Balanced rig, step by step
Too much lead or too little makes every dive harder. A rig is balanced when it passes two checks, one at the end of the dive and one at the start.
The two checks
| At the end | At the 3 m stop, with a nearly empty tank and an empty wing, you stay without effort. |
|---|---|
| At the start | At the deepest point, with a full tank, you can ascend by swimming if the wing fails. |
Our example
| Water | Red Sea |
|---|---|
| Suit | 5 mm wetsuit |
| Tank | one aluminium tank, 11.1 L |
| Wing | 30 lb, about 13.6 kg of lift |
| Deepest point | 30 m |
| Full tank | 200 bar |
Step by step
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The lead you need
3 m stop · 50 bar · empty wing → 4.0 kg of lead
Change the lead until you stay at the stop without effort. With 4.0 kg, our rig held neutral.
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The rig at the start
30 m · 200 bar · empty wing → 4.6 kg heavy
Heavy means how much the rig pulls you down with an empty wing. Compared with the stop, the full tank has about 1.9 kg more air, and the compressed wetsuit has lost about 2.6 kg of lift. Most divers can ascend by swimming with a rig about 5 kg heavy, so our rig is close to that limit. Test your own.
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Where the lead goes
feet or head sink → move the lead → horizontal
Where the lead sits changes your trim, the angle of your body. Move the lead and the heavy items until you stay horizontal, with your hands and fins still.
Trim: what you see, and the cause In the water The cause The feet sink The lead sits too far towards the feet. The head sinks The lead sits too far towards the head. You stay horizontal The lead is in the right place.
The rule
At the start, you must be able to ascend by swimming if the wing fails. Most divers can do it with a rig about 5 kg heavy, but test your own limit. If you cannot, change the gear or carry part of the lead where you can drop it. A steel tank, a thick wetsuit and too much lead all make the rig heavier at the start.
Transcript
Too much lead or too little makes every dive harder. The answer is a balanced rig.
A rig is balanced when it passes two checks. At the end, you stay at the last stop without effort. At the start, you can ascend by swimming if the wing fails.
For example, our rig has a five millimetre wetsuit, an eleven point one litre aluminium tank and a thirty pound wing. Step one: let's find the lead you need. At three metres, with fifty bar and an empty wing, change the lead until you stay without effort. Our rig needs four kilograms.
Step two: let's find how heavy the rig is at the start. At thirty metres, the full tank has about two kilograms more air and the wetsuit is compressed, so our rig is about four point six kilograms heavy. Most divers can ascend by swimming with a rig about five kilograms heavy, but test your own limit. The rule: if you cannot, change the gear or carry part of the lead where you can drop it.
Step three: let's find where the lead goes, because where it sits changes your trim, the angle of your body. Move the lead and the heavy items until you stay horizontal, with your hands and fins still.
Weights Check records each check, for each rig and water. Its balance shows the values for both checks on one screen. Free on the App Store. diver dot today.