travel with weights

[bkpix]

I had a couple of 3-4 lb stainless steel weights in carry-on once and Security gave me a bit of a problem over it. Eventually ok, but it took a lot of time to resolve.

As for having to pay to rent weights, in some 50-odd trips, I've never encountered such.

Where exactly did you go shore diving and not have to pay for weights? I've done a few hundred shore dives and have never found a shop that offers free weights.

 

[gcarter]

I just did 5 days of shore diving in Victoria and paid $5/day for weights.

 

[gummybun]

For for the 'Royal Subjects' of Canada, without the benefit of USPS, that would cost $94.78CDN (for a 20lb box to the Islands) so not such a great deal, cheaper to buy them there.

 

[knotical]

We've carried soft weights on quite a few trips, including one to Hawaii. We've been asked several times what they were; and once or twice the person who first found them had to ask another inspector. But we've never had an issue beyond perhaps a three minute delay.

 

[Damselfish]

Where exactly did you go shore diving and not have to pay for weights? I've done a few hundred shore dives and have never found a shop that offers free weights.

In any sort of tropical dive destination that you would typically fly to, where you have some kind of dive package (including shore diving packages), I've never seen one that doesn't include weights. Few people are interested in flying with weights. Now if you are renting tanks ala carte, that may be different.

 

[The fixer]

Not sure how it works in the US but in the UK most scuba centres will loan weights for free and that goes for most of the Med and Egypt too. If not they are only a couple of £ each to buy on site, then donate them to a local diver or something.

 

[sixt3denied]

I recently traveled from New York to Florida (Ft. Lauderdale) and back. I had all of my scuba gear (except for fins and wetsuit) in my carry-on. I was stopped on BOTH flights by TSA (both NY TSA and Florida TSA) due to soft weights in my carry-on. They display in RED as unidentified metals on the TSA x-ray machine. Florida TSA told me that Scuba equipment (especially soft weights) sets off their x-ray detector all the time. Surprisingly, the Florida TSA agent totally broke my balls - emptied out the entire travel on bag, which was packed very carefully and pretty tightly stuffed - wiped down all surfaces and put them in a sniffer of some sort, put everything minus the weights back through the x-ray scanner - and then repacked everything horribly. I had to repack my $1500 worth of equipment. I would think that Florida is used to travelers with scuba gear. In New York, the TSA agent checked the weights, and repacked them and I was sent on my way with no problem.

So for me - i will NOT be bringing my soft weights on future trips. The dive operation i used supplied lead weights with the tank at no additional charge.

But it definitely was a hassle going through TSA with the soft weights.

 

[doctormike]

Where exactly did you go shore diving and not have to pay for weights? I've done a few hundred shore dives and have never found a shop that offers free weights.

The place that rents me the tanks has always thrown in the weight as part of the rental (shore diving or boat diving). I'm not sure how I would be in a position to have my own tanks with me but not my own weights, so I can't imagine having to ask a store just for weights...

I was stopped in New Orleans with weights in my carry-on. TSA would NOT allow me to carry them on stating that I could use them as weapons.

Ugh. I don't like carrying them onto the dive boat, let alone through some massive airport in my carry-on luggage! But I guess if I was close to the limit on my checked bag...

 

[Nwcid]

So far I have only done one "dive" trip. Yes if you go with a shop, and do their package deals and pay for all that weights were included. That makes sense.

We brought all our own equipment less tanks. On all the sites we looked at they listed the type of gear (BC, regs, suits, tanks, ect). On all the websites for dive shops where we were listed weight as a charge to rent.

Most of our dives were on our own from shore. Again the one boat dive package we paid for did have weight included.

 

[Doc]

Soft weights are filled with "chilled lead birdshot", the stuff for shotgun shells.

Now you are carrying ammunition components.

Really, you are.

Whether TSA can noodle that out, so far not very likely, but when they do.... boy are we in for it.

That, and after a few dozen dive trips you'll get over using somebody else's weights.