How do you make yourself less bouyant?

[LanceRiley]

I swim in tropical waters all the time.

It seems that im stuck with 7.5 lbs of weight. After emptying the bc. water is above my head. If I exhale... I sink. If I don't I'll stay there..

some of my buddies have managed to drop down to 6 lbs of weight! and they still sink fast!


Yes.. I've made sure my BC is empty. wiggle here and there. wetsuit is not an issue... we wear 0.5mm wetsuit.. very minimal bouyancy.. i've stripped ... still stuck at this weight.

so how do you make yourself less bouyant? or more dense?

 

[g550driver]

Put on some more muscle mass...

 

[CT Sean]

Maybe just accept that people are different and be content that 7.5 lbs is the right weight for you?

You could always switch to a BP/W that'll shave a couple pounds off depending on how buoyant your current BC is.

As stated you can also add muscle mass, or remove fat - if you have any to lose.

 

[vladimir]

Yeah, muscle is about 15% denser than fat, so if you have 50 pounds of fat to lose, and you can replace it with 50 pounds of muscle, then you can lose those 7.5 pounds of lead. I'm not sure why you are intent on losing the lead, however--maybe that's what you need. You don't say it is adversely affecting your diving; I say forget about it and enjoy your dives with your 7.5 pound weightbelt.

You could always switch to a BP/W that'll shave a couple pounds off depending on how buoyant your current BC is.

There's a 6 pound buoyancy swing between my vest and my backplate/wing.

 

[blackvans1234]

You could fart :mooner:



But seriously, I wear 14 lbs, so you should be happy!

 

[Akimbo]

From your post it isn’t clear how much buoyancy is contributed by your body and how much is by equipment. How buoyant are you without any gear at all? Fat versus mussel is a relatively minor factor in human buoyancy. Air filled volume versus bone mass is the driving force. I wouldn’t advocate trying to reduce either one!

Some BCs have closed cell foam padding materials sandwiched in that can add some surface buoyancy, unless your buddies are using the same model. The simple answer is lead, switching from plastic to metal cam bands, and/or a metal back plate. I wouldn’t get too excited by 1½ Lbs. Heck, a lower volume mask might make half that difference

 

[DevonDiver]

I swim in tropical waters all the time.

It seems that im stuck with 7.5 lbs of weight. After emptying the bc. water is above my head. If I exhale... I sink. If I don't I'll stay there..

That's what meant to happen...

The basic weight check dictates emptying your BCD - if 'properly' weighted, you should float at eye level. If the water is above your head, then it indicates you are over-weighted.

You have to exhale, because of the inherent buoyancy provided by your lungs. You should fully exhale to initiate every descent - if you aren't then you are doing it wrong - which is why you are over-weighted.

Yes.. I've made sure my BC is empty. wiggle here and there. wetsuit is not an issue... we wear 0.5mm wetsuit.. very minimal bouyancy.. i've stripped ... still stuck at this weight.

In addition to exhaling, you need to make sure that you aren't moving your fins. Many novice divers will instinctively 'fin' upwards whilst trying to descend. Only a small amount of leg movement will produce considerable upwards propulsion. If necessary, cross your ankles to prevent this instinctive tendency. It will make a big difference.

so how do you make yourself less bouyant? or more dense?

The one true method to determine your necessary weighting is to remove some weights at the end of your dive. When your cylinder is at minimum reserve (50bar/500psi), attempt to hover horizontally at 5m. Vent all the air from your BCD. If you're negative, then remove a weight. Hover again. Repeat the procedure until you remove enough weights that you can barely maintain the hover because of positive buoyancy. With an empty BCD, a nearly empty tank and a fully expanded wetsuit, this neutral buoyancy hover will be your absolute requirement for weight.

More info in my article series: Scuba Buoyancy Masterclass 1of9 - Buoyancy Control for Scuba Divers -Scuba Tech Philippines

 

[fnfalman]

A) More muscles and less fat.

B) Gear selection. Get a BC that's at least neutrally buoyant and not positively buoyant. That way you won't have to carry extra lead to sink your BC. Use steel instead of aluminum tank.

 

[RU4SKUBA]

Wing with Backplate and Harness... try both the SS and Alum versions of the single-tank adapter and backplate. Personally, I love the trim benefits and the only weight I carry is in a weight pouch for students.

You're still going to carry the weight --one way or another-- but this way its strategically located along your torso and spine.

 

[eelnoraa]

What BC are you using? A typical jacket BC can be 2-4lb postive just by itself. I think 7lb on salt water doesn't sound too bad. Are you doing this weight check with empty AL80? If so, 4lb is because of the AL80.