Wing size question and DIR-F

[WQFTruckster]

Hello,
After a ton of reading on this board I was excited to discover that a DIR-F class will (tentatively) be offered very close to me and have decided to go for it. The class is the second week of april so I have a little time to prepare. I just got JJ's book two days ago and am almost finished with it. I am still a VERY new diver (6 dives) so any tips would be much appreciated.

I'm trying to decide on my first set of equipment and am leaning towards a FredT BP and Oxycheq SS wing, either the 30# or 45#. Is there any disadvantage to going with the larger wing? I have read that due to the design of their wings that there is little if any noticeable difference in water resistance between the two. Is there such a thing as too much lift? Most of my diving in the immediate future will be rock quarries/wetsuit/ single al80, some FL dives, possibly a drysuit in the future. I'm guessing that the 30# is probably all I would need, but is there a reason not to go with the 45#?

Thank you,
-Dan

 

[Dan Gibson]

It going to depend on the water temps, your exposure suit and weight you need.

The thing to remember is the wing must have enough lift to float your rig without you in it. No more lift is required, period.

Hello,
After a ton of reading on this board I was excited to discover that a DIR-F class will (tentatively) be offered very close to me and have decided to go for it. The class is the second week of april so I have a little time to prepare. I just got JJ's book two days ago and am almost finished with it. I am still a VERY new diver (6 dives) so any tips would be much appreciated.

I'm trying to decide on my first set of equipment and am leaning towards a FredT BP and Oxycheq SS wing, either the 30# or 45#. Is there any disadvantage to going with the larger wing? I have read that due to the design of their wings that there is little if any noticeable difference in water resistance between the two. Is there such a thing as too much lift? Most of my diving in the immediate future will be rock quarries/wetsuit/ single al80, some FL dives, possibly a drysuit in the future. I'm guessing that the 30# is probably all I would need, but is there a reason not to go with the 45#?

Thank you,
-Dan

 

[Red Sea Explorer]

It depends on what you will be taking with you on the dives and your gear and so on.
The 30# is probably enough for most single tank dives.

However the "DIR" answer (if there is such a thing) to your question is to think it through.

Mainly the wing is there to help you float at the surface and tweak your buoyancy. In your DIR-F you will learn to always dive a balanced rig and once you do you will realize that you do not really require that much lift.

In some cases the 40# is good enough for multiple stage dives with cameras and scooters....


Disclaimer: Everything I say is wrong and might kill you. Implement at own risk

It going to depend on the water temps, your exposure suit and weight you need.

The thing to remember is the wing must have enough lift to float your rig without you in it. No more lift is required, period.

 

[lamont]

As a new diver, I liked going with the 40# eclipse wing, even though it might have been "too much" lift. It gave me a little more room to make serious weighting errors and still be able to float everything. If you plan on a fairly worst-case mistake (something like borrowing an LP104, not changing your weightbelt, and having your wetsuit lose all its buoyancy at 100+ fsw) it'll help you stay out of trouble while you're learning.

(that isn't the DIR answer, and YMMV)

 

[WQFTruckster]

Thank you for the replies.

Hmmm,
Decisions decisions.....

 

[CALI68]

Great choice! You will love DIR F and taking it as a beginning diver is SUCH a plus! They won't have to fix years of bad habits.

E-mail all of your gear questions to your instructor to be.

After checking with my Instructor, I bought the Eclipse 40 for my single rig (PST E7100's) and the Explorer 55 for my doubles (PST E7 100s)

SS Halcyon backplate for the single rig
Al Halcyon Backplate for the doubles.

Your needs may and most likely will be different.

 

[limeyx]

Hello,
After a ton of reading on this board I was excited to discover that a DIR-F class will (tentatively) be offered very close to me and have decided to go for it. The class is the second week of april so I have a little time to prepare. I just got JJ's book two days ago and am almost finished with it. I am still a VERY new diver (6 dives) so any tips would be much appreciated.

