Posted by kelphead on March 08, 2001 at 17:10:34:
In Reply to: Re: On weighting, DIR, and steel tanks while diving wet. posted by AADIVER on March 08, 2001 at 07:22:45:
ok, but what about when your point doesn't hold true?
what if you are wearing non-ditchable wt (ie, a
tank, a backplate w/sta, etc) and the amount
of non-ditchable wt exceeds the amount of ditchable
wt irrespective of if you are diving in a wetsuit
or not??
in other words, it is very sound advice to make
sure that whatever it is you use for diving needs
to be a reasonable amount that can be ditched if
you ever need to make it to the surface.
so, in the example of twin steel tanks, are you
sure that you don't have too much wt on your back
that CAN'T be gotten rid of?? if in a wetsuit,
the buoyancy of the wetsuit just may not be enough
relative to a drysuit.
i THINK that's the point that some are trying to
get across--and it makes sense, but i don't
personally believe that this has to be a rigid
rule, as rbear has illustrated for us.
different steel/al tanks have slightly differing
properties and so does each individual body.
so, i think it's fair to say that some people will
be able to get away w/using a single steel tank
in conjunction w/a wetsuit, but those individuals
should find out unequivocally if they have any
wt issues that may be dangerous. if not, then
more power and diving enjoyment to them!!
in my case, the steel backplate was too heavy in
conjunction w/a steel tank and wetsuit (i have
since gone to a drysuit, but the wetsuit will
probably be used for warm water or a single beach
dive). when borrowing the steel backplate,
i only needed 2#'s of wt PER POUCH (that's a total
of 4#'s and probably would not have been enough
wt to ditch if i needed to surface urgently).
that's why i decided to go w/an alum plate
to hopefully redistribute the wt more evenly
btwn ditchable and non-ditchable elements.
so, i personally think your point is well taken,
but neither your point, nor that of 'dir', is
fixed and immune to further analysis.
there may indeed be instances when you CAN'T
wear steel w/neoprene, at all. there may indeed be
instances when you can--even in the open ocean.
hope this helps a tiny bit.
= : )
kelphead.