weighting between fresh and salt water

[arcticat99]

i did my open water back in Sept up here in Saskatchewan and was wearing a 7mm john and 7mm jacket with 28lbs of weight fresh water .i was heavy but i think they do this to help you stay grounded for the skills but was having a hard time controlling buoyancy..by the way im 5.6 and 190 lbs not fat but wide .at the pool im wearing just 2mm shorty that i plan on wearing in the Caribbean in January .ive been going to a few splash sessions working on my buoyancy skills and in just 2 splashes since ow certification i went from 16 lbs of lead down to 10 with waaaaay better control im going to try 8 this weekend coming up,my question is going to salt water being more buoyant what should i need for weight .now that learning control i dont want to loose that being overweight on my dives im thinking double of what i wear in fresh so about 16 lbs does this sound correct.ps i have my own gear so wearing different wont be a issue

 

[dumpsterDiver]

You have to tell us what you and all your gear and lead weigh

 

[gfaith]

@arcticat99

Here is a good read by Devon Diver. The bottom chart should give you the basic info.

Scuba Weighting | 4of9 | Scuba Buoyancy Masterclass

I am thinking you will add about 6-7 lbs going from fw to sw at your weight with the same equipment.

 

[Doby45]

I personally add 4lb for salt, all things being equal.

 

[arcticat99]

so i will try between 4-6 lbs to start thanks

 

[Steve_C]

i did my open water back in Sept up here in Saskatchewan and was wearing a 7mm john and 7mm jacket with 28lbs of weight fresh water .i was heavy but i think they do this to help you stay grounded for the skills but was having a hard time controlling buoyancy..by the way im 5.6 and 190 lbs not fat but wide .at the pool im wearing just 2mm shorty that i plan on wearing in the Caribbean in January .ive been going to a few splash sessions working on my buoyancy skills and in just 2 splashes since ow certification i went from 16 lbs of lead down to 10 with waaaaay better control im going to try 8 this weekend coming up,my question is going to salt water being more buoyant what should i need for weight .now that learning control i dont want to loose that being overweight on my dives im thinking double of what i wear in fresh so about 16 lbs does this sound correct.ps i have my own gear so wearing different wont be a issue

I also normally add 4 lbs. What about tanks? They can vary a lot. In the carribean I have dove AL80s, High density AL 80s, and steel LPs.

When you first enter the water there is some air trapped in your wet suit (at least for me) and that will quickly get eliminated. This is more noticeable on a thicker wet suit than a thinner one. It affects how buoyant you are at the start of a dive.

 

[Doby45]

@Steve_C is right on and in my statement the most important part was "all things being equal" Don't go from an AL80 and then strap on an HP100 and 4 additional pounds. Reverse Polaris missile.

 

[arcticat99]

good to note yes i been using al80s so if steel subtract some weight instead

 

[emoreira]

I found this weighing calculator very accurate.
Estimated Diving Weight Calculator | DiveBuddy.com

 

[boulderjohn]

I found this weighing calculator very accurate.
Estimated Diving Weight Calculator | DiveBuddy.com

And I find it amazingly inaccurate. I just used it with what I have dived with for many years when using a 3mm suit , an AL 80, and salt water. It said I needed 19 pounds. I have always used 8 pounds under those circumstances because I don't mind being a touch overweighted. This calculator overestimated my weight needs by about 240%.

I have checked out a wide variety of online weight calculators over the years. I find that they generally tell me to use twice what I need.