Your Diving and Weights

[Mlody11]

5; 11" 200 lbs mostly muscular build. ,carrying about 7 extra lbs 8-(

Holy! I am about 5' 10" and I am 175 and still have 18% body fat. You have quite the amount of lean mass... probably why your such a sinker . Going along the Lines... I wonder how many pounds of weight do you have to add for each lb of fat weight.

Edit: After looking into the Density of Fat (.94) ... so theortically if you loose 10lbs of body fat you can see a weight reduction of .75 lbs of lead. So If I can bring myself down a littlre more then 10% I could loose about 1.5 more lbs of weight off me .

 

[Notso_Ken]

Unless I miss my guess, youre going to do WAAAAAAY better than that in the future.

Not necessarily. I dive with a 2 piece 7 mil suit in cold water. I just changed the Farmer John, and could not sink with 26lbs of lead. I had to go back up to 28lbs with the new, never worn wet suit.

Ken

 

[MEL-DC Diver]

12lbs Fresh, 7mil AL80
14lbs Salt, 7mil AL80
10lbs Salt, 3mil shorty AL80

 

[piikki]

Im just curious what do experienced divers carry in their belts and how much reduction is possible from diving more frequently.

Not experienced but for the fun of it since I am also wondering where I am heading... Haven't done sw in my first summer but might have to test that by the end of the season. All diving has been pretty much in what folks seem to call cold water.
With one piece 7mm, TPII and steel 80 (heavy Faber) I carry 4lbs
when I add 4mm shorty I add 2 lbs just to be even

Last weekend I had to return to Al 80 for part of a course, and it was a whammy. With same configuration otherwise I had to lug 20lbs to keep my safety. Don't know if that makes sense by the numbers but I know I dropped 16lbs when I bought the stumpies.

 

[NC myerssl]

0 lbs with 7 mil fw PST 119
4 lbs with 7 mil SW PST 119

With a 3 mil fw or sw, God help me if my BC quits

Seriously, Even though I'm negatively buoant with a 3 mil. I can swim up with no air in the bc from 120' fairly easily (been tested). Worst case, I have a lift bag for extra insurance.

 

[GreenDiverDown]

M...

I don't think the anwer you are looking for can be found by polling the divers here on scubaboard.

From what you have said, I would guess that you are reasonably fit and becoming comfortable in the water...4# with a 3 mil in fresh with an Al80 is about as light as one can go as most AL80s are about 4# positive when empty.

Rather than trying to gather what most people use, I would suggest that you start making a habit of doing a weight check at the end of each dive...at your safety stop...with less than 500 psi in your tank. Completely empty your BC...maybe even have your bud check to make sure that it's not trapping any air...then hand off a little weight to your bud and see if you are able to hold your depth. After you figure your minimum requirement, write it down in your log. This way you will begin to get an idea of what your requirements are for different exposure suits...salt and fresh...and you will also see how these requirements decrease as your experience and abilities increase. Eventually, they will stabilize and are unlikely to go up unless your body chages significantly...and... you can always consult your log if you're about to go on a trip and have forgotten what weight you need.

 

[Jersey Chris]

Its amazing how many divers are grossly overweighted. I dive a full 7mm wetsuit with gloves, hood, LP98 steel, S/S backplate and can get down with 7 lbs in saltwater. Most people can usually get 5-10 pounds off and still get down..

 

[BigTuna]

I was just curious how weight ranges for all you scuba divers.

Snorkeling in SW with a 3-mil full suit--10# is slightly positive.
Scuba in SW with the 3-mil full suit, vest BCD, and AL80--16#.
Scuba in FW with 7-mil farmer John, vest BCD, and AL80--26#.

 

[Notso_Ken]

Its amazing how many divers are grossly overweighted. I dive a full 7mm wetsuit with gloves, hood, LP98 steel, S/S backplate and can get down with 7 lbs in saltwater. Most people can usually get 5-10 pounds off and still get down..

Not necessarily Chris. It has a LOT to do with body build also. Size of lungs in relation to body size, etc. With a 2 piece 7 mm suit, 26 pounds, and a full AL80, I could not get down at the start of the dive (fresh water). Weight check at the end with 500psi showed me underweighted. Don't make unsupportable ascertions.

 

[serambin]

With me, it depends on how much buttermilk I've been drinking . . . you know, to hydrate myself.

Stan