halocline
Contributor
I used to dive with AL 80's and 10lbs of weight. I had very good trim and was very comfortable with that set up. I recently upgraded to some LP 108's from XS scuba. I have only dove with them once now but it felt very awkward in the water. I ditched all of my weight because of the buoyancy characteristics. I was able to sink just fine but I had my BC fairly full to keep myself neutral. I also had to fit from flipping over like a turtle on my back because the distribution of weight was much different than what I am used to. Do you guys have any advice or tips on how to counteract these symptoms?
Thanks for your advice.
Chris
The difference in buoyancy between an AL80 and a LP108 is about 7lbs, so if you use 10 lbs with a AL80 and no lead with a LP108, you 'should' be a little underweighted, not overweighted. You should try a weight check with the tank near empty just to make sure you're dialed in. If you need a couple of pounds you could put those in front pockets, that might help with the rolling.
You might feel a little heavy with a full tank because the tank holds more air and so you'll have a couple of extra pounds at the beginning of the dive, but I'm sure you understand that you choose weight for an empty tank.
You can practice and get much better at handling the new tank (everyone who tries doubles goes through this) but the bottom line is that some people will simply prefer some tanks for trim. You can adjust, but don't expect a LP108 to feel like an AL80, it won't.