Disadvantages of not having any weight to ditch?

[sabbath999]

I have a balanced (singles) rig and don't use ditchable weight. I know I can swim my rig to the surface in case of BC failure, so I feel comfortable not having additional ballast (it's all on my plate). Doubles are another matter. I'm horribly overweighted when I strap those suckers onto my back. Although the sensation isn't so marked in rental Al80s, my steel 100s are something else. I rely on an SMB as a source of redundant lift in open water. It's the DAN SMB, and I think it has 30 lb of lift...that's 12 lb more than my little wing, so it's all I need. Ultimately, I know a drysuit is on the cards for added security when diving doubles...as much as I loathe the idea of wearing Depends undergarments, or experiencing the Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya She-Pee, it's got to be worth it for the redundant buoyancy alone.

I guess I am a little confused here... you say "my little wing...", how little of a wing are you diving with double steel 100's? Depending upon the tank, those puppies mounted on a backplate with full kit of regs, harnesses, knives & other accessories are going to be pretty negative... is your wing too small to float them at the surface at the beginning of a dive? If it is, then that's an "interesting" configuration... and if it isn't, then your wing really isn't "little".

 

[iztok]

I guess I am a little confused here... you say "my little wing...", how little of a wing are you diving with double steel 100's? Depending upon the tank, those puppies mounted on a backplate with full kit of regs, harnesses, knives & other accessories are going to be pretty negative... is your wing too small to float them at the surface at the beginning of a dive? If it is, then that's an "interesting" configuration... and if it isn't, then your wing really isn't "little".

She said her wing is 18lbs. I am assuming that is singles wing, not doubles. HP100 (XS Scuba) are alone 20lb negative and add back plate, regulators etc... no way 18lbs wing is balanced for doubles. It is probably fine for warm water single tank.

 

[diver 85]

Go to Al tanks & you won't have that 'problem'---------------probably....

 

[dumpsterDiver]

As TSM said, deciding to dive with zero ditchable ballast should NOT be taken lightly. I also engage in this practice but I would NOT recommend it for new divers.

It really only takes one simple screw up to kill yourself when diving with no lead.

It happens 100's, if not thousands of times to recreational divers each year.... jump off the boat with the air turned off...now you are sinking and have nothing to breath and no way to inflate the BC.... and no way to ditch lead. Of course if you are weighted properly you MUST start the dive heavy to allow yourself to be neutral when the tank is empty, so you WILL be heavy when you first hit the water and more so when you have completed that first exhalation.

Are you strong enough and calm enough to SURVIVE this unfortunately common screw up? I would sure hate to have a fin pop off when I was in a mad scramble to get to the surface and orally inflate my BC.

If you are gonna dive with no ditchable lead, then you need to make absolutely sure that you are not over weighted and that you are strong enough to swim the rig up from depth.

People, experienced people, have died because they made the common error of failing to turn the tank on and just sunk to their death because they had no lead to ditch and their eardrums popped and they panicked and couldn't solve the problem. If you are wearing a wetsuit, you will quickly loose bouyancy as you sink.

There are other situations, which can occur underwater where it might be nice to drop some lead, even just 6 or 8 lbs.

I personally feel more comfortable and confident when I am wearing some ditchable lead than when I have a big negative steel tank, a thin suit and zero lead. It is a risk that I am willing to accept in order to have the benefit of a large capacity tank.

 

[lowviz]

What are some cons on not being able to ditch any weight? My current setup I can get great buoyancy without using any weight. Is this something to worry about?

Your bio indicates a wetsuit. If you were using a drysuit, I would say your concern is a coin-flip, your choice. With a wetsuit and negative buoyancy, you lack any immediate resolution to a serious loss of buoyancy issue other than ditching your gear. (This is the BASIC scuba discussions forum) Your concern is well-founded. What are you planning to do if you need to surface a full 119 and wetsuit in a hurry?

If you choose to persist, consider a disciplined entry at the very least: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ba...88-skills-practice-near-miss.html#post5567717

 

[vladimir]

Assuming diver is using an aluminum tank, is weighted properly, and wearing a wet suit, I see no problem diving without ditchable weights. The diver should be able to swim to the surface with no trouble, and then ditch the rig. Two simultaneous failures would have to occur to cause any problem - out of gas and bc failure. The wet suit will provide buoyancy at the surface.

In 10 years of diving (1600+ dives) I have never seen an instance of bc failure but I have seen many, many weight belts accidentally dropped, on one particular dive three rained down on me. I am thinking that the risk of a new diver losing weight during the dive and having an out-of-control ascent exceeds that of a double failure of equipment.

I agree with this analysis, for the most part. But I question whether these two failures are independent of each other. It is easy to imagine scenarios where the failure of a BC leads to exhausting the gas supply. Also, most divers using an aluminum tank and requiring no lead are probably not wearing a lot of neoprene either, so the wetsuit might not provide adequate surface buoyancy.

 

[Hatul]

I'm on the side of having ditchable weights. There can be a time where this can save your life -- as in the example where you jump in with the BC deflated and air turned off. I'm sure there are other examples like that. You just cannot foresee every possible situation where you cannot overcome your negative buoyancy. Out of air can go along with BC failure. Sure it feels good to not have to take weights but so does riding a motorcycle without a helmet. Why deny yourself one last chance to save your life?

Adam

 

[idive2]

I was doing a safety stop that may or may not have been necessary but it
was a second of two fairly long dives in the 60-80 foot range and I pushed my
air supply much lower than I otherwise would have. In hindsight I should have
skipped the safety stop and not trusted the accuracy of my spg. I was neutrally
buoyant with pretty much an empty BC as my weight was dialed in very close and
my tank was very low. At a much lower pressure than I care to admit but still
reading some air on my spg I went OOA just as I started my ascent from my safety stop.
Empty BC and no air from my tank I was amazed at how negative I felt at the surface
despite being neutral at 18 feet. I was diving a steel tank with a full 3 mm
wetsuit. After three large breathes orally inflating my BC I was able to stay above
the surface without finning. I learned later that when your head goes above the surface
it creates a sudden ballast that you did not have at 18 feet. Ditching weight was not my
first action and probably should have been but at least it was an option I did have.

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

This is a pretty interesting string of posts here. I need to ask though, on the assumption that the diver is properly weighted, and we can assume that he/she does not have an excessively heavy tank or anything else along those lines, and still requires no additional weights, are some of you suggesting that he/she then add lead just for the point of being able to have lead to drop?

Regarding the "jumping in with BC deflated and air off" idea, every diver should perform two simple air checks before heading in. First, by putting regulator in mouth, and while visually observing the pressure gauge, "huff" one or two good breaths to observe if the needle moves, which of course would indicate a problem. The second pre-dive test is to hit the inflator button on the BCD at least long enough to hear air passing through the valve, as a verification that not only is the tank open, but also that the quick-disconnect fitting is fully seated and ready for use underwater. While it remains a personal choice whether or not you wish to inflate the BC before jumping in, it is absolutely necessary to verify that you can indeed inflate it when you need or want to. These two simple steps eliminate the possibility of jumping in with the air turned off, and should be a standard part of every diver's pre-dive safety drill.

 

[lowviz]

..............are some of you suggesting that he/she then add lead just for the point of being able to have lead to drop?........................

I know you well enough to know that this is a rhetorical question.

Short answer: Hell no. You drop the unnecessary weight and you are in the same place -overly negative.