To weight or not to weight

[NAM001]

Good thread. I just finished my first dive after buying my own equipment and am playing around with my weighting for my set up. 180lbs, 5/4 wetsuit, 80/al tank, freshwater, I used 10 lbs the other day. Could not sink on own and had to "swim down" initially. Dive went well but I surfaced at the end with 1500lbs and once I was topside I was a cork. Had I wanted to I could not have gone down again and I think I would have had a hard time holding a safety stop at 15 had I come up with less air. I was thinking of trying 14lbs next or would I be better just going up 2lbs at a time? I was pretty comfortable at 35feet and didn't need a lot of air in the bc but I did feel pretty light when I came up. Thoughts?

1500 LBS ON AN 80 IS 40 CU FT AIR IS APX 8 LBS PER 100 CU FT

sorry for the caps... i would add 4 lbs do the dive adn then i would see what was needed to be neutral with 4-500lbs in tank. no air in the bc. if you can get neutral in those conditions you are weighted right overall. now it is a trim issue. placement of the weights to allow you to be both neutran and horizontal.

do this in a pool or at a doc with some weights with you to add and remove till you are neutral. when this happens you will be perhaps 6 lbs heavy with a full tank of air.

thisis not the final solution but it should get you close. remember your breathing should allow you to ascend and decend when neut.

good luck.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Good thread. I just finished my first dive after buying my own equipment and am playing around with my weighting for my set up. 180lbs, 5/4 wetsuit, 80/al tank, freshwater, I used 10 lbs the other day. Could not sink on own and had to "swim down" initially. Dive went well but I surfaced at the end with 1500lbs and once I was topside I was a cork. Had I wanted to I could not have gone down again and I think I would have had a hard time holding a safety stop at 15 had I come up with less air. I was thinking of trying 14lbs next or would I be better just going up 2lbs at a time? I was pretty comfortable at 35feet and didn't need a lot of air in the bc but I did feel pretty light when I came up. Thoughts?

@gerard2004: Please review your OW class manual. There should be a section on doing a proper weight check. There are several acceptable methods. Bear in mind that you are adequately weighted when you can comfortably remain neutrally buoyant at safety stop depth with empty BCD/wing and a near empty tank. If there is boat traffic where you dive, a compelling argument can be made to be neutrally buoyant at depths shallower than safety stop depth (with empty BCD/wing and near empty tank).

Also, you may want to consider starting a new thread if you'd like more advice about trim/weighting issues from the SB community.

Have fun out there!

 

[theod]

Great post. I realize that this is an older post but I found it be searching for buoyancy and weight. I'm certainly in the newbie category. I've been messing with my weight constantly trying to optimize it. I just recently did a dive in our local lake where I was able to go from a platform at 25 feet to a platform at 50 feet and back without adding or dumping any air in my BC. I'm sure that not adding air to the bc is something most veterans can do without thinking but for now I still have to work at it. I normally dive with a light and I've yet to weigh it in water but I think I will this weekend. I also might try to see if my total rig is neutral by taking it off in the shollows.

Someone asked me why I enjoy diving so much and I told them: "Because I always wanted to be an astronaut and diving with good buoyancy is like being weightless in space"

 

[GRAPE APE]

Ok newbie here - 7 dives in.

From my OW cert I was told to do the eye level buoyancy check at the start of a dive (full tank, no air in BC, reg in mouth, hold reg breath) and if the water was eye level I was good. I wore a 7mm jumpsuit, 80AL tank, and had on 20lbs in fresh water (I'm 195lbs). Eye level check worked out - been using 20lbs on all 7 dives.

I've read a lot about the 500 psi and 15ft neutral buoyancy check (I just wasted a lot of work time reading this whole thread start to finish). I just dove with more experienced divers and they all seemed less weighted than me though we were of various sizes and I was not the heaviest.

My impression from reading this string (and I could be wrong and if I am please tell me) is that its taxing and riskier to be over weighted. I realize different strokes for different people (RIP ARNOLD DRUMMOND) - but I feel like I am probably over weighted.

I did what my instructors told me - but are they wrong? Did they give me a simple answer? For my next dive I am thinking about losing some - so at what increments should I test at? 2lbs? 4lbs? What is the best test to determine proper weighting? - the one they showed me or at 15 ft? Could really used some advice from seasoned vets.

