Question for those in the know! 85lb wing too big?

[KD8NPB]

I like my Hog 38 lb. I use it with LP72s. Dolphin Scuba had them for about $120 shipped not too long ago...appears the sale is over now.

 

[cbrich]

I use a Dive Rite Rec Wing for double AL80s and 4 AL80 deco tanks. I can even manage double HP100 with 4 AL80s. My profile picture is my DR Rec Wing with Worthy HP100, and 4 AL80s; but as you can see that wing is fully inflated, any more air gets dumped. Dive Rite Rec Wing is 45 lbs

 

[scubafanatic]

If you want a dual bladder 'doubles' wing of reasonable size, try the Oxycheq 42 lbs wing: [h=1]42# Vertex Extreme Dual Bladder Dual Inflator[/h]42# Vertex Extreme Dual Bladder Dual Inflator : OxyCheq - DiveOps, Analyzers and Scuba Diving Equipment
or you can save some $ by getting the non-Extreme version.

 

[Thalassamania]

Figure it out, 5 lbs of gas per tank and 20 lbs (at most) for the suit crushed flat. That's 40 lbs. Plus or minus another 10 depending on other factors ... so 50 at the outside, 30 might be a bit small.

 

[DevonDiver]

IMHO, anything above 60lbs is a very specialized item of kit - of interest only to a very small minority of divers who may have occasional cause to need that much buoyancy. I'm thinking here - record breakers, expedition level cavers etc (..and even then...) I'm surprised such items are listed on websites, let alone stocked by dive stores.

For a dive shop to recommend such a high capacity bladder to a novice/potential tech diver stinks. It's beyond cynical.

It doesn't help that recreational BCDs are marketed to 'boast' of high capacity bladders - plenty enough single-tank wallowy jackets that list a ~50lb bladder as a positive selling point for single-tank divers. With that sort of misinformation, it's no surprise that the novice can be led into thinking that 'bigger is better'.

Choose a bladder like you'd choose trousers. Too small is gonna hurt.... too big and people will laugh at you... and you'll forever be distracted by them...

 

[JamesK]

IMHO, anything above 60lbs is a very specialized item of kit - of interest only to a very small minority of divers who may have occasional cause to need that much buoyancy. I'm thinking here - record breakers, expedition level cavers etc (..and even then...) I'm surprised such items are listed on websites, let alone stocked by dive stores.

For a dive shop to recommend such a high capacity bladder to a novice/potential tech diver stinks. It's beyond cynical.

It doesn't help that recreational BCDs are marketed to 'boast' of high capacity bladders - plenty enough single-tank wallowy jackets that list a ~50lb bladder as a positive selling point for single-tank divers. With that sort of misinformation, it's no surprise that the novice can be led into thinking that 'bigger is better'.

Choose a bladder like you'd choose trousers. Too small is gonna hurt.... too big and people will laugh at you... and you'll forever be distracted by them...

How true this statement is! When I first got my UTD Zwing I had someone go on and on about how I was unsafe because I did not have enough lift. 20lbs was in no way sufficient. I was surely to drown, and it would not float me at the surface. Then I said "Darn, I wanted to use this for 2-4 tanks!" Holy crap, you would have thought I just slapped their dog. After I got done explaining it to them, they were a little more convinced, but still skeptical. I am sure they are still wondering how I have not drowned yet. LOL.

Oh, this was an instructor.

 

[redacted]

4 x Al80 is 6 lb of gas each and a 5mm wetsuit is 10 to 15 lb buoyant. (My 5mm XXL is 14 lb.) The wetsuit will lose much of its buoyancy as gas bubbles compress with depth (about 80% at 5 atm) so be safe and assume all wetsuit buoyancy is lost. So the total buoyancy changes your will will need to handle is in the 34 to 39 lb range. A 40 lb wing might work but could be marginal if you are on the high end of the range and the wing rating is a little off (or limited). But 85 lb is over the hill unless it is double bladdered.

 

[JamesK]

4 x Al80 is 6 lb of gas each and a 5mm wetsuit is 10 to 15 lb buoyant. (My 5mm XXL is 14 lb.) The wetsuit will lose much of its buoyancy as gas bubbles compress with depth (about 80% at 5 atm) so be safe and assume all wetsuit buoyancy is lost. So the total buoyancy changes your will will need to handle is in the 34 to 39 lb range. A 40 lb wing might work but could be marginal if you are on the high end of the range and the wing rating is a little off (or limited). But 85 lb is over the hill unless it is double bladdered.

It works so far with a .5 wetsuit, 2lbs of weights, and 3 full AL80's. The fourth tank would be an AL40 that would be dropped anyway. Normally I would be diving this setup with a drysuit or a 5mm, but since I am in 85 degree water just playing around and learning it, a .5 works for now.

I really need to get better at this third bottle thing in SM though. I really look like a dumbass doing it. LOL.... I can't wait to get home and take a class with Rob.

 

[danvolker]

Not to mention if this is for deep tech dives, the temperature is typically low enough so that the now paper thin/compressed wetsuit offers no thermal protection. So rather than sell the 60 to 80 pound "Catastrophic Lift Wings", the diver should be moved to a dry suit.....bouyancy shift then is no longer a problem, warmth and optimal brain function throughout dive are more likely, and the 40 pound wing is all you need.

 

[DevonDiver]

4 x Al80 is 6 lb of gas each and a 5mm wetsuit is 10 to 15 lb buoyant. (My 5mm XXL is 14 lb.) The wetsuit will lose much of its buoyancy as gas bubbles compress with depth (about 80% at 5 atm) so be safe and assume all wetsuit buoyancy is lost. So the total buoyancy changes your will will need to handle is in the 34 to 39 lb range. A 40 lb wing might work but could be marginal if you are on the high end of the range and the wing rating is a little off (or limited). But 85 lb is over the hill unless it is double bladdered.

Go figure how I achieve neutral buoyancy on 4 tank dives with a <30lb wing (sidemount) several times a week...

Even accounting for the fact I'm in (max) a 3mm suit...