What's in your drop pocket

So I just got around to transfering my log notes from the weekend onto my computer ( were i can log in better detail ) and i was looking at my weighting as i had some problems i wrote about already and i noticed that on this dive I had most of my weight in my ditch system on the bcd. (Almost 75%)

My question is in the situation were i would have to drop weights i would end up more than 30 pounds positive that is gonna shoot me like a freight train to the top i don't think a "flare" is gonna slow me down very much

So my question

Is there a ratio or a max amount you should have in ditch weight vs trim weight

Is there a minimum you should have in drop weight

And I realize the answer may depend on what depth you dive as you may have to ditch more weight as you go deeper to offset the loss of buoyancy in your compressed wetsuit so lets assume your staying above 70 feet

maderadiver:

So I just got around to transfering my log notes from the weekend onto my computer ( were i can log in better detail ) and i was looking at my weighting as i had some problems i wrote about already and i noticed that on this dive I had most of my weight in my ditch system on the bcd. (Almost 75%)

My question is in the situation were i would have to drop weights i would end up more than 30 pounds positive that is gonna shoot me like a freight train to the top i don't think a "flare" is gonna slow me down very much

So my question

Is there a ratio or a max amount you should have in ditch weight vs trim weight

Is there a minimum you should have in drop weight

And I realize the answer may depend on what depth you dive as you may have to ditch more weight as you go deeper to offset the loss of buoyancy in your compressed wetsuit so lets assume your staying above 70 feet

Click to expand...

I think that the first thing that you should remember is that you only have to drop one side of your ditchable at a time. and second that ditching weight at depth is a last resort you should be able to swim your kit to the surface and at the surface is where you drop your weights.

Trim weight is what it is , added in specific locations to allow you to obtain good trim . I personally like to keep as much of my weight where I have the options of ditching it if I need. Keep in mind you can always open the drop pockets and release a portion of the weight that you have in the pocket. But if you can't get to the weight then you don't have the option of ditching it if necessary.

Just my preference
Herb

When I dive cold water, I use a harness. I can drop anything I want in 2-5lb increments.
When I dive warm water, I use a belt so its not really an option, but at 10-12lbs its not an issue.
When I was diving integrated, most (77%) of my lead was in QL pockets, but the design of Zeagle allows you to reach in and dump single weights. The QL though, dumped both pockets.

I don't view partial weight dumps as a primary plan because redundant lift or ability to swim up is a better plan below.
At the surface, weight dump jumps to the top of the list and should be almost reactive.
I just like to keep my options open since I solo.

Herb-alaska:

I think that the first thing that you should remember is that you only have to drop one side of your ditchable at a time. and second that ditching weight at depth is a last resort you should be able to swim your kit to the surface and at the surface is where you drop your weights.

Trim weight is what it is , added in specific locations to allow you to obtain good trim . I personally like to keep as much of my weight where I have the options of ditching it if I need. Keep in mind you can always open the drop pockets and release a portion of the weight that you have in the pocket. But if you can't get to the weight then you don't have the option of ditching it if necessary.

Just my preference
Herb

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While i aggree that a bottom dump is the last of the last resorts you still have to set it up as a option


And yes trim pockes are to trim you but when your taking 40 pounds down with you sometimes they are filled regardless of the trim need what i am asking is there i minimum or max percentage you should hqve in quick drop weight

I'm a beginner and really don't know- but if you are taking down 40 pounds of weight, would it make sense to have 2 different ditchable systems? Maybe that makes it too slow to ditch in an emergency, but if you are considered about becoming TOO buoyant, would it make sense to have integrated weights and a weightbelt? So they can be ditched separately?

Skittl1321:

I'm a beginner and really don't know- but if you are taking down 40 pounds of weight, would it make sense to have 2 different ditchable systems? Maybe that makes it too slow to ditch in an emergency, but if you are considered about becoming TOO buoyant, would it make sense to have integrated weights and a weightbelt? So they can be ditched separately?