I have a wing BC which I am really loving the freedom and horizontal posture vs a jacket BCD. I also acquired a tank weight strap and am going to add 6 lbs of hard weight (not easily ditchable) to the tank to help trim me at the surface as the wing BC makes the surface a bit more of a challenge than the jacket. Thoughts on this too??

Lots of questions - sorry. And I love this site - learning a lot.

 

[NAM001]

Ok newbie here - 7 dives in.

From my OW cert I was told to do the eye level buoyancy check at the start of a dive (full tank, no air in BC, reg in mouth, hold reg breath) and if the water was eye level I was good. I wore a 7mm jumpsuit, 80AL tank, and had on 20lbs in fresh water (I'm 195lbs). Eye level check worked out - been using 20lbs on all 7 dives.

I've read a lot about the 500 psi and 15ft neutral buoyancy check (I just wasted a lot of work time reading this whole thread start to finish). I just dove with more experienced divers and they all seemed less weighted than me though we were of various sizes and I was not the heaviest.

My impression from reading this string (and I could be wrong and if I am please tell me) is that its taxing and riskier to be over weighted. I realize different strokes for different people (RIP ARNOLD DRUMMOND) - but I feel like I am probably over weighted.

I did what my instructors told me - but are they wrong? Did they give me a simple answer? For my next dive I am thinking about losing some - so at what increments should I test at? 2lbs? 4lbs? What is the best test to determine proper weighting? - the one they showed me or at 15 ft? Could really used some advice from seasoned vets.

I have a wing BC which I am really loving the freedom and horizontal posture vs a jacket BCD. I also acquired a tank weight strap and am going to add 6 lbs of hard weight (not easily ditchable) to the tank to help trim me at the surface as the wing BC makes the surface a bit more of a challenge than the jacket. Thoughts on this too??

Lots of questions - sorry. And I love this site - learning a lot.

I AM NOT SURE WHERE TO START. tha mask thing is what you do with a full tank. at that point there is no way to know what willl happen with 4-500 lbs in the tank. do the 500 lb thing when you you are down to 500 lbs and at your safety stop. if you sink with no air in the bc then you are heavy. how heavy depends on how much to remove. if you have a willing buddy you can hand off weight to him till you are neutral. being on a line may be of some help also till you get what you want.

cant say anything about the wing issue i use a transpac so i cant talk apples to apples.

 

[Black Water Diver]

What you are doing is correct, think about it logically. The basic eye level check is with a full tank but also take your time. Dou you have a big oldlung full of air at the time you check?

When I was first starting out I had the same issues. In Salt water dives i was actually overweighting by about 5 lobs and yes it does drag you down and tire you out a little. My issue was on descent i thoguth i was not going down fast enough. Actually i lacked a thing called patience! The other issue I had was at 5' down i started falling better. Then I discovered I needed to actually let the air out of my BCD. I thought it was empty but I was wrong.

My suggestion is to get your weight rougly where you know you need to be and take some time and add 1lb weights to a pocket or trim pockets if you have them and spend some time adjusting. I used to struggle with FInn Pivot excercise and then I slowed down even closing my eyes to let my body feel the pivotal action.

As far as the Wings go love them for diving but I don't instruct in one as it does push you forward, natuer of the beast. You just have to get used to leaning back against it on the surface as you wait on your ride or stick in that snorkel and enjoy the scenery while you wait. The other oprion is a hybrid that gives you both but you already have the wing so I would get used to it, the tank weight will also help.

I hope this helps, Patrick J. Wirtz PADI Instructor

 

[gerard2004]

disregard, similar info elsewhere in thread

 

[Limoges Diver]

Ain't that the truth! You can always dive another day but you only live once Once you die, that is it. No more diving.

Wow! I learn so much from this site! I used to think of my wife & family as a good reason not to die, but you have put it all into perspective for me!

 

[tiderider]

I`m very new! Haven`t even did first dive yet.But SO glad I found this forum! A nice group of folks that want all to have fun and be safe. Glad to be among ya`ll!!! I enjoy learning from you...

 

[drgaiger]

Yes , I still have problems with the buoyancy, each time it´s difficult to find the correct balance between weights belt, BC, and breathing, when I thing that I have the correct weigth in the next immersion I have the same problem again. In the book of the OW they mention that the deep and continuous breathing it´s the best for the diving but if I mantain a deep breath I lost the bottom.