Posted by Max Bottomtime on January 05, 2001 at 17:47:11:
In Reply to: Re: The view from here posted by tleemay on January 05, 2001 at 08:10:59:
"Over the steel tanks issue with wetsuits, if you
are diving a single steel, you had better be
able to swim it up w/o air in your BC. The DIR
practice of not diving steels wet is for double
tank setups, especially the really heavy 104's
or 112's. The drysuit is now your backup inflation
source should something go wrong."
I usually dive with Pressed Steel double 120s. With my iso manifold, they weigh in at a hefty 128 pounds. Under water, however, they are neutral at the end of a dive. I still need to carry about 10 pounds of lead with me to make a 20' stop. I forgot my weights once on a dive at the Ace One wreck(125'). At the bottom I had to kick just to stay down with an empty BC. About the only time I add air to my BC is on a wall dive to remain neutrally buoyant at depth, and at the surface. The only problem I have diving wet with steel doubles is when my pressure guage tells me,"Stay down, you have plenty of air." while my wetsuit says,"48 degrees! Are you nuts? If you used a single 80 we'd be back on the boat by now!"