Distribution of Weight

[gasgirl]

I have a couple of questions to those who are more experienced in weighting issues:

Scenario #2: BARE 3 mm full wetsuit with AL80 - 7 lbs

I have lost some weight (maybe about 5 lbs?) and now my wetsuit is filling up during the dive with water. I do find I feel kind of floaty at the end of the dive in shallow (<20 ft) water sometimes but I can usually kick down a little and then I'm neutral again... then I'm OK to ascend shallower with no problem. When I get out of the water, my legs are ballooned out with about a gallon of water in each leg.

Question #1:
Does water in the wetsuit affect buoyancy? Is the kick just getting rid of the water in my wetsuit temporarily? Is there anything short of buying a new wetsuit I can do to minimize the water trapping in my suit (it's only got about 60 dives on it and is in good condition).

Scenario #4: BARE neoprene rental dry suit (size too large) with hood, gloves, AL80 - 24 lbs and I felt like I was over-weighted (no air in BC - sinking even with holding a full breath at the surface)

One week later, Oceaneer neoprene rental dry suit with hood, gloves, AL80 - 20 lbs BC weight integrated and 2 lb ankle weights on each leg (never tried ankle weights so I wanted to try it). I exhaled all the way and could not descend until I was given another 2 lbs. Same layer of clothes underneath as the week before.

Question #2:
Does the distribution of the weight affect anything? (I don't really see how this would be the case)... or is it more likely the different brands just have different degrees of buoyancy?

Question #3:
I am hoping to try diving in a shell drysuit next week... how does the weight compare with the neoprene drysuit? (I anticipate I will have to add an extra layer of fleece to keep warm - water temp 45 F).

Thanks in advance for any advice...

[gasgirl]

Oops! I just realized that maybe I should have posted my questions in a new thread as this might be what's considered a "high-jacking?"

[jonnythan]

gasgirl, just as a general comment to your troubles.. try to control your breathing. It has much more impact on your buoyancy than you realize. If you feel a little "floaty," exhale some and breathe more shallow and you will sink. If you feel like you're sinking, just take a deeper than normal breath before you hit the inflator button.

[gasgirl]

I generally do use breath control in the shallow water situation to fine-tune my buoyancy as needed. I don't have any air in my BC at this point in my dive and I rarely touch my inflator once I've gotten neutral at the beginning of the dive. I think it was more that I noticed a difference that I had to make more of an effort since the wetsuit started filling up with water. I just wondered if it had made any difference in my buoyancy.

[jonnythan]

I generally do use breath control in the shallow water situation to fine-tune my buoyancy as needed. I don't have any air in my BC at this point in my dive and I rarely touch my inflator once I've gotten neutral at the beginning of the dive. I think it was more that I noticed a difference that I had to make more of an effort since the wetsuit started filling up with water. I just wondered if it had made any difference in my buoyancy.

Water is neutrally buoyant, so, no, it won't matter

[gasgirl]

Thanks... that makes sense... I guess I'll just keep working on the breath control and keep the wetsuit.

[Charlie99]

Question #1:
Does water in the wetsuit affect buoyancy?

No. It has no effect on your buoyancy underwater, although it does add extra drag.

Question #2:
Does the distribution of the weight affect anything?

The total weight determines whether you are neutral, negative, or positively buoyant. The distribution of negatively buoyant weight vs. positive buoyant wetsuit and body fat will affect your trim, particularly when you stop finning and stay motionless. By trim, I mean relative positive of your body --- head up/feet down, rolling to the right, etc.

[Charlie99]

Oops! I just realized that maybe I should have posted my questions in a new thread as this might be what's considered a "high-jacking?"

This thread deserved to be hijacked. The correct weight for a diver is determined by the buoyancy of his body and his gear. It is what it is, although some divers seem to think there is some sort of bragging rights to being able to use less weight. Kind of like most SAC threads.

The right answer is to use the minimum amount of lead that you need to be able to comfortably hold a safety stop with a nearly empty tank, and to be able to make a controlled ascent to the surface with a nearly empty tank.

[gasgirl]

Thanks Charlie99 for your input... I feel better when someone explains it so I know that I'm not missing something that can be easily remedied. I'll keep working on the breath control and trim as suggested.