I'm trying to decide on my first set of equipment and am leaning towards a FredT BP and Oxycheq SS wing, either the 30# or 45#. Is there any disadvantage to going with the larger wing? I have read that due to the design of their wings that there is little if any noticeable difference in water resistance between the two. Is there such a thing as too much lift? Most of my diving in the immediate future will be rock quarries/wetsuit/ single al80, some FL dives, possibly a drysuit in the future. I'm guessing that the 30# is probably all I would need, but is there a reason not to go with the 45#?

Thank you,
-Dan

I have the halcyon pioneer 36 with single steel tank and 7mm wetsuit, boots, hood, and it's been really great for me. No problems at all. I could probably have gotten away with the 27 pounder in the end.

 

[ScubaDadMiami]

Dan, you don't mention your potential tanks and some other key factors. Without that information, it is too hard to make the call.

You only need enough lift to do the job for the activity you will be doing in the equipment you will be using (plus consider emergencies). You want to make sure that you do not get wings so big that they wrap around a single tank. Consider whether you will be diving wet or dry, single or doubles (which you most likely won't be at this poing in your career), etc.

I just went on a trip in the Bahamas where I dove wet (3mm on the arms and legs, 5mm on the body and 5 mm hood) with a single aluminum tank, a steel backplate with steel single tank adapter, canister light, and four pounds of lead in my belt. The Pioneer 27 worked just fine for me.

Normally, I dive double steel 120s, TLS 350 dry suit, aluminum backplate and six pounds of lead added to my bottom bolt between my tanks. For that, I go with an Eclipse 55.

It all depends. Maybe this will help. http://www.divetekadventures.com/Technical_WingSizing.htm

 

[WQFTruckster]

Dan, you don't mention your potential tanks and some other key factors.

Thank you for the reply and the link. I am currently leaning towards:

FredT "normal" SS backplate (11guage, 0.119" thick) ~ 6lbs negative
FredT "light" 2pc STA (0.118" thick) ~ 1.9 lbs neg
5/7mm 1pc wetsuit with 5mm hooded vest & gloves for colder water.
Single Al80 tank, atleast for the immediate future.

Possibly (most likely) steel doubles and drysuit at some point, but I'm not really using this as a consideration for this purchase.

Most diving will be freshwater (quarries & lakes) with some FL ocean diving trips possible.

I am basically looking for a setup that will get me through DIR-F and provide me with a solid basic set of equipment. I can add more as $$ and skills allow later.

BTW I'm 5'11" & 180lbs.

 

[Dan Gibson]

The poster is in TN and using a single tank wing. I'm pretty sure the water gets cold in TN. I probably wouldn't recommend the old Halcyon 27# Pioneer, because it doesn't have enough lift(i.e. the rating is overstated) if that person were to eventually use a drysuit and 400g thinsulate. Unless you put all the weight on a belt (not really ideal), you have to load the backplate with some of the weight. The rig will likely sink as it did in my case. For someone in this circumstance, the old 36# Pioneer would have been better. I can't really say on the new Eclipse wings since I don't know if they really provide the rated lifts of 30 and 40 lbs. The Oxycheq may fit in the same category. The 30# way not quite be enough.

The poster is about my size. The Halcyon 36# would do well for a single tank. It provides enough lift for local diving, yet it's not rediculously oversized for warm water trips.

Double wings, stages and whatever are clearly not in the posters original intention. Later down the road, it would be wise to think through it again before buying that wing.

btw, I have an 18#, 27#, 36#, 40# and 55# wing. I use what is appropriate for each dive.

It depends on what you will be taking with you on the dives and your gear and so on.
The 30# is probably enough for most single tank dives.

However the "DIR" answer (if there is such a thing) to your question is to think it through.

Mainly the wing is there to help you float at the surface and tweak your buoyancy. In your DIR-F you will learn to always dive a balanced rig and once you do you will realize that you do not really require that much lift.

In some cases the 40# is good enough for multiple stage dives with cameras and scooters....


Disclaimer: Everything I say is wrong and might kill you. Implement at own risk