Open Water Dives - 27.8lbs weight belt - did I get too much weight?

[hhsuey]

I recently picked up some gear for the open water dives I'll be done as part of my PADI certification. I realized that this time, I got a lot more weight than the pool dives. I know saltwater and 7mm dive suit might require more weight, but from the a quick Google search, this still does not equate to the 27.8lbs weightbelt I got, because I'm only 130lbs.

Based off the calculations from this page, How to Calculate a Scuba Weight Belt | eHow, I should have roughly:

13lbs (10% of my weight) +
4lbs (1lb for each mm above 3mm for wetsuit) +
2lbs (very generously, a higher muscle/fat ratio) =
19lbs.

Was I given an excessively heavy weight belt on accident (it's slightly too big, even at the tightest notch) or are they expecting me to drop a few weights to help determine neutral buoyancy?

 

[chrpai]

You will probably be over weighted. Sadly, this is not all that uncommon. Instructors frequently have motivations for packing on the lead such as avoiding having problems getting down, keeping knees planted on the bottom will performing skills ( skills that really should be taught hovering ). Perhaps some of it he doesn't plan on having you wear but he does want you to carry it (just in case weight).

You're not the first and you're not the last. Not sure what to tell you except maybe mention to your instructor that you'd really like spend a little extra time working on weighting (neutral buoyancy checks) and be challenged to demonstrate skills while hovering.

Welcome to diving.

Beyond that, don't be surprised if you find the lbs shedding off that belt as you get more and more dives in. It's a wierd thing but the buoyancy check last week said 20 but this week it says 18 then 16 and so on. Sometimes it's the wet suits breaking in (they don't decompress as much ) and sometimes it's you just becoming more comfortable in the water. Getting all the air out your BCD and changing your breathing patterns.

 

[flots am]

There's no way to tell from across the internet. I'd certainly suggest doing a buoyancy check before going on any dive.

Underweighted will make it difficult to get down/stay down and overweighted will make buoyancy control difficult due to the volume of air you'll need in your BC.

Your OW book should describe how to do a proper buoyancy check, and I wouldn't let anybody talk you out of it. You'll be a lot happier when properly weighted.

The formula you found will leave you hugely overweighted. For salt water with a 3mm suit, I would guess you'll need somewhere between 14 and 20 pounds, but the only way to know for sure is to do a buoyancy check.

flots.

edit: This will most likely be the last time you see your OW instructor. The object of the class is t prepare you to be a safe, independent diver and being able to properly weight yourself is part of it. Make sure your instructor knows that you want to properly weight yourself and don't let him talk you out of it even if it is inconvenient for him.

A buoyancy check should only takes a couple of minutes with your buddy.

 

[rongoodman]

Just because they gave you 27 lbs doesn't mean you have to wear it all. Maybe start with 18-19 lbs and adjust from there. I'd be concerned about the belt being too big, because that much neoprene is going to compress at depth. Having your belt fall off and you rocketing to the surface would be a bad thing.

 

[eelnoraa]

Most likely, you are using AL80, so add 4lb for that. Your BC maybe a bit positvie too. I actually think 27lb isn't too bad.

 

[dytis-sm]

From my experience as a new diver, I also feel that OW students are intentionally over-weighted. That is a bit of a problem long term and it took me 30-40 dives after certification before I understood what proper buoyancy means...If it was not for a friend and diving buddy that motivated me to take more weight off and not worry about being under-weighted I would still be running out of air at half the time of everyone else, being exhausted with the extra weight. Ironically my first specialty class was the PADI peak buoyancy but unfortunately it was right after my OW and my instructor never paid attention to my weight. A few pivot exercises later with a full BCD, I was an "expert in buoyancy".

So my advise is use the buoyancy tables in your PADI book to figure out a starting weight, be conservative in your calculations, and be ready to drop weight as you become more efficient on your descents (remember to exhale as you empty your BCD) and figure out how to use your breath for to ascend and descend and not your BCD... My two cents





My take and advise is to stay with the 10% rule of thumb and plan of testing this with the classic buoyancy check. Just make sure your BCD is completely empty when you do your check, and that you have a full breath.

 

[Kitty_Kat]

27 lbs is somewhat excessive for someone who is only 130 lbs... The only way to truly tell is to do a weight check though.

Voice your concerns to your instructor, and chances are he will agree that you should take a few pounds off of that belt. The fact that it is too loose is probably more of a concern since you can always take weight off... We generally start our students at 10% of their weight + 8 lbs for saltwater, a 7mm suit, and the BCDs we use, but depending on your physical characteristics it could be more than that. It is not really unusual to see students that require ~30 lbs of weight, but this is usually only the case for people significantly larger then 130 lbs (larger person = larger wetsuit = more neoprene).

 

[tplyons]

It sounds like you were overweighted. Did you do weight checks as part of the course? Or did the instructors just overweight you to keep you down on the bottom?

To be honest, I wear 20 lbs. diving in a 7mm suit in freshwater. Add 4-6 lbs. for saltwater, and I'd be diving with about the weight you did. But I'm also 1.5 times your size. I'm about 195 lbs. and need a few pounds to get my down.

But of course, individual physiologies vary somewhat and that could be what was required. And determining this over the internet is even more difficult.

Long story short, you may have been overweighted, but its difficult for us to tell here.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

You are a women with a very LOW body fat? What type of 7 mm suit do you have FJ and jack or one piece, a hood or a hooded vest?

 

[Instructor_Tom]

most dive masters and dive instructors prefer to have students heavey on the OW certification class to make the performance of the skills at depth easier for the students to perform without bolting to the surface.

until you get through the class don't worry about being over weighted.


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