DIR and Dual Bladder wings? Also Double reg set-up?

[Life-Is-Good-Diver]

I'm just wondering, I have to seperate questions, I'm trying to find answers for on the net :

1 : I'm diving Double Steel 100's , PST , and dive them year round here in Florida, which means 50% in a dry suit , caves etc, and 50% on wrecks in somtimes 84+ degree water, with a wetsuit on. For rendundent lift, does Dir require a single bladder + lift bag, which fit's in my MC storage pack , or do they approve somthing like the Dive-rite dual bladder REC wing , which is made for both doubles and singles, which I could dive all the time with, for both singles and doubles.

2: Also, My single tank reg set up, consist of everything set up with a 5' hose, Halcyons single hose kit .

But I want to keep my configuration the same, when diving doubles, being I'm comfortable now with my single tank set up for the past several months, DIR style.

What do you recommend when switching from double tanks, like a morning dive on a wreck and reef, where I can get two dives outta the HP 100's, but then I jump on a afternoon boat, my doubles are getting filled for next morning, So I'm back to bolting on a STA and changing out the wing, and switching over to deticated single reg set-up?

Or do i just buy a whole new BP, wing set up, and carry one bag with all the double tanks set-up's, and one bag with all the single tank set up's ?

In the past, I used the same wing, and BP, just threw on a STA, and dove, but being I'm following the DIR confiruration, I would like to know what they recommend,

Thank you

 

[*Floater*]

I'm just wondering, I have to seperate questions, I'm trying to find answers for on the net :

1 : I'm diving Double Steel 100's , PST , and dive them year round here in Florida, which means 50% in a dry suit , caves etc, and 50% on wrecks in somtimes 84+ degree water, with a wetsuit on. For rendundent lift, does Dir require a single bladder + lift bag, which fit's in my MC storage pack , or do they approve somthing like the Dive-rite dual bladder REC wing , which is made for both doubles and singles, which I could dive all the time with, for both singles and doubles.

The DIR solution would be to dive a balanced rig instead of a dual bladder wing. A balanced rig means you are weighted so that you can ditch excess weight if necessary and swim your rig up at any point of the dive (including when tanks are still full and wetsuit has compressed at depth and lost most of its inherent buoyancy). I've never heard DIR divers advocate a lift bag for redundant buoyancy, though I'm not entirely sure what the policy is on that. To me it seems that an SMB or a liftbag might be nice to help hold you deco stops once you've swam the rig up to said stops - if you needed (even a broken non-bungeed wing may be able to trap a good amount of gas).

2: Also, My single tank reg set up, consist of everything set up with a 5' hose, Halcyons single hose kit .

But I want to keep my configuration the same, when diving doubles, being I'm comfortable now with my single tank set up for the past several months, DIR style.

What do you recommend when switching from double tanks, like a morning dive on a wreck and reef, where I can get two dives outta the HP 100's, but then I jump on a afternoon boat, my doubles are getting filled for next morning, So I'm back to bolting on a STA and changing out the wing, and switching over to deticated single reg set-up?

Or do i just buy a whole new BP, wing set up, and carry one bag with all the double tanks set-up's, and one bag with all the single tank set up's ?

In the past, I used the same wing, and BP, just threw on a STA, and dove, but being I'm following the DIR confiruration, I would like to know what they recommend,

Thank you

My DIRF instructor advocated a 7 ft. hose for all diving. I know in the past the DIR approach was to use a 5' hose for rec diving, but I wonder if that's still the up-to-date.

I prefer to have separate regs for singles and doubles so I don't have to swap hoses around, but I think it's up to you whether to have dedicated regs or not. Also, I don't think there's anything un-DIR about using the same plate for singles and doubles unless it over-weighs you from one to the other. You'd use a different wing though.

 

[MonkSeal]

Double steel 100 PST and wet suit are not good start for achieving goal of balanced rig. I believe that you're too negative with that combination at depth when bouyancy of wet suit is lost.

When diving single tank it's recommended to use one set of regs (one 1st stage, primary and backup 2nd stage) which means that's easier to have separate single tank rig.

