The Human Cork

[Wijbrandus]

RHM,

If you are serious about diving, then go to www.DUI-online.com.

They sell a weight harness system that takes the weight off of the hips and onto the shoulders. You can keep the belt much looser. It's actually a sort of integrated weight system that's seperate from your BC.

I use 24 lbs in cold water, but I have a backplate system. Testing it out in the shop, I was able to pack on all 24 pounds and it felt much more comfortable than a weight belt did with the same weight.

I believe they run about 100 bucks.

I know the sport costs a bunch of money to get into. I still rent my regulators because of this. But this is one investment I couldn't pass up if I wanted to dive cold water regularly. So mine will be here sometime next week.

You'll get the kinks worked out, and then it's all fun in the sun!

 

[widebody50]

One more positive aspect of learning to use a weight belt...if you rent equipment, like on vacation, you will (I understand) typically be renting a BC and a separate weight belt. I think it is not that common to find integrated weight BCs in a rental shop.

I am recently OW certified. During the class my instructor had me use an integrated weight BC, exclusively. While it was very comfortable, I felt ill-prepared for renting a weight belt later on. Long story short...I think I actually like the weight belt system better. And, the belt with pouches is better than the belt with hard weights threaded on to it. I had a similar problem with the hard weights sliding around, but two of the clips were broken.

Try the clips. I think you'll be surprised at how much easier it is to deal with the weight belt when they stay in place.

Rich

 

[TheRedHead]

Long story short...I think I actually like the weight belt system better. And, the belt with pouches is better than the belt with hard weights threaded on to it. I had a similar problem with the hard weights sliding around, but two of the clips were broken.

Try the clips. I think you'll be surprised at how much easier it is to deal with the weight belt when they stay in place.

Rich

Thanks Rich and everyone for your helpful comments. I ordered a pouch weight belt from LP (I couldn't find one locally). I will go to the dive shop tomorrow and buy some clips. The weight belt I used last time was way too long. The excess came almost to the floor. I will try and find the right size weight belt and make sure the weights are secured before I get them on. My instructor didn't mention clips; I had no idea about clips at all. That would have made it a lot easier. I couldn't get the welt belt on without the weights shifting and when I secured it so they wouldn't shift, I couldn't move them very easily. Exasperation soon set in.

Thanks again.

 

[TheRedHead]

I received my new weight belt with pockets this morning from Leisure Pro. It fits perfectly and I have no problems with it. I ordered it Tuesday night and had it shipped Next Day Air and it was in my office this morning. It's a good thing too because my LDS where I'm taking my class insists on using weight belts and they didn't even have any clips I could buy. I stopped by there on my way to work. The woman who was working this morning said, "There is some way to secure these things, but I'm not sure. I use an integrated weight bc." She then insisted that I really needed to use the weight belt even though I bought an integrated weight BC.

To me, this is dumber and dumb and a prime example why supporting your local dive shop doesn't always make sense. Some of the people at the LDS know less about dive equipment that I do. That's scary.

 

[Wijbrandus]

Ok, that is scary.

Does your LDS just hire anyone to work the shop? The one I use everyone there is supposed to be a DM or above. Arguably, they will say stuff like, "That's the techie stuff, you need to talk to ...", but I can deal with that.

Stuff like weight belts and weight keepers should be second nature.

 

[humanFish]

To me, this is dumber and dumb and a prime example why supporting your local dive shop doesn't always make sense. Some of the people at the LDS know less about dive equipment that I do. That's scary.

This is all a weight keeper is...of course, it's a moot point now that you have a weight pouch belt...perhaps you could educate your LDS...

http://www.leisurepro.com/Catalog.aspx?op=ItemDisplay&ProductID=AQUWKP

pretty low tech.

IMO, a good instructor would not "require" a student to use one weight system over another. However, it seems that some shops put pressure on their instructors to get people in the pool with gear that is sold in their shop. That said, I know of shops that rent ONLY weight integrated BCD's.

I don't care if someone uses a weight belt over a weight integrated solution. What I do care about is that divers are educated enough to know the difference. This is a basic safety issue..certainly I would expect my buddy to know how to ditch my weights and vice versa. Practicing with both types of systems is important....you may want to point that out as well...

 

[geraldp]

IMO, a good instructor would not "require" a student to use one weight system over another.

