Salt Water Weighting verse Fresh Water

[laserdoc]

Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

I am roughly the same size. When I wear a 3mm suit in the pool for instruction, I usually use 8 lbs so that I am overweighted enough to deal with issues. If I do a true weight check with that much on, I will sink like a stone. If I wear a 2.5 mm shorty in the pool, my weight check is perfect with no weights at all.

I have not done a lot of salt water diving in a 3 mm because in the tropics I usually used my (now baggy) 0.5mm suit. With that, I used either 6 lbs or 8 lbs, depending on the BCD I was wearing and the weight combinations available on the boat. In the 0.5 mm suit, I once had a buddy who who was floaty, and I gave him one of my 4 lb pockets and finished the dive with 4 pounds without too much trouble. I will dive the tropics in a 3 mm for the first time in a couple of weeks, and I will start my weight check with 10 lbs.

The difference is in your breathing. Many divers are swimming around with giant, fully filled life preservers in their chests. Exhale some of that stuff and see what a difference it makes.

I guess alot also depends on the type BCD one has???right?// I use an Zeagle escape. It blows my mind when I here that some people can dive with no weights on at all. Ahhhh to be weightless would be a real dream! Do you subtract weights for steel tanks and add for Alu. What is the differance in the two when doing a weight check?
I have also heard someone say do a weightcheck at the end of your dive with about 500psi left in your tank and someoneelse say do it with a full tank. I know your suppose to float at eye level holding a deep breath and then sink when I exhale. Anyother tips to fine tune this issue??
Dave

 

[Santa]

You do it with a near empty tank so you don't get any 'uplifting' surprises during your safety stop.

But Dave ... you're weightless anytime you're neutrally bouyant. Maybe you meant lead-less ;0)?

 

[laserdoc]

You do it with a near empty tank so you don't get any 'uplifting' surprises during your safety stop.

But Dave ... you're weightless anytime you're neutrally bouyant. Maybe you meant lead-less ;0)?

Yes I mean lead-less

 

[Santa]

Don't mind me. Just being a pest ;0)