equipment weights about 100lbs. I only used 6lb of balast which is my steel back plate with double HP100 with a light and an inflation bottle which would probably be about 4 lb extra balast.

So there should be not so much stuff to ditch....

On the other hand I see no reason diving doubles in great lakes. the water is always cold and even in 14mil it is cold. People come up after 40 mins shivering. In all places except St. Laurence river the water at 100 ft is in the 40-45 F range. So one cannot use up the gas anyways, even if one stays shallow. HP100 worked perfect as a single for me for all kind of dives, and an AL40 pony makes a perfect backup.

 

[lsorensen]

Why not?? This isn't an agency recommendation, where did you get this from?

However, without the drysuit, then you do need a reliable form of redundant buoyancy for steel doubles... especially if you will be doing deco. A double-bladder may be the way to go...

I just did the PADI dry suit course. It stated that a drysuit doesn't have sufficient buoyancy to lift most doubles rigs and hence is NOT a backup for such use. For a single tank you should be properly weighted so that at most you have to drop a bit of weight to have enough buoyancy.

So at least one agency does actually say so.

 

[PfcAJ]

That's odd, my tls350 can easily support my hp130s with no gas in my wing. If you dive in a vertical position, sure, gas will vent out of the neck. Solution? Dive in a horizontal position.

 

[deepstops]

What????? you should never plan a dive with your dry suit as a redundant buoyancy source!!!

Tim

That's hilarious

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I just did the PADI dry suit course. It stated that a drysuit doesn't have sufficient buoyancy to lift most doubles rigs and hence is NOT a backup for such use. For a single tank you should be properly weighted so that at most you have to drop a bit of weight to have enough buoyancy.

So at least one agency does actually say so.

That's simply hogwash. You certainly don't want to use your drysuit as your primary buoyancy device with doubles. But then again, it shouldn't be used as one with singles either. That's simply not what it's designed for.

However, in an emergency, which is the context of this discussion, it functions well as a redundant buoyancy source in either singles or doubles.

 

[Colliam7]

I just did the PADI dry suit course. It stated that a drysuit doesn't have sufficient buoyancy to lift most doubles rigs and hence is NOT a backup for such use.

Things may have changed in the past 2 years, but it seems to me that one of the skills in the PADI Tec sequence is controlling depth using only your drysuit (to simulate a primary aircell failure).

 

[LiteHedded]

What????? you should never plan a dive with your dry suit as a redundant buoyancy source!!!

Tim

silly.

 

[DiverLS]

I dive my twin HP100's with a steel plate with a 5 mil suit. I am a little negative on the surface and I did have a valve fail at depth. I had no problem swimming the whole thing up from 70'. I carry no ditchable weight.

Maybe that's because I'm female and have a lot more that floats.

I do carry a 50lb lift bag and have practiced deployment.

 

[James R]

I have done a bunch of dives in a 5mm + 3/5 hooded vest w/my double HP100 tanks (Faber) -- I have a dual-bladder wing. I definitely do not need any weight. I dive the same AL BP (with just a different wing) with single HP100 while wearing the same exposure protection with no weights, too.

Wet: I have one inflator hose connected to primary bladder and leave the backup disconnected, but the inflator hose for it is attached w/black rubber inner-tube band so that it can be easily connected and used in case of a primary bladder failure.

Dry: One LP hose to primary bladder, the other to my drysuit. I do not use my backup bladder. I could orally inflate it, I guess...I have not tried that, though.

Colliam7 is correct: You will have to control buoyancy with a drysuit and/or blackup bladder to simulate primary bladder fail in the Padi/DSAT Tec sequence.