JeffG
Contributor
LOL
Heiser 190
Dry land weight (empty) 87lbs
Buoyancy Empty, lbs -46.86
It is a monster. Why would anyone use these things?
Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.
Benefits of registering include
Although there are several Heiser tanks listed on that site (which happens to be my favorite for tank info), it doesn't have any info for the Heiser 95 that the original poster is using. Nor does http://www.tdl.divebiz.net/pub/tanks.html
A ScubaBoard Staff Message...
Yes, something is definately wrong here...and I'm confused myself...
I normally do bob on the surface with the AL80s [or steel 80s and 85s for that matter], 14lb on weight with 10 on backplate. But not today with the new tank.
I purchase a used tank last night - steel 95 Heiser Beuchat - was short and squat just as I like it as I'm only 5'3. Buddies and I were in the water trying to surface swim out to buoy this morning. I started swimming out, otter-styled, and noticed that despite having a fully inflated bc, I only my face was on the surface. The rest of me was underwater. Yelled out to buddies that something was wrong. We came back to about 5ft of water. We all thought I was overweighted and my fully inflated bc was not able to "lift me" to the normal head and shoulder out of water position. So we started taking out weight off my belt and tried to see if my head and shoulder could get in the normal out of water position. We ditched all of my ditchable weight and I was still only to get my face on the surface, though my body was higher up towards the surface. Ended up swapping tanks with a buddy who could handle the weight on his wing.
So for clarification:
I have 30lbs of lift on wing. It is a DSS 30 LCD.
BP is about 5lbs.
BP has another 5lbs screwed in.
My weight belt has 14lbs.
I weigh 120 and wear 2 piece wetsuit.
No other neg buoyant equipment.
When we ditched all weights on belt- result- only face was on surface with a fully inflated bc.
So does this mean I need to take the 5lb screwed plates on backplate? If so, it will probably just get me to the normal head and shoulder out of the water position. And leaves me with no extra weights.
Or does this mean that I just can't dive this tank because it is too heavy for my wing?? It seems that if I dive this tank I'll have to do it without ditchable weights. Is this even recommended or advised?
Diving the AL80 is a completely different issue- as it seems that I keep on whittling down the amount of ditchable weights I have [and have been overweighted]. Though I'm at 10lbs now, but can ditch perhaps another 2. Which leaves me at 8lbs. At 8lbs- and if I get a canister light [-2 or -3] and jet fins [-1], I'm at 4-5lbs of ditchable weights - provided that I don't shed more weight.....is 4-5lbs sufficent amount of ditchable weights?
Neg 46.86lbs when empty!! I think we have definitely found the source of the problem. Unfortunately the solution is to get rid of this tank you have just bought and get a Faber instead if you want to dive a steel.
As far as thick wetsuits go the air environment can be a factor in choosing a wetsuit over a drysuit. Where I dive it is possible to have reasonably cool water but very hot air temperatures. For example the water temp could be in the 18C (65F) range, with air temps of around 35C to 40C (95F - 104F). The water temp requires a reasonable amount of thermal protection, but the air temp makes it very uncomfortable in a dry suit. Even if you wait until the last minute to put the drysuit on by the time you have got all your other gear on and are ready to jump in you will be sweating like a pig and just about to collapse from the heat. At least with a wetsuit if you are getting overheated you have the option of jumping in, letting some water in and cooling off for a few minutes - in a drysuit jumping in for a few minutes will barely cool you at all (and you sure don't want to be letting some water in!).
Although there are several Heiser tanks listed on that site (which happens to be my favorite for tank info), it doesn't have any info for the Heiser 95 that the original poster is using. Nor does Scuba Cylinder Specifications from Tech Diving Limited - 928-855-9400
That's for the 190!!!! at 4400 PSI!!
Some drysuits have come down in price. (Like the Bare Next Gen).
Yes. Sad but true.