Agreed, unless it's part of a strategy to make the students try different equipment. When I took my OW class they "let" us use some pretty nice gear for the first two classes in the pool. The BC's were weight integrated. Then for the last 3 classes and the Open Water portion we were told to use the lower quality rental gear, where we used a weight belt. Part of their intention was to force us to use at least two different types of BCDs (one was a vest type and one was a wing). I also suspect (because I'm a cynical type of guy) that they also wanted us to covet better gear so we would come back and purchase from them. Those that purchased their own gear immediately started using their new stuff.

As to the other point about the clerk at your LDS not being too knowledgable: It's real nice when the LDS has some DM's or higher (as Wijbrandus said), but my LDS hires non-divers, who then go through the OW training process themselves. By the time they've been there 6 months they're pretty sharp, but during their break-in time I avoid them if I can. The owner and his main salesman have many thousands of dives between them, and I know if I have a technical question that they're the ones to talk to.

Jerry

 

[Finnatic]

My experience..all SP..just what the shop sold. So...had to learn to dive with the AIR 2 thingy. Even as a newbie student I could tell...no way@! Only female BC was, of course, SP Ladyhawk. Nice, but....funny how SP makes the distinction between the men's Knighthawk and the Ladyhawk...guess us ladies don't "need" ss. Pity...thank you Genesis. No discrimination.

 

[RonDawg]

IMO, a good instructor would not "require" a student to use one weight system over another. However, it seems that some shops put pressure on their instructors to get people in the pool with gear that is sold in their shop. That said, I know of shops that rent ONLY weight integrated BCD's.

The instructors on this board please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't PADI require that its OW students master in-water weight removal and replacement using a weight belt rather than with an integrated system?

The reason I ask is that in both Hawaii and here in SoCal, the PADI instructors that I used had their students use weight belts even though the BC's they rented were of the weight integrated variety.

 

[TheRedHead]

The instructors on this board please correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't PADI require that its OW students master in-water weight removal and replacement using a weight belt rather than with an integrated system?

My husband went through PADI and used his integrated BC in open water and a weight belt in the pool (he had a referral for the open water). I like the PADI manual better than the SSI. It at least discusses how to set up a weight belt. I don't mind using the weight belt if I feel comfortable getting it on and off (i.e., the weights are not sliding around all the time). If I have to take off my BC at the bottom of the pool, it seems to me a weight belt would be the way to go. I'm not sure if we have to do that as the manual does not lay out the skills for each session like PADI.

It's a lot harder to sink and remain motionless in four feet of water than in 15 feet (I discovered last night). I first tried 16 pounds on my weight belt and couldn't sink in 4 feet. I then grabbed 2 2 lb weights and stuck them in the pockets of my BC (probably against the rules). I finally figured out that if I just grabbed the side of the pool and jammed myself down really hard and "stuck" then I had no problems in the shallow water. A woman next to me had the same problem and she shorter and lighter than I am. She never could remain motionless in 4 feet.

I dumped the 4 extra pounds before descending to the deep part of the pool. We went down a line so it was pretty easy. I was fine with the 16 pounds at 15 feet, but I had a full tank, so I don't know how that would translate to a tank at 500 psi.

I live in a landlocked area and the nearest diving spot is 200 miles away. I'm not sure how often the shop staff dives. The instructors dive a lot. I'm not really crazy about the program and the shop, but I'm more than half done with my pool and class and I am going to Florida to do my open water using a Universal Referral. My husband did his there and was extremely pleased.

The assistant instructors are very nice and helpful, but the instructor is kind of macho and impatient and not at all sympathetic with the bouyancy issues that I and the other woman in my class experience. The pool is set up with a 4 ft. ledge which is about 4 feet wide and runs the length of one side of the pool. The back-inflated bcs tend to push you forward (over the ledge). It's very hard to do your skills in the shallow part when you are fighting with being pushed forward, shifting weights and the inability to relax and be motionless.

I'm going to the pool Saturday with my new Sherwood Luna BC and practice my skills without any pressure. That is one thing I do like about the program: the pool is available during business hours for all students (as long as you don't interfere with the class).

My class is rather big with 10 people and it is crowded in the pool and there is not a lot of time for individidual help. We still haven't done anything with buddies, which I thought was such an important part of diving. We don our own equipment without any buddy check. The assistant instructors quickly check everyone, but so far there have been no buddy skills. I would have preferred having a buddy to learn with, but the instructor wants everyone to learn how to dive without depending on anyone.

The store really pushes the Total Dive System and I think part of the reason we use basic equipment is to intice us to buy one. The pool is very cool; the 2 guys who were without wetsuits the first night came back with them on. Of course, they bought them at the shop.

Thanks for everyone's positive comments and encouragement.