Finding your proper weight

Hello everyone,

I am new to this thread. My husband and I used to live in the Bay Area, and dive mostly in Monterey in the Pacific.

We moved up to the Placerville area last year, and are just starting to explore lake diving in our area.

I had a certain amount of weight I used while ocean diving, but I have no idea how much I should be using while in a lake. Just to give you a bit of an idea, I took a refresher course a couple of weeks ago, and with a partial wetsuit used 14 lbs of weights in a swimming pool and it worked fine.

I normally wear a partial dry suit. I remember in the past having trouble decending. I was like a cork. So far I haven't had the same problem in lakes.
Without regular access to a swimming pool, and having to do shore dives, is there some kind of method that I can use to figure what my normal weighting should be? I used 28 lbs this past time, and I think I used way too much weight because I had a really hard time becoming neutrally bouyant. BTW, I am a woman, and I weigh approx. 160 lbs.

Any kind of method you have would be appreciated. I am just hoping I don't have to do trial and error, simply because having to climb back out of the water, crawl across the beach and take everything apart to add more weight (weight integrated bc) would be such a hassle.

Thanks!

Susan

2 lb weights on a weight belt. I like to put 2 four pounders on last. Lay this on the bottom of the pool in water you can just stand up in. Make sure all the air is out of your BC. Take a slightly larger than normal breathe and hold it. Drop down to the weight belt and grab the end where the 4 pounders are and hold it close ot your chest. You must be totally motionless and relaxed. As you float towards the surface weights will be lifted from the pool bottom. Add up the amount tha is off the bottom and this is the weight you need to be neutral with the gear you have on in freshwater.

Hope this helps.

just remember if you figure out how much weight you need exactly with all your gear and a FULL tank you will be light at the end of the dive. the air you use weighs 3-5 lbs ====> you will need to be 3-5 lbs heavy at the start of the dive.

have you ever seen anyone that fights to get down at the start of a dive. They don't stand a chance at the end of the dive.

pete