DIY Rubber Weight Belt For Freediving

[ElectroPulse]

Hello, all!

I've been looking online to see if I can find an inexpensive rubber weight belt for use in freediving. So far the cheapest I've found is $20 on Amazon with no reviews... The Cressi is $50, and has excellent reviews.

One of the things I'm concerned about with the additional cost of a rubber weight belt is hesitating dropping it if the need crops up. I've only dove with a weight belt once (when I went spearfishing for the first time this weekend, and the only reason I was wearing it was because it was attached to the pontoon that we were throwing fish into... And it was only like 10 feet deep there), and am a little nervous about the idea of finding myself in a situation where I am fighting to come up from depth.

So, in my search for an inexpensive rubber weight belt, I ran across a store that was selling weight belt webbing to make custom-length weight belts. This sparked an idea...

I Googled "2-inch rubber strips" and it brought me to the following page: Neoprene Rubber Strips and Stripping | Rubber Sheet Roll

I found that it would cost about the same as a weight belt to buy 50 feet of rubber to make my own weight belts... Just purchase a quick-release belt buckle for $5 or $10, and I'd have the world's cheapest rubber weight belt. Then I would have the peace of mind that I could drop it without hesitation... That, and I'd be able to make 'em real cheap for friends as well.

So, to my questions: Are rubber weight belts made from a specific kind of rubber? Or would pretty much any rubber work? I'm not sure whether sea water takes a toll on different kinds of rubbers differently. Also, what duro is recommended for weight belts? (I'd like it to be able to stretch, but not be too soft)

Another question I have is about the release mechanism. Which type is safest? I saw in a product description that Marseillaise is the safest release, but my watch and belt that I wear beg to differ... Maybe it is looser on the dive belts, but I'd be afraid of the peg sticking into another hole. Wouldn't the standard release (I think it's called like Inox or something? Anyway, it can be seen in this picture: Beuchat Nylon Weight Belt With Plastic Buckle) be safer?

Thanks!
ElectroPulse

 

[dumpsterDiver]

In general, buckles are not made to be compatible with a rubber belt. The belt is thicker than a nylon belt, so they are not really compatible. Some manufacturer's use plastic buckles for rubber belts, but I don't trust them.

A well secured rubber belt should not be that easy to lose.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Your concern about being hesitant to drop a rubber belt is why MAKO Freedive Weight Belt | MAKO Spearguns is the only rubber belt I will recommend and the only one I use.

If you have to drop your MAKO belt in an emergency they will replace it and the weights lost at their expense. I own two of them and my GF also has one.

"To our valued customers: MAKO Spearguns recognizes that diving (both freediving and SCUBA) are potentially dangerous activities. We have all heard of tragic accidents where a diver is found on the bottom while still wearing a weight belt. We hope and pray that should any of our customers find themselves in a situation where ditching a belt may be necessary, that there is no delay and the belt is dropped immediately.

In many situations a belt is recoverable, however if your MAKO Spearguns belt and lead and/or Tinman weights are ditched (and lost) in a true emergency…. I will replace them at our cost.

The last thing we want is our customers considering the cost of a lost belt in an emergency. The only thing we ask is that the individual shares with us (and our friends and customers) some sort of write-up about how the situation developed and how it was resolved. That way, we can all learn and be reminded to keep safety in the forefront of our minds.

Dive safe,
Dano "

 

[ElectroPulse]

In general, buckles are not made to be compatible with a rubber belt. The belt is thicker than a nylon belt, so they are not really compatible. Some manufacturer's use plastic buckles for rubber belts, but I don't trust them.

A well secured rubber belt should not be that easy to lose.

Thanks for the reply!

Ah, makes sense since I'd imagine the teeth sticking into the cloth-type belts would weaken/eventually bite through the rubber belts.

And as for losing the belt, I'm not concerned about them falling off... I'm more concerned about the idea I'd hesitate dropping it if I needed to get to the surface quick, and being unable to recover it. Where I am located (Palau), I've been unable to find any rubber belts on-island, so not only would the cost of the belt be a factor, but also the idea of it taking a few weeks to get another shipped in.

In my searching for more info about weight belts in general, I have run across a couple of lower-cost ones... May end up getting two and just having a backup. Am still interested in the idea of making my own, though.

Your concern about being hesitant to drop a rubber belt is why MAKO Freedive Weight Belt | MAKO Spearguns is the only rubber belt I will recommend and the only one I use.

If you have to drop your MAKO belt in an emergency they will replace it and the weights lost at their expense. I own two of them and my GF also has one.

