How much lift does your wing have?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Hello folks: I am asking this primarily to those who are wetsuit divers, diving single tank to a 100 feet. How much lift does you wing have? I have seen some super-huge wings / BCDs on charter boats and it seems like there are some out there who feel the more lift in the wing the safer they would be.

Follow up question: Is there any organization/philosophy out there that teaches that your wing should have enough lift to float you and your dive buddy on surface with no air in your buddy's BCD. Meaning if your buddy is diving with 25 lbs of negative buoyancy, then your wing should be big enough to float you as well as the other fellow? Anyone ever heard of this?

Thanks -

CS

 

[Pullmyfinger]

Wetsuit diving, I use a DSS LCD 30, or Halcyon Eclipse 30. That amount of life is plenty for diving a 3mm suit.
Actually my last dive trip, during a port visit, I used a rental jacket BC. It was a cheap Aqua Lung jacket, with about 40 lbs of lift; which was way more than enough.

As for your question of having enough lift for you and your buddy with an empty (failed) wing. No I haven't heard of that.

 

[ncgator]

I use a Dive Rite Travel Wing w/ 25# of lift for a steel HP 100, Al backplate, and either a 3 or 5 mil wetsuit. Works just great even with 8-10 lbs or so of lead

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[Jim Lapenta]

23, 32, 38, 58, and 28 for the SM rig. Zeagle has 35. I use a stiletto wing on it.

 

[dmoore19]

Zeagle Stiletto, 35# lift

I would think if you brought someone to the surface that you would not need to have the lift to float him too because you would want to ditch his weights once you got to the surface.

 

[koozemani]

I use a DSS 20# wing. By the end of the dive it's empty, but even at the beginning of the dive I feel that it would be enough to lift any of my regular properly weighted buddies. Now, if the need arises that I need to assist someone who is grossly overweighted, we might be leaving some of their ditchable weight at the bottom.

we usually dive in skins up to a 5mm, and rarely past 80' with my wife or 40' with my son.

 

[scubadiver888]

If you are using a wing designed for doubles but diving single tank then it is going to taco on you and greatly increase drag. So in the case of wings, bigger isn't always better.

I have a 27 lb wing with a steel backplate and diving steel tanks in fresh water. If I'm shore diving with a slippery slope, I'll throw my gear in and put my equipment on in the water rather than wear it in. This means the wing must have enough lift to keep the gear floating without me.

With an aluminum backplate I would need less lift. With an AL80 I would need less lift. If I was diving in salt water I would need less lift. I haven't had to take any of this into consideration but I would guess nothing less than 17 lb wing for aluminum backplate with an AL80 in salt water.

As far as floating my buddy, I was taught to use oral inflation on the surface if I have to rescue someone and they don't have air to inflate their BCD/Wing. I would also drop their weights. Even of the BCD/Wing will not inflate then dropping weights would be sufficient to float my buddy. Mind you, my buddy dives a 7mm wetsuit with 14mm on the core.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

27lb H Pioneer for all single tank diving for me. Considering selling it and just using a 40lb H Eclipse because I may one day want to dive cold water single big steel tanks, but for tropical diving it's hard to beat how streamlined and well-balanced the Pioneer is.

 

[kathydee]

20 lb/or 30lb wing with a single al80 & wetsuit
30 lb wing with a single steel hp100 and drysuit

More lift for double tanks

 

[eelnoraa]

30lb for all single tank diving, mainly cold water. Same wing for tropical vacation. I wish I can afford a 20-23lb wing.
40lb for double setup, up to double HP100 + an AL80 stage.

I don't have doubles bigger than HP100.

???? Meaning if your buddy is diving with 25 lbs of negative buoyancy, then your wing should be big enough to float you as well as the other fellow? Anyone ever heard of this?

CS

The question is WHY and HOW 25lb negative on surface with wetsuit?? It is looking for touble to begin with