new snorkeler

ok i dive but my wife isn't certified yet and we was going to go snorkeling.
the water will be cold so we are going to wear our wetsuits should we wear weight belts to help us go down.? the suits are 7mm

if you want to get under and stay under in the shallows you'll need weights to offset the bouyancy of the wetsuit. You don't want to be wieghted so heavy that you sink on the surface when you exhale or your going to burn a lot of energy treading water. It won't take near the weight that it does for scuba. depending on your build... I'm at 2-4lbs in a 5mm freediving suit and no weight in a 3mm. no weight in the 3mm puts me nuetral at about 30 - 35 feet in fresh water. If you're looking to get to 10' or so and hang, you'll definetly need some poundage... no weight in a 7mm might put you nuetral at 100' :>)

horsemen:

ok i dive but my wife isn't certified yet and we was going to go snorkeling.
the water will be cold so we are going to wear our wetsuits should we wear weight belts to help us go down.? the suits are 7mm

Click to expand...

Yes you will want to wear weights so you can dive down and enjoy all 3 dimensions.

In salt water with just a 7mm suit 18 pounds works for me, a 205 pound male. I'm comfortable on the surface and go neutral somewhere around 12 feet down. Subtract about 6 pounds for fresh water!

You'll both need to experiment to find what works for you. I use the same bobbing at eye level with an average breath as is used for scuba. A deep exhale should sink your mask and a deep inahle bring it all out of the water.

IMO mastering skin diving is a superb gateway to scuba certification. Have fun.

Pete