PhotoTJ
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Once you adjust to it, it's not much different.
BC integrated weights dangerous?
- Thread starter Rick Inman
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I do teach with a mix of integrated and weight belt systems. On the Integrated systems I have the students focussing on getting the tank cradled between their legs in a sitting position to hold them underwater....one thing, since I teach in Florida, they are wearing minimal rubber so the buoyancy thing is not that big a factor. I've done the exercise with a 3mm full suit..a bit awkward but very doable...7mm another issue
On the opposite side of the coin...I highly recommend the integrated systems to my students...Removing the tank underwater is old worn out exercise based on issues prior to the advent of BC's. I tell my students never to remove their equipment in water with exception to weights under any real time circumtances. An observation I have had over the years...people do loose weight belts....single point failure mode, one buckle and it's gone, 100% of your ballast...scenario...you are at 100ft, tail end of a repetetive dive...brush across the reef, buckle gets snagged and weight belt is lost...(find lotsa weight belts underwater). Wearing your 7mm suit you are rocketing to the surface...no 15 ft saftety stop! Next stop...the chamber!
If you had an integrated system...1/3 of your ballast should be non jettisonable...If you snagged a jettisonable weight pocket you would only loose a portion of your ballast, that 1/2 of the 2/3 , a much more stable situation....you could probably manage a 15ft stop.
Joe
On the opposite side of the coin...I highly recommend the integrated systems to my students...Removing the tank underwater is old worn out exercise based on issues prior to the advent of BC's. I tell my students never to remove their equipment in water with exception to weights under any real time circumtances. An observation I have had over the years...people do loose weight belts....single point failure mode, one buckle and it's gone, 100% of your ballast...scenario...you are at 100ft, tail end of a repetetive dive...brush across the reef, buckle gets snagged and weight belt is lost...(find lotsa weight belts underwater). Wearing your 7mm suit you are rocketing to the surface...no 15 ft saftety stop! Next stop...the chamber!
If you had an integrated system...1/3 of your ballast should be non jettisonable...If you snagged a jettisonable weight pocket you would only loose a portion of your ballast, that 1/2 of the 2/3 , a much more stable situation....you could probably manage a 15ft stop.
Joe
Bllprk
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My dive buddy and me have discussed this before. I dive with an integrated BC and he chooses not to. He will not dive integrated because of the reasons listed in this post. I decide to show him that it could be done. On our first dive the next weekend at the local quarry we went down to the training platform where my buddy loosened my tank. All I did was undo my BS and take it off (this caused me to go inverted because I was holding my BC in my hands), but I was easily able to put the BC on backwards (the tank was on my chest and the 1st stage was at my neck level). From there I was able to reattach my tank by holding it with my thighs and could have made any other type of corrections that I needed.
Frank
Frank
I would suggest that using both weight integrated BC and weight belt is the best option, as it allows you to distribute the weigth and improve your trim.
When I dive I have some weight on my weight belt, some in my BC pockets, some on the tank, and ankle weights (for cold water diving). Either removing my weight belt or BC pockets should give me enough +ve bouyancy in an emergency situation.
As for loosing your weight belt at depth, I recently heard about a novel solution. The diver in question simply removed his whole scuba unit and let that shoot to the surface, and then ascended normally using his buddy's octopus. Dont remember learning that in scuba school (but whatever works, right!).
When I dive I have some weight on my weight belt, some in my BC pockets, some on the tank, and ankle weights (for cold water diving). Either removing my weight belt or BC pockets should give me enough +ve bouyancy in an emergency situation.
As for loosing your weight belt at depth, I recently heard about a novel solution. The diver in question simply removed his whole scuba unit and let that shoot to the surface, and then ascended normally using his buddy's octopus. Dont remember learning that in scuba school (but whatever works, right!).
Windwalker
Contributor
because I dive AL and 7MM Farmer John. I have to use 36 pounds of lead to sink me. (I'm a big guy) What I do is, have a 20 pound weight belt, and 16 pounds in my BC. This works well. When I dive Fresh water I dump out about 6 pounds (because I used 3 pound packs) and leave the gloves and hood behind (freshwater around here rarely gets below 40f) I have had to remove my gear in the water (my hair tangled in my Octopus) and I did not run into any "boyancy issues"
ScottyK
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Windwalker- Lose the farmer john. The new generation 7MM one piece suits with titanium lining and seals on the wrists and calves are actually "warmer" than a regular farmer john. You'll probably be able to drop 10-12lbs of that weight, and be much more comfortable.
OP
I dive the suit ScottyK is refering to with a hooded vest and I am 6', 188pds and use only 18 pounds - all in the BC.
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I've practised removing/replacing the unit (2 ten pound weights in BC) in 20 ffw with no problems--not even positive buoyancy problems since I was always holding on to the BC. I too can't figure how you would have a negative buoyancy problem.
Becca_007
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I played around with ditch and don in a pool last year (LadyHawk integrated weights, no weight belt). Depth of this pool was only 9ft and there weren't any problems with the exercise. Then I decided to ride my gear 
The new BC I just bought is weight integrated. The dives I've done so far have been with an older BC I bought from someone here on SB, and it isn't WI. As previously mentioned by another responder, I also had the problem of too little butt to feel confident that the weight belt was going to stay in place. The first thing I needed to do on EVERY dive was to pull the weight belt tighter, no matter how tight I might have pulled it previously. It ALWAYS immediately started slipping.
One of the BC's I looked at had a lot of neat features, but when I tried to insert the weight pockets while wearing it, I found that getting the retention buckles lined up and secured was a major pain. I figured if it was a pain to manage while standing in the dive shop, it would be worse floating in the water if needed.
The way I see it, too, is that with a WI BC, you could always leave the weight pockets out and use a weight belt, but with a non-WI BC, you have no choice.
One of the BC's I looked at had a lot of neat features, but when I tried to insert the weight pockets while wearing it, I found that getting the retention buckles lined up and secured was a major pain. I figured if it was a pain to manage while standing in the dive shop, it would be worse floating in the water if needed.
The way I see it, too, is that with a WI BC, you could always leave the weight pockets out and use a weight belt, but with a non-WI BC, you have no choice.
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