17 lbs!!!???

I'm diving Coz this week in a new 5mm ScubaPro Everflex Steamer full suit. I'm using a rented jacket BC. So here's the crazy thing. I only weigh about 160 and need to use 17 lbs on this trip. Even on my first ocean checkout dives last year in Cancun I used between 12 and 14 lbs in a different 5mm suit. What the heck is up? I simply cannot sink this trip with any less weight. I have to swim down to about 15-20 feet before I finally sink easily. Could this wetsuit be more buoyant than my previous 5mm? The weird thing too is that I'm pretty neutral in the water, and end up with all the air out of my BC to do my safety stop.

I definitely want to reduce the weight (I have some pride)...Any ideas?

It takes what it takes.

Take a tank with 500 psi in it and see if you can get neutrally buoyant at 10 fsw. If yes, take off a couple of pounds. If no, congratulations, you need to add pounds.

What does pride have to do with it?

It could be the material the suit is made up. Some materials can be more buoyant than others.

I am by no means an expert, but there are a couple of things that may be contributing to your increase weight requirements. First, you are using a new wetsuit. A wetsuit is most buoyant when it is new. Over the course of time being used (expanding and contracting) it loses it buoyancy characteristics, and thermal properties, through being crushed (the cells in the neoprene don't trap as much air). So if you were using a rented suit in the past that was "well used" this suit was not nearly as thick/buoyant as a new suit. Second thing you may need to take into account is the type of tanks you are using. Each tank (vendor, volume) has different buoyancy characteristics as well (This is true more with steel tanks due to the number of configurations). Lastly, since your are using rented equipment, like tanks, they all have different ballast requirements depending on the type and amount of material used. So a combination of any three of these may be contributing to your increase ballast requirements.

There may be other things contributing, but these are a couple of things come to mind right away.

I will tell you it veries dive by dive. I dove last Saturday and had to use 12 pounds to dive but the very next day I went to a diffrent dive sight and 20 degrees coolder I had to have 16 pounds. I think temperature have a little to do with it too.

yes temp plays a part (charles law) and the suit being new will also play a part but if you want to reduce the weight you carry try a steel tank more on your back less on your waist with a steel it can cut 5 to ten off your belt so like a supermodle youll look thinner lol have a great dive stay safe see you in the water

Lenmonster:

I'm diving Coz this week in a new 5mm ScubaPro Everflex Steamer full suit. I'm using a rented jacket BC. So here's the crazy thing. I only weigh about 160 and need to use 17 lbs on this trip. Even on my first ocean checkout dives last year in Cancun I used between 12 and 14 lbs in a different 5mm suit. What the heck is up? I simply cannot sink this trip with any less weight. I have to swim down to about 15-20 feet before I finally sink easily. Could this wetsuit be more buoyant than my previous 5mm? The weird thing too is that I'm pretty neutral in the water, and end up with all the air out of my BC to do my safety stop.

I definitely want to reduce the weight (I have some pride)...Any ideas?

Click to expand...

Dive with Aldora---they use 120 HP steels------should be down to about 11 then....

Man, I wish I could dive with only 17 lbs...

it probably due to the new suit if its only a couple pounds more than normal. buy a BP/W w/STA and you will take about 10lbs off your belt depending on the plate and STA. you could simply thread 2 4lb weights onto the cam bands and then you wont need any belt at all.

The fact that you are OK at the rest stop at the end of the dive with your BC empty suggests that 17# is what you need and that your suit (and other gear) is trapping a good bit of air that is making descent difficult. You may want to try to flood your suit more on the surface when you first enter and see if that helps.