Wings and integrated weight BC's - Are they dangerous?

[Robin T]

As someone who's been teaching dinghy sailing courses for a long time, it's not tipping over that's hard, it's not getting the boat back up that's hard, it's getting back in over a foot and a half transom that's hard. The number of students who ended up needing my help to get back in after 10-15mins of desperate struggle opened my eyes. And we're not talking alone either, think two adults (admittedly not athletes) working together.

If you're tired (say, just capsized your boat, or had to rescue tow an unresponsive diver) getting back into a small boat is going to take everything you've got.

Just last year there was an older guy fishing in a neighboring lake, he stood up for whatever reason and fell out of the boat (typical aluminum 15ft boat), but couldn't get back in, and he was fishing alone. The only reason he survived is that an hour or so later the fisheries patrol came by to check if he was over limit.

As for the weight integration, I dive in a virtually identical setup to jjhill, in a very similar sounding lake, only I use 26 lbs. I admittedly don't have a lot of scuba under my belt, but this is the best solution I've experienced, and it's a million times easier to wear under the water than a 20lb belt. Never had a particular concern with my particular systems releases, though I wouldn't dive them if I thought there was a chance of them releasing without my say-so.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I'm pretty much convinced that if all scuba divers tried an elastic rubber weight belt, then the perceived need to put lead in an integrated BC would greatly diminish.

A typical 2-inch nylon belt will slide around and have to be adjusted after suit compression. A weight belt with soft lead is even more prone to movement.

I have no problem with people putting a relatively small amount of lead on their BC, but if they have more than about 10 lbs, it is usually better to have the additional lead on a weight belt.

 

[marinediva]

I understand Ardy, and I agree rescue is not the an area any of us wish to have to use. My real life experiences have shown me that I must take it serious cause I always seem to be like a honey to a bee when it comes to trouble. I work, play and live in some of the most remote areas of Australia, The kimberley coast, Torres Strait, and Gove. I will always try something once, to give it a go.

I am the kind of australian who would do anything it takes to make a situation right, or save someone even if it killed me trying. Thats just the way it is.