stanw
Contributor
What would be the best approach to take if your weight belt fell off and was not recoverable during a dive? What would be the best way to control buoyancy in this situation?
If weight belt fell off?
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Dump all your air out of your BC as fast as possible, using the quick dump valve.
Flare your arms and legs out, creating drag.
Try to grab onto a heavy/neg buoyant buddy...;-)
Pray, pray, pray.......
Seriously, get rid of all your air in your BC as fast as possible and create drag - your only hope......
Flare your arms and legs out, creating drag.
Try to grab onto a heavy/neg buoyant buddy...;-)
Pray, pray, pray.......
Seriously, get rid of all your air in your BC as fast as possible and create drag - your only hope......
dumpsterDiver
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Simple: You lay on your back, dump all air from bc, spread eagle and use your arms and fins to create as much drag as possible. You can control an ascent rate to a reasonable rate for most all situations. I don't think dive classes teach it however.
You can practice by completely filling the BC, put on 2 very heavy weight belts, sink to the bottom of the diving well in a pool, lay on your back and then ditch the belts, you will be in the perfect position to practice the bouyant ascent. Of course, you should not breath from a scuba unit before or during this exercise because you might embolize. You need to be able to do it on one breath hold; you can practice an exhale on the way up, too.
You can practice by completely filling the BC, put on 2 very heavy weight belts, sink to the bottom of the diving well in a pool, lay on your back and then ditch the belts, you will be in the perfect position to practice the bouyant ascent. Of course, you should not breath from a scuba unit before or during this exercise because you might embolize. You need to be able to do it on one breath hold; you can practice an exhale on the way up, too.
How much of a problem you have depends on how much weight you are carrying, and where in the dive you are, and where you are diving, and whether you are diving wet or dry.
If you lost a small weight belt early in the dive, while diving a thin wetsuit, you can tilt head down and swim down to control your depth. Later in the dive, you'll be more buoyant, and it will be a bit more difficult. If you are where you can pick up rocks, they can help a little (but it's amazing how light rocks are underwater, she says, having tried this).
If you are where there is a wall or rocks or kelp that you can hang onto, you can use them to anchor yourself -- the same with a ship's anchor line. As much as we try not to damage the environment, if you have to grab something to avoid an uncontrolled ascent, that's what you do. I lost five pounds out of a pouched weight belt once, and spend my ascent hanging onto kelp stipes. It worked.
If you lose a heavy belt with empty tanks, all you can do is grab something or use the technique already described.
If you lost a small weight belt early in the dive, while diving a thin wetsuit, you can tilt head down and swim down to control your depth. Later in the dive, you'll be more buoyant, and it will be a bit more difficult. If you are where you can pick up rocks, they can help a little (but it's amazing how light rocks are underwater, she says, having tried this).
If you are where there is a wall or rocks or kelp that you can hang onto, you can use them to anchor yourself -- the same with a ship's anchor line. As much as we try not to damage the environment, if you have to grab something to avoid an uncontrolled ascent, that's what you do. I lost five pounds out of a pouched weight belt once, and spend my ascent hanging onto kelp stipes. It worked.
If you lose a heavy belt with empty tanks, all you can do is grab something or use the technique already described.
NorthWoodsDiver
Contributor
a local diver had his weight belt come off at like 80 or 100 ft (I wasn't there). he managed to grab onto it and stay on the bottom but he couldn't do much else. 2 other divers noticed he fell out of the group and found him on the bottom struggling to replace his belt. it took all three of them to get it replaced and took several minutes.
by the next dive he had a DUI weight and trim harness...
I just dont use any method of securing weight that can be dumped. everything is bolted or threaded in place or on single tank dives I have a home made harness which requires distinct actions to drop weight. Even with single tanks I'm working on something to make dumping weight impossible.
dumpsterDiver
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The solution is so simple, just wear your lead UNDER your exposure suit. That should work great for You!
Unable to dump weights, an unusual strategy? I would think that a surface emergency or equipment failure could make dumping weights a good idea. While I understand not wanting to loose your weights, I'm not sure I understand being locked in them.
In the DAN data on diver death there is always the information of how many dead divers are found with their weights still in place (on their bodies on the bottom of the ocean).
For loss of weights I like the idea of diving with someone with too much weight and grabbing them. Swimming down might help too, it really increases drag.
In the DAN data on diver death there is always the information of how many dead divers are found with their weights still in place (on their bodies on the bottom of the ocean).
For loss of weights I like the idea of diving with someone with too much weight and grabbing them. Swimming down might help too, it really increases drag.
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diver 85
Contributor
Deflate your BC & hope you can flare well like taught in classes to do................OR.......
hope your buddy is a bad diver & badly overweighted-----& hold on....
hope your buddy is a bad diver & badly overweighted-----& hold on....
rstofer
Contributor
Not having ditchable weight makes a rescue scenario more difficult. The first step after getting the diver to the surface is to establish positive buoyancy. Along the way, the BC may be ditched as well. One way or the other, the weight needs to be gone.
I use the DUI Weight & Trim Harness and I like it a lot. It is very secure, the weights are not going to drop by accident and it is comfortable.
Richard
I use the DUI Weight & Trim Harness and I like it a lot. It is very secure, the weights are not going to drop by accident and it is comfortable.
Richard
NorthWoodsDiver
Contributor
If you cant inflate the drysuit or bcd to establish positive buoyancy you need only remove the the BP/W system. undo the waist strap and slice one shoulder strap.
of course that assumes you dive a BP/W with a hogarthian harness. So this really only applies to some divers.
its a personal choice but I dont like weight that can be dropped.
of course that assumes you dive a BP/W with a hogarthian harness. So this really only applies to some divers.
its a personal choice but I dont like weight that can be dropped.
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