Which Wing Do I Need? von
DiveRite
Imagine if someone said to a diver,
"Carry this sea anchor on every dive. You don't need it now, but there is a
possibility you will need it on a dive some time a few years from now." Yet this is
what happens when a recreational single tank diver purchases an oversized wing primarily
intended for use with doubles because they have a vision of someday becoming a technical
diver. Selecting a wing oversized for their needs creates a lot of unneeded drag for which
they will pay the price in extra effort and higher gas consumption on every dive, for
years!
In our opinion, too much emphasis is placed on lift capacity
when choosing a wing. If the diver is overweighed, they need the extra capacity to counter
the excess weight, but "getting the lead out" is a separate discussion. In most
diving, assuming the diver is properly weighted, the wing only needs enough lift capacity
to counter the negative buoyancy of the complete cylinder configuration carried by the
diver as they enter the water. One often heard justification for needing excess lift is
the diver carries a very large amount of lead weight to counter the buoyancy of their
thick wetsuit or drysuit and needs the excess lift capacity "just in case." The
solution is not to have an oversized wing to counter the weight, rather the lead weight
should be configured so it can be incrementally dropped in an emergency. Yes, we
acknowledge there are special circumstances in extreme technical diving that require
enormous excess lift capacity, but these are pretty rare. In general, lift capacity when
choosing a wing is a minor consideration.
Some circumstances create a need for "backup" lift capacity
("backup" does not mean "more"). When diving larger steel doubles
configurations, the typical diver has such negative buoyancy when entering the water that
it would be difficult, perhaps impossible, to swim to the surface in event of a buoyancy
control failure. Some divers feel a drysuit will serve for backup buoyancy control,
especially if the diver is able to remain horizontal at all times. Many disagree and the
diver should perform a controlled trial to prove they may rely upon their drysuit as a
backup BC. When diving with very negative configurations and a wetsuit or unproven
drysuit, the need for a backup BC becomes critical and this is the justification for
redundant bladder wings.
The cylinder size, type and configuration is the best
guide to selecting the correct wing. For obvious budget reasons a diver would like to own
only one wing, suitable for "all occasions." While many doubles wing designs can
be compressed to a more compact size for occasional use with singles, keep in mind they
are not designed to be used primarily as singles wings and when compressed are they are
not optimal. Realistically, there is no wing perfect for both singles and doubles, or even
a wing perfect for all doubles. That's why there is a range of wing sizes, each one best
suited to a specific range of cylinder configurations. Wing selection is not difficult if
you first determine which cylinder configuration you will most likely be diving and only
then choose the wing best suited to that configuration. If the range of cylinder
configurations you dive is broad, then the best choice for efficient and comfortable
diving may be to own more than one wing. |