"To our valued customers: MAKO Spearguns recognizes that diving (both freediving and SCUBA) are potentially dangerous activities. We have all heard of tragic accidents where a diver is found on the bottom while still wearing a weight belt. We hope and pray that should any of our customers find themselves in a situation where ditching a belt may be necessary, that there is no delay and the belt is dropped immediately.

In many situations a belt is recoverable, however if your MAKO Spearguns belt and lead and/or Tinman weights are ditched (and lost) in a true emergency…. I will replace them at our cost.

The last thing we want is our customers considering the cost of a lost belt in an emergency. The only thing we ask is that the individual shares with us (and our friends and customers) some sort of write-up about how the situation developed and how it was resolved. That way, we can all learn and be reminded to keep safety in the forefront of our minds.

Dive safe,
Dano "

Wow... Now that's awesome! I'll definitely consider them, then... Thank you for pointing that out! I hadn't heard of that.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Email Mako and ask them to ship it USPS International Priority mail. Dano is very responsive to his customers and if sent that way I have had items get to Japan in about a week and half or so. Palau may be longer I don't know.

 

[lemke]

There are MANY types of rubber, and only a couple that would be suitable for a weight belt... McMaster-Carr

 

[doyenofcastle]

Hi ,

after 6 month of using that neoprene strip does it wok ?no tear no cracks no cut? I just checked the website but they not show the physical properties for that ,also Mcmaster have a lot of choices which one is suited to use?


thks

 

[ElectroPulse]

Hi ,

after 6 month of using that neoprene strip does it wok ?no tear no cracks no cut? I just checked the website but they not show the physical properties for that ,also Mcmaster have a lot of choices which one is suited to use?


thks

Well, I didn't actually end up going that route... After seeing the guarantee made by Mako Spearguns, I ended up going with their belt. It's worked great! Not a whole lot of stretch to it, so 50+ feet or so it get's a bit loose (though I usually don't cinch the thing down super tight at the surface). Haven't had any issues with it, though. It's stayed secure on every dive I've taken it down.

Sorry I couldn't offer any additional help! If you do end up trying it, feel free to post back and let us know!

 

[Kat Riverdog Redpath]

Hi, I'm not a scuba diver but I am a free diver and I have a firm belief that if you can't let go of a weight belt you should stay at the surface. A weight belt, whether they are expensive or cheap is expendable. Always expendable. If it's too expensive to ditch then don't dive. If it costs 20 bucks or 200 it is expendable. If I have even an inkling that I may be short on breath I unlatch the belt and hold it on the way up so it drops if I pass out. This is not as applicable to SCUBA but I maintain if you take down any piece of equipment you cant afford to lose you shouldn't take it down with you. Your life is worth more than your equipment, if you ever have a second of doubt ditch it. No second thoughts. Ever, that one second is very crucial. Again mostly applicable to free diving but hesitation costs in SCUBA as well. Love the idea of a homemade rubber weight belt because they are stupidly expensive but mostly wanted to weigh in on the expendability of diving equipment. My opinion is everything is expendable no matter the cost of equipment. Life is valuable, equipment is cheap.

 

[Kat Riverdog Redpath]

Hi, I'm not a scuba diver but I am a free diver and I have a firm belief that if you can't let go of a weight belt you should stay at the surface. A weight belt, whether they are expensive or cheap is expendable. Always expendable. If it's too expensive to ditch then don't dive. If it costs 20 bucks or 200 it is expendable. If I have even an inkling that I may be short on breath I unlatch the belt and hold it on the way up so it drops if I pass out. This is not as applicable to SCUBA but I maintain if you take down any piece of equipment you cant afford to lose you shouldn't take it down with you. Your life is worth more than your equipment, if you ever have a second of doubt ditch it. No second thoughts. Ever, that one second is very crucial. Again mostly applicable to free diving but hesitation costs in SCUBA as well. Love the idea of a homemade rubber weight belt because they are stupidly expensive but mostly wanted to weigh in on the expendability of diving equipment. My opinion is everything is expendable no matter the cost of equipment. Life is valuable, equipment is cheap.

In retrospect and after consulting with bubble blowers I have decided I may be wrong. My instinct to jettison weights is crucial to freediving but may be hazardous or detrimental to SCUBA. Many considerations have been brought to my attention and I believe that while the expense of equipment should never ever enter into safety protocols I have little practical experience as it results to emergency procedures in a SCUBA situation. I cannot recommend jettisoning equipment I have no experience with and considering the implications of decompression sickness it was foolhardy of me to adopt the standard drop it and leave procedure I am accustomed to. I still advise that all equipment is secondary to proper judgement in every single case. As is always, proper training is paramount to a safe diving experience.