weighting with a 7 mil suit

[GrumpyOldGuy]

One of my buddies is 250lb (XXXL), he needs 30lbs in a poodle jacket, AL80 and 7m, so 34lbs is a starting point. FYI: He needs 14lbs in fresh water, AL80 and a 3/2mm.


That said, I would really consider a cheap 3mm for the tropics. Packs smaller, less lead, drys fast, easy on and off, enough exposure protections for most dives. You can buy cheap 3m for <100USD, then start saving for a D/S to dive local in Canada.

 

[Teamcasa]

That said, I would really consider a cheap 3mm for the tropics. Packs smaller, less lead, drys fast, easy on and off, enough exposure protections for most dives. You can buy cheap 3m for <100USD, then start saving for a D/S to dive local in Canada.

Your size and probably body type, would be better served by a custom wetsuit for the cold water dives if a drysuit is out of your budget.

As for diving in the tropics, a cheap shorty can be had and should be warm enough. In addition, shortys can be packed small for air travel.

Like GrumpyOldGuy said start saving for your drysuit.

 

[Hatul]

Hi All,

I am in the process of buying a 7mil Full wetsuit. I currently dive with NO Wetsuit, a Back Plate, and am using about 14 lbs to get neturaln in freshwater. With this New Wetsuit, how much more weight will i need????? I am 6'3, 300 lbs ( No i am not overweight, I am just short for my weight)....

Also, I am Planning a Dive in Grand Cayman, Rotan and Cozumel this November. with a 7 mil suit, will it be Far too hot???? I am from Canada and the 7 mil is so I can dive the deeper thermalclines. \

I think for Salt water, someone told me to take my weight 300 x .10 then add 4 lbs... that would mean that i need 34 lbs to dive my 7 mil in Salt water..... does that sound right???????????

You're crazy to think about diving in 80+ F water in a 7mm wetsuit. A 3/2 mm suit is more than enough for most people.

Adam

 

[OceansBlue]

For weighting yourself in a 7mm suit in saltwater, the general rule of thumb is to start with 10% of your body weight. You may need to go up or down slightly from that, but it's a good starting point.

I agree that a 7mm suit is a little to much protection for the tropics. If your doing 2 or 3 dives a day, a 3mm suit should be plenty of protection. If you're doing 3 or 4 dives a day consistantly, then you may want to bump it up to a 5mm wetsuit. After a couple of days of diving 4 dives a day, you can get chilled even in tropical waters.

 

[salth2owannabe]

Another vote for- You will bake!
You can get a very nice shorty or 2.5-3mm full for well under $100.00. This little expense, when compared to the overall price of your trip, will in my opinion literally make your trip.

I have dove a 2mm short sleeved shorty 3 dives a day in those water temps and been very comfortable.

 

[Tailspin]

I'm a BIGGER guy like you, and I have a 7mm Henderson for local diving (and it's comfortable for me) and I purchased a 3mm Henderson for tropical diving (just did a week in Roatan in late March). There were times, especially when waiting for the boat to leave that I got overheated in the 3mm and would go drop a hose down the neck to cool down.

We did 4 boat dives a day in Roatan and I can say that I never got cold once. You mentioned thermocline in your message as being one concern for using a heavier suit in the tropics. My experience in Roatan was that the water temp at the surface was about 81 and at 96 feet it was 79. I doubt that you will notice the difference in temperature at depth in the tropics, unlike the drastic 'blast' we get during our northern diving.

I would consider 3mm for comfort in the tropics, anything heavier and you may cook on the surface.

 

[jswantek]

I'm a big guy as well, 6'-2", 245#, and I use a Henderson 7mm Farmer John/Jacket combination for cold water. It fits well for me, doesn't bind anywhere, it's plenty flexable and keeps me warm in water that's in the low-40's. As far as my personal weighting goes, I'm wearing 20# with a steel tank, and it works perfect for me.

As for the weight, the guidelines I was taught are:

3mm = 5% body weight
5mm = 10% body weight
7mm = 10% body weight + 4-6#

As for compensating for salt water, bigger guys like us tend to need an extra 8-10#.

So, 7mm in fesh water, you should need about 34#

If you drop to a 3mm for warm salt water, you're looking at about 24-26#. Pack your 7mm and you'll have to carry over 40#.

That right there would have me getting a separate 3mm suit for tropical diving, even if I rented one for the week.

Don't forget, there's ways to move the weight around; steel tanks, steel backplate/wing setup, integrated weights, etc.

I'm no expert, but I do hope this helps a little.

 

[fnfalman]

Weighting a wetsuit is easy. Throw it in the swimming pool and start putting weights on top until it sinks. Weighting a wetsuit with diver in it is totally different. A 6ft3 300-lbs body builder is going to sink a lot easier than a 6ft3 300-lbs fatty (not saying that OP is fat).

There isn't that much difference between fresh and salt water. A couple of pounds at most. For example, in my typical saltwater rig (7mil suit), I have to duck dive and kick down for a little bit after emptying the wing of air. In freshwater and identical setup, I sink verrrrrrrrrry slowly when I empty my wing of air.

 

[vladimir]

Any Advise on the Weight differential from nothing to 7 mil and 7 Mil salt to 7 mil fresh?

Once you determine your proper weighting for fresh water, weigh yourself with all your gear on, multiply by 1.023 (or whatever the specific gravity of the saltwater is where you are diving) and add enough lead to achieve that total figure. For example, if you and your gear weigh 375 pounds for freshwater diving, you'd add 8.625 pounds (375 x .023) for saltwater.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

There isn't that much difference between fresh and salt water. A couple of pounds at most.

Sorry, I am sure you are incorrect here. It is ~2.5% of the your total weight (body+gear). It is a linear relationship due to the difference in densiry of FW vs SW. For big guys, this is ~8lbs.

Edit: Sorry, Vladimir beat to to it with a slightly more precise number.