BP and Wing Travel Setup

[merlin7896]

I have a 6# SS backplate and a STA, and I don't want to purchase a 2nd backplate for travel. When I dove in warm water (3mm full suit) with a jacket style BC, I wore between 6 and 8lbs of weight on my belt. I am thinking about an 18lbs lift Oxycheq wing to save weight (compared to my current wing)on the plane, and also too have a lot less overkill when diving singles (what fits in up here looks wacky in Cozumel).

I have two concerns however.

Is 18lbs enough lift with reserve lift at the begining of my dive at depth (full tank, I assume aluminium 80, compressed suit)? The math says yes, but if someone could share experiance that would be great.

No need for weight belt... sounds convienient, I hate that thing, and since I should be almost neutrally bouyant w/o inflating the wing, I should be able to swim up, or follow some other emergency procedure that would fit in the situation. I was hopeing for some conventional wisdom on the subject to guide me before my trip.

Thank you.

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

Should be fine. What are you concerned about at the beginning of the dive with full tank etc?

You'll just have a tiny bit of air in the wing (like normal) to compensate for the compression of the wetsuit.

It's definitely a plenty big wing under water...I mean there's no way you'll fill that wing completely at depth and still be going down, right?

As far as no weight belt, that's what I do in warm water, and it is great. All the weight in the plate. You seem to be concerned with being able to swim up without having weight to ditch...well, you never inflate your wing to ascend anyway, right? So, if your BC fails at depth, you wouldn't ditch weight even if you could. You'd just swim up slowly same as always.

It's really only at the surface that ditchable weight can come in handy if you have a wing failure.

Sorry if I misunderstood your concerns. Cheers

 

[Jim Baldwin]

I have a 6# SS backplate and a STA, and I don't want to purchase a 2nd backplate for travel. When I dove in warm water (3mm full suit) with a jacket style BC, I wore between 6 and 8lbs of weight on my belt. I am thinking about an 18lbs lift Oxycheq wing to save weight (compared to my current wing)on the plane, and also too have a lot less overkill when diving singles (what fits in up here looks wacky in Cozumel).

I have two concerns however.

Is 18lbs enough lift with reserve lift at the begining of my dive at depth (full tank, I assume aluminium 80, compressed suit)? The math says yes, but if someone could share experiance that would be great.

No need for weight belt... sounds convienient, I hate that thing, and since I should be almost neutrally bouyant w/o inflating the wing, I should be able to swim up, or follow some other emergency procedure that would fit in the situation. I was hopeing for some conventional wisdom on the subject to guide me before my trip.

Thank you.

I dive in Cozumel quite a bit. Just got back from my third trip on April 10th. I wear a full 3 mm suit with a DR plastic plate and a 4 lb. STA. I sink with no problem and wear no weight belt.

I have a 40 lb. wing and at depth with a full LP 95 that weighs 40 lbs. I use 2-3 bursts of air which probably equates to about 6-10 pounds of lift. I know it takes very little air as I have had my wife and divemaster shoot some pictures so I can actually see what I look like and the wing looks almost flat.

When I do my safety stop at 20 feet I am still slightly negative and it take one tiny burst of air to actually get neutral. There is very little weight difference in an 18 lb. wing and a 40lb. wing.

Forget about the weight belt if you can get away without one. You wil be more streamlined and it will be easier to maintain a good horizontial position.

If I'm diving an AL 80 I will often put a 3 lb weight on my bottom tank strap to keep my rear end from trying to float at the end of the dive.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

A little wing like the 18# Oxy Razor would be perfect.

You might want to consider the new MachV. I just got one in and it is very slick... the narrowest, most streamlined wing I have ever seen. It has a lift of 30#... so it would be more versatile than the 18# Razor, but it simply disappears between the plate and cylinder. My first impressions defy logic and make me think that it has a smaller profile than my tiny Batwing.

To answer you question more directly... when I go to Coz I use an 18# Halcyon batwing with a SS plate and STA for a total of 8# with a 3 mil full. It has more than enough lift. It all packs very small and doesn't add too much weight with respect to airline luggage limits.

You should be fine.

Don't forget your DSMB and spool and keep an eye out for down-currents breaking over the edge of some of the reefs in Coz!

 

[Hoosier]

For travel rig, AL plate, STA, 40lb single wing (there isn't much difference in the weight wise) , and four tank weight pouches.

 

[MNJoe]

I have been doing my warm water dives with a SS BP, weighted STA and an 18# Oxycheq wing, no weight belt and a full 3mm suit. Trim is great, and the set up is very comfortable. I wish I could be this comfortable when wearing all the gear required for cold water.

I know I am a few pounds overweighted, but the weighted STA is much nicer to wear than a weight belt. Last January I tried a few different configurations, I took off my weighted STA and used a regular STA, then put 4#'s on the waist band of my BP harness. While I still could have taken off another pound or two, my trim suffered. If I didn't like to breathe so deep, I could probably use no weight with my full 3mm. Which is what I did with my 2mm shorty and also just diving in my swim suit.

Bottom line (IMHO), the 18# wing is great in warm water diving.

MNJoe

 

[loquat149]

You might want to consider the new MachV. I just got one in and it is very slick... the narrowest, most streamlined wing I have ever seen. It has a lift of 30#... so it would be more versatile than the 18#

I just got a Mach V for my girlfriend and boy is it sweet! Most innovative wing I've seen yet. She was using a Cressi jacket style BC previously and did try a Pioneer a couple of months ago, but she said obtaining horizontal trim was much easier in the Oxycheq. We got rid of her weight belt and she uses a SS BP. We can add weight by using camband weight pockets or bolting lead ingots (I cast myself) directly to the back of the BP.

Dave

 

[merlin7896]

Thanks for all the feedback! I ordered my 18# wing and am looking forward to trying it out. From what everyone has said, it should be perfect for what I am looking to do with it. I looked at the Mach V, but decided to save some $$$, it looked sweet, but I have my other bladded when I need more lift.

 

[alpaj]

Math works out fine. You won't need to worry as much about the ditchable thing because your not going to loose much bouyancy in the suit 3 mill and all. Doing the math suggests that you might start a few pounds negative right. You are replacing 6-8 pound weight belt with 9-11 pound rig. You want to be ~ 5 pounds heavy to begin (for loss of air right) with so you might just end up perfectly weighted with no weight belt. LUCKY guy !

 

[meekal]

A little wing like the 18# Oxy Razor would be perfect.

You might want to consider the new MachV. I just got one in and it is very slick... the narrowest, most streamlined wing I have ever seen. It has a lift of 30#... so it would be more versatile than the 18# Razor, but it simply disappears between the plate and cylinder. My first impressions defy logic and make me think that it has a smaller profile than my tiny Batwing.

what is your source for this 'mythical' OXY RAZOR .... i can't even find it on GOOGLE!

thanks in advance