Newb question - Weight integrated BCD

[Colliam7]

The best demo I saw for making a decision between hard lead and soft lead. Go to your dive store, hold 3# of soft at your waist and drop on your bare foot. Now do the same with the hard lead...

OK, to paraphrase Larry (TCG), 'That's funny, I don't care who you are.'

 

[Bob DBF]

Just make sure the weight you put in will come out easily, I've seen some folks have issues removing the weight pockets when filling them to capacity.

The down side of shot weights is that they leech more lead into the environment than solid weights. Also they are impossible to put on a standard weight belt without drastic measures.


Bob

 

[REVAN]

You can make your own out of the lead shot you can buy at sporting good stores for shotgun shells, but it's kind of a pain to do and might not save you as much money as you think. Lead dust is bad in the house, and lead vapor (for people building custom hard weights) is much worse.

Better to go to a metal supply store for lead shot. That will be real lead. If you're in the US, I don't think what you get for shotguns is actually lead any more (EPA restrictions). I go to Industrial Metal Supply and they sell lead beads like what goes in soft pouches. They sell by the pound or you can get a prepackaged bag of it. Other metal supply stores should have similar. Call around.

 

[Neilwood]

The issue I have with soft lead (lead shot in bags) is they can move around in the pockets and, depending on the openings in the pockets for drainage, can often be found with part of the bag hanging out.

This presents a few problems to me:
1) premature wear on the bag (which is normally only a relatively thin mesh).
2) the possibility of the bag continuing to move and possibly leaving the pocket entirely
3) the chance that on either insertion or removal the bag is snagged and breaks open

For this reason, if you choose shot, take the bags out on a regular basis and inspect them for damage.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

The BCD supports up to 24 pounds in the quick release pockets, and 10 pounds in the back trim pockets.

In my experience with BCDs like that, I was best off with precisely the same weight in the trim pockets as the waist pockets. In the most heavily weighted scenario you describe, I would have 10# in the trim pockets and 12# in the waist. It all depends to a large extent on where the trim pockets are. I have seen some BCDs where the trim pockets are at about the same level as the waist pockets, which is extremely silly to me.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

One thing you do not want to do is put all of your weight on so that the loss of any part of it results in the inability to perform a controlled ascent. I started with a weight integrated BC and at times in a dry suit thought I needed to nearly max out the rear trim pockets and the removable ones. This was a possibly lethal choice. Carrying 30 lbs of total lead required me to place 5 in each rear trim pocket that was not able to be ditched. This left 10 for each integrated pocket. They were rated to that but I have seen, and found, enough maxed out pockets to know that's nuts.

Losing 30% of your ballast is one thing in a shorty in the tropics if you only need 6 lbs to begin with. You can likely control your ascent. Losing 30% of 30lbs is possibly a dam good way to get hurt since you won't be able to control it. I quit using an integrated BC years ago and would never go back to one. Not where I might have to do that again. Your lead should be distributed between several systems. The loss of one of them should allow you to only start to get positive.

Properly weighted divers should only need to drop max 10-15% for that to happen. Now if i needed 30lbs in my drysuit with a WI BC I'd do something like this -
5 in each trim pocket = 10 lbs
4 in each integrated pocket with the plan to ditch ONE of them if required to drop any = 8 lbs
12 on a belt with individual pockets I could also get to one at time. Most likely 3 in each pocket. I have that kind of belt now and two of the pockets are mounted with the opening facing down to allow me to drop one weight at a time.

This also has the benefit of making the BC and it's pockets easier to handle on land.

 

[TheHuth]

Seems like the open water class is not really teaching what you truly need to know in this respect. During class the only thing they had us do was drop our entire weight belt. In the DVD they showed people with a WI BC and they dropped both pockets. Now that I have a bit better understanding, I think I need to practice this in a controlled environment with a few different configurations.

 

[KevinNM]

I think the number of people who get into serious trouble because they failed to drop their weights is a lot higher than the number who get into serious trouble accidentally losing a weight underwater. So OW courses try to make people remember they can drop their weights.

 

[MAKO Spearguns]

I think the number of people who get into serious trouble because they failed to drop their weights is a lot higher than the number who get into serious trouble accidentally losing a weight underwater. So OW courses try to make people remember they can drop their weights.

I agree. That is the main reason that we have implemented our Replacement Weightbelt Policy.

MAKO FREE REPLACEMENT/SAFETY POLICY

To our valued customers: MAKO Spearguns recognizes that diving (both freediving and SCUBA) are potentially dangerous activities. We have all heard of tragic accidents where a diver is found on the bottom while still wearing a weight belt. We hope and pray that should any of our customers find themselves in a situation where ditching a belt may be necessary, that there is no delay and the belt is dropped immediately.

In many situations a belt is recoverable, however if your MAKO Spearguns belt and lead and/or Tinman weights are ditched (and lost) in a true emergency…. I will replace them at our cost.

The last thing we want is our customers considering the cost of a lost belt in an emergency. The only thing we ask is that the individual shares with us (and our friends and customers) some sort of write-up about how the situation developed and how it was resolved. That way, we can all learn and be reminded to keep safety in the forefront of our minds.

Dive safe,
Dano


Freedive Weight Belt | MAKO Spearguns

 

[Bob DBF]

I agree. That is the main reason that we have implemented our Replacement Weightbelt Policy.

MAKO FREE REPLACEMENT/SAFETY POLICY

To our valued customers: MAKO Spearguns recognizes that diving (both freediving and SCUBA) are potentially dangerous activities. We have all heard of tragic accidents where a diver is found on the bottom while still wearing a weight belt. We hope and pray that should any of our customers find themselves in a situation where ditching a belt may be necessary, that there is no delay and the belt is dropped immediately.

In many situations a belt is recoverable, however if your MAKO Spearguns belt and lead and/or Tinman weights are ditched (and lost) in a true emergency…. I will replace them at our cost.

The last thing we want is our customers considering the cost of a lost belt in an emergency. The only thing we ask is that the individual shares with us (and our friends and customers) some sort of write-up about how the situation developed and how it was resolved. That way, we can all learn and be reminded to keep safety in the forefront of our minds.

Dive safe,
Dano


Freedive Weight Belt | MAKO Spearguns

Although I use other gear, I applaud your policy and recommend anyone looking into a weight belt to check out your belt. Eventually I'll own one.

Personally, I feel a diver should never dive with any gear they are not willing to ditch.



Bob