You can use the same backplate if you can get proper and comfortable weigting and good trim both with double and single tank configuration. And of course, you have to use different wings.

Dual bladder wings are not DIR.

 

[ScubaMilo]

I have personaly found that putting a y-valve or h-valve on my single tanks allows me to use the same regs for doubles and singles.
Therefore I just swap wings and add the single tank adapter which I leave attached to my single tank.
It's almost effortless to go between singles and doubles this way.
Plus you dont have to have a dedicated single tank regulator.
Hope this helps,
Milo

 

[Life-Is-Good-Diver]

I have personaly found that putting a y-valve or h-valve on my single tanks allows me to use the same regs for doubles and singles.
Therefore I just swap wings and add the single tank adapter which I leave attached to my single tank.
It's almost effortless to go between singles and doubles this way.
Plus you dont have to have a dedicated single tank regulator.
Hope this helps,
Milo

Thats a good idea. I was going to put a H-Valve on my 130 , so I'm configured for over head going into wrecks when diving singles, plus having the reduncey of two regs UW.

I'm not sure how much work it is, to go from single using a STA, to double's, with the Halycon BP I have with the storage pack. I'll have to look at tonight.

I was thinking of just getting two set-up's, so I wouldnt have to worry about swtching wings, removing the doubles, adding a STA, etc, between morning and afternoon diver's. Each set-up would be deticated for each.

As for the balanced rig, I been diving doubles for all most 4 years now, but I know I was threading thin waters, jumping off a dive boat in the summer in a shorty, with doubles one, I was REAL Negitive UW, I dont like that feeling.

I can't imagine diving in a dry suit all summer, so I have to figure this one out, on how to get well balanced , without going to a dual bladder like in the past I have.

 

[darkpup]

Try double al80s or steel 72s when you want to dive doubles wet. The al80s will require ditchable weight to be negative at the start of a dive, and ditching weight will allow you to "balance" the rig in an emergency.

I believe Tim (Kidspot) is diving a set of 72s wet in Hawaii. He may be able to give you some good pointers on how to balance the tanks for trim.

~ Jason

 

[SparticleBrane]

Apparently double 80s are actually negative towards the end of the dive. While the tanks themseleves start to swing to positive, the bands and manifold counteract it--then you have the regs + backplate.

 

[Sloop John B]

I have personaly found that putting a y-valve or h-valve on my single tanks allows me to use the same regs for doubles and singles.
Therefore I just swap wings and add the single tank adapter which I leave attached to my single tank.
It's almost effortless to go between singles and doubles this way.
Plus you dont have to have a dedicated single tank regulator.
Hope this helps,
Milo

Same thing I do. Very easy and the singles reg becomes your vacation reg.

 

[Life-Is-Good-Diver]

Try double al80s or steel 72s when you want to dive doubles wet. The al80s will require ditchable weight to be negative at the start of a dive, and ditching weight will allow you to "balance" the rig in an emergency.

I believe Tim (Kidspot) is diving a set of 72s wet in Hawaii. He may be able to give you some good pointers on how to balance the tanks for trim.

~ Jason

I had double 80's , and I broke them up to go with the PST steel 100's I had laying around.

I didn't like the swing on the alum tanks, going from neg to positive, but even when i breathed them down, I use a 6 lb SS BP, so when I dive singles, I don't have to add any weight.

I'm thinking with a 6lb BP, steel tanks, manifolds, bands, canister light, etc, I'm probley 15 lbs + Neg in the water.

Do you think I should switch to a 2 lb alum BP ? And just buy the same rig, and deidacate it just for my doubles?

That still will not help the fact I'm really Neg in the water though

 

[rjack321]

You can't have it both ways ~80-100 cf of gas weighs 6-7 pounds.

You can start that tank off:
-8 and end up -2 (a PST Hp100)
-6 to neutral (an LP85)
or -2 and end up +4 (an AL80)

You are way over weighted with steel doubles and a steel BP in a wetsuit. I'd switch to AL80s with a small weightbelt (~6 lb), keeping the steel plate for now.