To weight or not to weight

[Fwongwl]

I'm hoping some experienced divers answer your question. My take on it is that it is more important to know your weighting for the end of the dive when you have about 500 psi in your tank and need to hold a safety stop at the 15 ft depth level. You get lighter as your air depletes so you have to have weight to hold you down.

Hi, Betty,
Am just going through the thread. I have had pretty similar experience. Except that when i descend with about 8.8lb (4kg) and zero air in my BC, at the end of the dive i tend to ascend quickly. I think i'm pretty underweight.

 

[Fwongwl]

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.

Hi,
i've been diving in salt water, and have to use about 8.8lb (4kg) to descend, with some difficulty, like really ducked down to sink. but my instructor (two different ones) had thought it's heavy enough. they thought it's my breathing problem. and when i have 500psi and doing my safety stop i tend to float. so it means i'm underweight?

 

[DonH57]

I've always been curious about how weight is figured in and what it's based on. When I did my pool sessions the instructor had my weight belt at about 28 lbs. I had a b+%$& of a time performing the tasks but still got it done. When I did my open water sessions in the carribean where it's sea water the dive master only had me put 14 lbs in the integrated pouches. I had absolutely no problems with controlling my buoyancy to ascend descend or hover. Is it determined on body fat index ?

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I've always been curious about how weight is figured in and what it's based on. When I did my pool sessions the instructor had my weight belt at about 28 lbs. I had a b+%$& of a time performing the tasks but still got it done. When I did my open water sessions in the carribean where it's sea water the dive master only had me put 14 lbs in the integrated pouches. I had absolutely no problems with controlling my buoyancy to ascend descend or hover. Is it determined on body fat index ?

Your body composition and the buoyancy of your exposure suit will determine how much "ballast" weight you need to "sink" at the beginning of the dive, and the amount or air your tanks holds (compressed air has weight that is lost as it is used during the dive) also need to be compendated for.

Lean folks in thin exposure suits will need far less than a person with more body fat and a thick exposure suit.

There are no magic formulas. If you gain or lose a good amount of body weight, or change exposure suits, you need to re-test your weighting.

Best wishes.

 

[DonH57]

Thanks for the explanation LeadTurn.

 

[BettyRubble]

In light of recent local scuba deaths, I'm bumping this.

If you or someone you dive with are diving over weighted, please work on this important issue. Whether it is an insta-buddy on a dive trip, or your usual local dive buddy, please talk about this issue. Getting correctly weighted not only improves the diving experience, it could save a life.

Since I originally posted this thread I have added 110 dives to my experience and significantly dropped weight. My buoyancy is much better, and I actually have trim!

 

[BettyRubble]

Hi,
i've been diving in salt water, and have to use about 8.8lb (4kg) to descend, with some difficulty, like really ducked down to sink. but my instructor (two different ones) had thought it's heavy enough. they thought it's my breathing problem. and when i have 500psi and doing my safety stop i tend to float. so it means i'm underweight?

Not sure if anyone answered your question by PM, so I'll attempt to here.

You could be underweighted. Pay attention to your breathing at the end of the dive. I used to get very anxious at the end because I was scared I would 'cork' to the surface so I found myself breathing more heavily and quickly. This kept my lungs full of air, thus causing me to ascend more quickly.

Now what I do is exhale slowly and deeply as I ascend the last 15 feet (after my safety stop). Then I take in a little breath and let it out slowly as well. Works everytime. I ascend very slowly.

If you try this technique and you still feel 'light', then add 1 pound. Repeating the breathing technique again. If you are still light, repeat, adding 1 pound, until you reach proper weighting.

The veterans will tell you that the best way to do a weight check is to strap on a tank that has 500 psi or less in it, weight yourself, then at the surface if you exhale you should sink slowly. If you sink quickly you are likely overweighted. If you don't sink or barely sink, you are probably underweighted. That is all true and accurate but I find once I have done that, I need the added 'test' of going from 15 feet to the surface in the same light tank to confirm the weighting is correct.

Hope this helps.

 

[jtinagero]

Hi All,
I have almost 15 dives under my belt. I am really messed up on the weighting for proper bouyancy. Part of my problem is the majority of my certification dives were cold water and a 7mm wetsuit. Then I did 2 boat dives in Monterey under perfect conditions and had the lesson that tanks get lighter reinforced...had to work at staying at 15ft stop. Then I went on vacation to Fiji...3mm/steel and 80degree water.
I reduced my weight by 8 pounds... I was extremely worried about my safety stop.
I did lose one weight pocket (forgot about the snap) at 40 feet. I let the air out of my BC and kept swimming....my sharp eyed buddy spotted it...I did not know it was gone.
I think that is telling me to lose half the weight...or at least one pouch worth.
Is the idea not to have any air in the BC at the safety stop depth? And just enough weight to be neutral when the tank is low?
I will be getting a tune up when I dive in August because I have been in the desert since my Fiji vacation. I am also an air hog but one problem at a time.
Thanks,
Jerry

 

[Limoges Diver]

Hi All,
I have almost 15 dives under my belt. I am really messed up on the weighting for proper bouyancy. Part of my problem is the majority of my certification dives were cold water and a 7mm wetsuit. Then I did 2 boat dives in Monterey under perfect conditions and had the lesson that tanks get lighter reinforced...had to work at staying at 15ft stop. Then I went on vacation to Fiji...3mm/steel and 80degree water.
I reduced my weight by 8 pounds... I was extremely worried about my safety stop.
I did lose one weight pocket (forgot about the snap) at 40 feet. I let the air out of my BC and kept swimming....my sharp eyed buddy spotted it...I did not know it was gone.
I think that is telling me to lose half the weight...or at least one pouch worth.
Is the idea not to have any air in the BC at the safety stop depth? And just enough weight to be neutral when the tank is low?
I will be getting a tune up when I dive in August because I have been in the desert since my Fiji vacation. I am also an air hog but one problem at a time.
Thanks,
Jerry

Well, I have just the double in number of dives, and just over a thousand minutes underwater, so I am just ahead of where you are experience-wise if you only look at the numbers.

On the weighting: I was always over weighted after my OW certification dives. I then began to drop the weights, and ended up having a much better time, and much easier to stay trim. As long as I barely float on the surface, and I can easily make myself go down, I think I'm good with the weights. But I always take extra weight with me, and test myself if I'm diving with any variables not mastered before (water temp, salt or fresh, different gear, etc...), and I ask the DM if it's OK to go in first to weight check. They typically like that because it means less chance of an incident for them.

On the wieght pocket: I was diving 3 weeks ago on the Conestoga (a wreck in shallow water - 24ft - in the St. Lawrence River in Ontario), and I lost BOTH my weigh pockets. My dive buddy found one of them, but the other one is lost. I'll try and find it, but I know why I lost them: I just relied on the velcro attachment and not on the clip. Lesson learned! So just remember this: check ALL your clips, straps and velcro strips: lost gear costs money better spent on other gear!

 

[wcbdiver]

yes, you need more weight.