17 lbs!!!???

[DepthCharge]

I'm diving Coz this week in a new 5mm ScubaPro Everflex Steamer full suit. I'm using a rented jacket BC. So here's the crazy thing. I only weigh about 160 and need to use 17 lbs on this trip. Even on my first ocean checkout dives last year in Cancun I used between 12 and 14 lbs in a different 5mm suit. What the heck is up? I simply cannot sink this trip with any less weight. I have to swim down to about 15-20 feet before I finally sink easily. Could this wetsuit be more buoyant than my previous 5mm? The weird thing too is that I'm pretty neutral in the water, and end up with all the air out of my BC to do my safety stop.

I definitely want to reduce the weight (I have some pride)...Any ideas?

17lbs isn't bad..........and you're not overweighted. I've seen people wearing 20-30lbs in 5-7mm shorties in the tropics........just shake my head:nope:

 

[ronpriskie]

I don't have a ton of experience, but I'll tell you from personal experience that I needed more weight in Coz that I was used to, with all my own gear except for the tank. Another diver on the trip, who had been to Coz before (I think he was a DM, but not the trip leader or DM for the boat) said that because of the constant current and how it pushes on you in the water, makes it harder to descend from the surface. Don't know if it's true, but I definitely needed extra lbs.

 

[Lenmonster]

One more dive day today. I'll try to flood the suit a little. Yep...need a 5mm in Coz. 75-76 degree water...I was kidding about the pride thing. Just wondering why all of a sudden I needed the extra. I do feel pretty relaxed (much more on day 2 and on than the first dive).

 

[Garrobo]

Last time I dove Coz I wore a 2mm rash guard vest only to protect my skin from the BC rubbing. The water temp was around 75 degrees on the surface and was comfortable at all levels. I noticed that everyone on the six-pack I was on wore a full suit of some kind including hoods and booties. They were all from Canada. Clue me in here. The only thing that I could figure out was that they brought their own neoprene with them and didn't want to rent anything else or drop any gear. The other thing was that it was drift diving, of course. In this case there is little physical activity and could cause a person's body temp to not rise. Other than that I can't see any reason to wear a lot of neoprene in the waters off of Cozumel unless one is very suseptible to temperature variations.

 

[Web Monkey]

I'm diving Coz this week in a new 5mm ScubaPro Everflex Steamer full suit. I'm using a rented jacket BC. So here's the crazy thing. I only weigh about 160 and need to use 17 lbs on this trip. Even on my first ocean checkout dives last year in Cancun I used between 12 and 14 lbs in a different 5mm suit. What the heck is up? I simply cannot sink this trip with any less weight. I have to swim down to about 15-20 feet before I finally sink easily. Could this wetsuit be more buoyant than my previous 5mm? The weird thing too is that I'm pretty neutral in the water, and end up with all the air out of my BC to do my safety stop.

I definitely want to reduce the weight (I have some pride)...Any ideas?

You need what you need. I use 18Lbs with a full SCUBAPro 3 mil. Some suits are more buoyant than others. The scubapro has a pretty thick flap running the length of the zipper. The Pinnacle has an even thicker one and wiil require more.

While being grossly over weighted makes diving more difficult, under-weighted prevents you from holding your desired depth and makes the dive unsafe.

Also, thick rubber=more insulation=more weight, so you can look at it as weight=warm.

Terry

 

[bygolly]

Sounds like it might be related to the tanks you were using. On a recent trip to Hawaii I was using 10 lb with the lp steel 80's from one boat and 16 lbs when using Al 80's from another. I was also using a 3mm fullsuit so 17 lbs or so in you case doesn't seem too bad with a 5mm. I think you are "right on the money" actually. Good luck on your dives today.

 

[fstbttms]

I definitely want to reduce the weight (I have some pride)...

Do you really think anybody is paying attention to whether you use 14 lbs or 17 lbs?

 

[akbpilot]

One additional note. All weights in Cozumel are not created equal, even on the same boat. Some days I would do the first dive with the same weight as the previous day, only to ditch a couple of pounds for the second dive. I could hold two 4lb weights in my hands and feel the difference between them.

 

[Dantheengineer]

Could halinity also be a contributing factor to any small degree? Any one know if there's higher salinity in the Caribbean? could be another half pound right there.

 

[ajames54]

I'm diving Coz this week I only weigh about 160 and need to use 17 lbs on this trip. Even on my first ocean checkout dives last year in Cancun I used between 12 and 14 lbs

not to be flip but did you weight the weights?

For some reason everyone I was diving with in Roatan last March had to add 5 or 6 pounds to their normal weight. If I added up all the numbers on the leads I needed 24 lbs to sink me..