Water Retention?

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Hostage

Contributor
Messages
219
Reaction score
12
Location
Rochester, NY
# of dives
50 - 99
When I was getting properly weighted, many people were suprised by how little weight I needed. It looks like some people with similar build and weight as myself required more weight. I am wondering if I have less fat, but more water retention than them as water is more dense than fat.

-Hostage
 
When I was getting properly weighted, many people were suprised by how little weight I needed. It looks like some people with similar build and weight as myself required more weight. I am wondering if I have less fat, but more water retention than them as water is more dense than fat.

-Hostage

It is more likely that you are just more comfortable and relaxed in the water. The biggest problem that most divers have when they first start is that they are nervous. They do not get all the air out of their BC's. They tend to hold a large amount of air in their lungs. They also tend to kick their feet without realising it. When you relax and let yourself sink comfortably into the water, you will require much less weight than the person who is unconsciously struggling to keep his head up out of the water.
 
Maybe your brain is heavier. :D Just kidding.

Muscle is heavier than fat too. Are you well built? Maybe that's it.

Also, I've noticed that people who are generally more relaxed need less weight than people who aren't. don't ask me how that works but "fear floats". Go figure.

R..
 
Our bodies are largely composed of water, bone, muscle and fat, with fat probably being the most variable.

Approximate specific gravities of:
fresh water 1.0
seawater 1.025
fat 0.94
muscle 1.06
bone 1.9

Except for bone, these are not huge differences, but we all know heavily muscled folks who have a more difficult time floating than their more adipose brethren, so they do have an effect.

However, water retention (extra water) will surely be a tiny percentage of our body mass, and it is close to the specific gravity of the medium in which we dive.

Therefore, I'll assert that the issue is not water retention, but almost certainly some or all of those factors already mentioned by captn and ro.

Or maybe you are wearing equipment that is less "floaty" than your fellow divers. e.g. wetsuits tend to lose some of their buoyancy over time.
 
Except for bone, these are not huge differences, but we all know densely muscled folks who have a more difficult time floating than their more adipose brethren, so they do have an effect. [ bold added ]

Wow, Knotical... it's been years since I had to go look for my dictionary. You been reading, bro?

R..
 
Wow, Knotical... it's been years since I had to go look for my dictionary. You been reading, bro?

R..
Yeah, I guess that was kind of snooty of me. But "fat people" might not be PC.
 
Hi,

Certainly nothing to do with water retention as the water would be neutral (or approximately dependent upon salinity).

Some people are just more dense (no offense) than others - "large bones", more muscle, less fat, more fast twitch muscle etc

I nearly always dive overweighted, normally I would dive with either an AL80, AL63 or AL50(my preferred) and just shorts and rash vest (Thailand) but sometimes with a full length 3mm suit and in all these situations wear no weights at all and still slightly negative (good for diving, not so good for swimming or floating)

As mentioned before, relaxation and being comfortable in the water makes a huge difference, most beginner divers are unconsciously too nervous to completely empty their lungs underwater and thus retain extra buoyancy in their lungs

So don't worry about using less weight, just enjoy it!
 

Back
Top Bottom