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I don't think a weight belt would fit under a bcd for me I'm allready pushing xxxl to xxxxl


Right now i put about 28 pounds in drops 8 in trims and 4 pounds i. Ankle weight to ofset the trim

This of course is a rental setup I am intrested i. What a bpw setup means as far as moving stuff around to ditch the ankle weights and perhaps shed some drop weight to the plate as well

The 30 pounds of weight you mentioned in your first post is a lot IMO. I only use 2kg (4.4lb) of weight on a belt during ocean dives. I dive full 5mm wetuit and hoodie. Besides my harness and cylinder, there is nothing else for me to ditch. I dive with a faber 12l steel (short) filled to 220 bar. I assume you dive ALI and need extra weight, but not that much?!?

I can swim this to the surface from 30m (100ft) effortlessly. By ditching my weight-belt during this ascent I know I will be positive buoyant once on the surface. If I need the surface quicker I will ditch everything and perform CESA also from 30m down.

You should recheck and redo an in water buoyancy test (without the ankle weights & half of the trim weights. You can always later move some of the drop weight into trim postitions) It is natural to have large "lead reduction" as you progress with your career. The more control and comfort you have, the less lead needed.

I make regular small tweaks to my gear. As you develop as a diver you will learn that your equipment/techniques will also develop.

Fine tuning your buoyancy is the first step in becoming a comfortable and safe diver.

maderadiver:

So I just got around to transfering my log notes from the weekend onto my computer ( were i can log in better detail ) and i was looking at my weighting as i had some problems i wrote about already and i noticed that on this dive I had most of my weight in my ditch system on the bcd. (Almost 75%)

My question is in the situation were i would have to drop weights i would end up more than 30 pounds positive that is gonna shoot me like a freight train to the top i don't think a "flare" is gonna slow me down very much

So my question

Is there a ratio or a max amount you should have in ditch weight vs trim weight

Is there a minimum you should have in drop weight

And I realize the answer may depend on what depth you dive as you may have to ditch more weight as you go deeper to offset the loss of buoyancy in your compressed wetsuit so lets assume your staying above 70 feet

Click to expand...

First of all, IF you dropped 30 lbs of lead at depth, your suit will be compressed and your BC will have (a lot) of air in it. So assuming you had the presence of mind, you could dump air from the BC right after you ditched some lead. After you did this, you should not be that buoyant for the initial portion of the ascent.

But you will not arrive at the correct answer because you are asking the wrong question. The question is not how much lead can I ditch at depth and not rocket to the surface... The question MUST be, (in my opinion) how much lead do I need to ditch to be able to swim to the surface should my BC completely fail?

I would guess, that most people could swim up 10 -15 lbs of excess weight IF they had some air to breathe on the way up. You can experiment a little by dumping all the air from your BC at depth and then trying to swim up without ditching any lead to get a feel for it. Also, I think you should have enough ditchable lead to not drown on the surface if the BC should fail totally.

There is definitely not going to be some universal "ratio" of ditched to unditchable lead, because some people are skinny and dive in a dive skin (and might have 2-6 lbs on their belt) and there are other people who are large and are wearing a thick suit and a ton of lead (like you).

I am comfortable diving with a weight belt up to about 28 lbs, but I do not dive a XXL BC.

No real answer for you but I would be willing to bet that if you dropped 25 lbs of your 40 lbs, you would be in the ball park of survivability.

Also, do NOT underestimate the value of flaring out when doing a buoyant ascent. I don't think anyone teaches it, because it is dangerous, but it WILL slow you down a bunch.

ssi does teach buoyant ascents. at least my instructor did as i just did the OW class with them last month.

Let's assume that you have done a very careful weight check and are diving with the correct amount of lead. Let's also say that you are diving with an AL 80 tank.

If you recall how a weight check is done, you are supposed to dump all the air from your BCD while holding a normal breath. If you are properly weighted, you will float at eye level without kicking your feet.

Now, if your tank is full when you do this, there is some controversy about how much weight (if any) you need to add to compensate for the weight of the air in the tank, which will be lost as you go through the dive. So to be safe, let's go with the more extreme argument that you need to add weight equal to the total amount of the weight of the air in your tank. Let's estimate that at 6 pounds for an AL 80.

That means that if you have a completely full tank, if you drop 6 pounds of weight, you should be able to float at the surface with no air in your BCD and without making any physical effort. If you are halfway through the dive and drop that weight, you should float to the surface

For that reason, a lot of people argue that a properly weighted diver only needs to have the equivalent to the weight of the air in the tank in ditchable weight.

The above analysis does not calculate in wet suit compression.