DIR Information Network >> Buoyancy FAQ 4

Why does Halcyon make wings in so many different sizes?

Rear mounted buoyancy compensation is (still) the best choice for diving when properly sized/designed for the gear package/configuration required by your dive. If you follow the typical design criteria available to all BC designers for the last twenty years, you will find that less than 12 pounds of actual adjustable flotation are adequate for the “BC” portion of the task. The problem with these mass marketed production ‘rigs’ is they try to accommodate a very broad range of configurations while also trying to suffice the surface floatation necessity. The end result so often found in compromise is absolute failure on all marks.

When diving a 27 pound, narrow full-circle flow around wing, combined with a aluminum 80, stainless steel backplate secure harness, six pound tank mounted counterweight and 3 piece 5/3/3mm Rubatex wetsuit, a 6'/200 pound male diver can be perfectly balanced underwater and very stable in a reliable heads-up surface position at the surface. For additional utility flotation purposes you can carry a Closed Circuit lift bag or Diver's Life Raft , depending on dive site.

DIR Information Network >> Is DIR appropriate for open water? [Next]