I just recently finished my certifcation and I about to take my first diving trip and I was wondering how much weight I should use. I am 6' 0" and 235 pounds. In my check-out dives, I wore 8 pounds in a fresh water environment with no wet suit. During my trip I am planning to wear a 3mm shortie. What is a good weight to start at with my height and weight in salt water?
How much weight do I need?
- Thread starter KRD
- Start date
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
General theory is to add 4 lbs for salt water. However, since you are putting on a little neoprene, you might want to start with 6 lbs. Then go up or down as required.
Do a bouyancy/weighting check before your first "real" dive; then you will get that all squared away. Don't forget to take into account that an AL 80 tank becomes about 4lbs positively bouyant when you get to less than 1000 psi. So factor that into your weighting as well.
Since these will be your first post-certification dives, you may find that you require a little more weight than you thought you would. This is quite common: newly certified divers tend to hold a lot of air in their lungs because of excitement, not relaxing enough, etc. So don't be disappointed if this is the case.
As you dive more you'll find that you can start subtracting weight because your comfort level & control will improve.
Hope this helps,
~SubMariner~
Do a bouyancy/weighting check before your first "real" dive; then you will get that all squared away. Don't forget to take into account that an AL 80 tank becomes about 4lbs positively bouyant when you get to less than 1000 psi. So factor that into your weighting as well.
Since these will be your first post-certification dives, you may find that you require a little more weight than you thought you would. This is quite common: newly certified divers tend to hold a lot of air in their lungs because of excitement, not relaxing enough, etc. So don't be disappointed if this is the case.
As you dive more you'll find that you can start subtracting weight because your comfort level & control will improve.
Hope this helps,
~SubMariner~
Warhammer
Guest
I'm basically the same size as you. I'm 6'1" and 225-230, depending on time of day.
I wear 8lb in fresh without a suit, 12lb in fresh with a 3mm shorty, 12lb in salt without a suit and 16lb in salt with a 3mm shorty, sometimes 14lb in salt with a 3mm shorty depending on the suit. You can use these weights as a starting point, but as Submariner said, you need to determine your needs yourself because everyone is a little different. And all 3mm shorties aren't the same. If you have access to the gear you'll be using while you aren't diving. Like you would if you have your own gear or staying on resort that's providing your gear. Put it on with a empty tank(500PSI or so) and check your bouyancy with different weight using the eye level with full breath method. If you can't determine it prior to the dives, just guess high, as in 16 or 18 lbs and check it on and after completing your first dive.
I wear 8lb in fresh without a suit, 12lb in fresh with a 3mm shorty, 12lb in salt without a suit and 16lb in salt with a 3mm shorty, sometimes 14lb in salt with a 3mm shorty depending on the suit. You can use these weights as a starting point, but as Submariner said, you need to determine your needs yourself because everyone is a little different. And all 3mm shorties aren't the same. If you have access to the gear you'll be using while you aren't diving. Like you would if you have your own gear or staying on resort that's providing your gear. Put it on with a empty tank(500PSI or so) and check your bouyancy with different weight using the eye level with full breath method. If you can't determine it prior to the dives, just guess high, as in 16 or 18 lbs and check it on and after completing your first dive.Similar threads
