BP/W Weight question

[Ben_ca]

Weight belt.

 

[phoenix31tt]

before getting my bp/w i was just like you. My advice... do not worry about it until you switch and discover how much weight you actually need.

I ended up with pockets, pocket pants etc and now i only use one pocket on my tank strap (non ditchable).

Dive with a weight belt until you dial your weight in and then you'll see what you need

 

[eelnoraa]

Assuming you will be using single tank, my commendation is to split the weight in two places: 1)weight belt. This will be your ditch-able portion. You can easily put 10-12lb there and not affect comfort level. 2)Use Halcyon or XS scuba weight pocket on your cambands. They take 5lb each. Total, that is a lot of weight. I kind don't think you will need that much.

From personal experience, Hollis and DiveRite weight pockets are not good choices if for GUE style of gear config. Main reason is your waist strap real estate is very valueable. You don't want to waste it on bulky weight pockets when it is not necessary. I have used the DR 16lb version before. They are not very secured. a 2lb bullet will slip out unintentionally. I have also used DUI weight harness before. It is a good replacement for weight belt if you need a lot of weight. If 10lb or so is all you need, then weight belt is a lot easily to handle IMO.

 

[Ayisha]

...
3.) It depends on how much weight needs to be DITCHABLE

... If you can't swim it up, then you have too much non-ditchable weight, and you may need to make some of it ditchable.

I thought that GUE doesn't promote ditchable weight anymore in Fundies, but I could be wrong? It seems to now be simply about being correctly weighted and having a balanced rig.

Regarding the op's original question, how much and where any weight will end up being will depend on where it needs to be for each individual to achieve and maintain trim and a balanced rig, as other posters have elaborated on.

Originally I had 2 XS Scuba weight pockets on the upper tank cam band. During the fundies course, the instructor noticed that I was actually head-heavy and was compensating with my fins. He suggested that I put 2 more weight pockets on the lower cam band and split the weight or put all of it in the bottom weight pockets. He came with 2 Halcyon weight pockets at the next class and had me try them on the lower cambands (which are still higher on the body than a weight belt). Sure enough, splitting the weight evenly between the top and bottom cam bands allowed me to achieve and maintain flat trim easily. So, weight pockets on the cam bands would certainly be ok. It all depends on where you need to place your ballast, if any.

If you hover horizontally and neutrally without moving at all and just let your body go where it may, you will feel whether you start tipping in any direction. Let it happen, and you'll know where to move the weight if you start going head or foot heavy. Combined with being able to swim up your rig from depth with a full tank and an empty wing, and holding a 10 foot stop with a nearly empty tank and little to no air in the wing and ascending in a slow and controlled way, you'll have your weighting squared away.

Once you choose an instructor to work with, he or she will guide you through the process and it's recommended to consult them just to be sure before spending your money on extraneous stuff.

 

[rjack321]

For Fundies in a single tank almost everyone is fine with the ~5lb SS plate and the remainder on a conventional belt of lead blocks. Assuming a drysuit or modestly thick wetsuit (5 to 7mm)

If you're in a skin or 3mm wetsuit the SS plate is potentially too top heavy. But Ali plates are super cheap for water that warm.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I thought that GUE doesn't promote ditchable weight anymore in Fundies, but I could be wrong? It seems to now be simply about being correctly weighted and having a balanced rig. . . .

I can't speak for GUE, but based on my perceptions from having taken Fundies, I believe you are correct that they do not promote ditchable weight and that they do promote the balanced rig concept. I don't know what GUE's take is on ditchable weight in general. They do advocate using gear that is appropriate/necessary for the job, so maybe there are circumstances under which ditchable weight is appropriate. (See rjack's post above.) I suspect that if a diver would otherwise need to have ditchable weight when diving in a wetsuit, then the more preferable solution to adding ditchable weight would be to use a drysuit instead of a wetsuit.

 

[KevinNM]

If you need to drop weight to swim up from the bottom you need to have ditchable weight of some sort so you can. Canister lights apparently used to fill that role, but I think batteries have gotten so good so they mostly don't these days.

From fundamentals of better diving

"The diver should be able to drop unnecessary
weight and swim up without a functioning BC. Use of large steel
cylinders indicates an aggressive dive, one that should only be done in a
dry suit, which provides not only good insulation but also additional lift.
As with all diving, the key component to proper buoyancy is diving with
a properly balanced rig."

"As a worst-case scenario, imagine a failure occurring early in the dive
that would cause the diver to have no control over buoyancy; e.g., what
would occur if the air was not tuned on, the BC was not connected
or the BC failed. Here the diver would be weighted down by both the
weight required to offset surface buoyancy and the weight of the gas
in the cylinders. In this situation, the diver should be able to remove
enough weight (in the form of a weight belt or a canister light) to enable
him/her to swim to the surface."

 

[Ayisha]

True, it does say that in Fundamentals of Better Diving. I can't say there was any emphasis at all on ditchable weight in our class - only on being correctly weighted and having a balanced rig, and what that means. In Fundamentals of Better Diving, it summarizes on page 107:

The ideal configuration for a diver is one that, while being as light as possible, allows him/her to remain neutral at 10’ (3m) with a nearly empty set of tanks (to allow for decompression/safety stops). Quite often the only way to ensure this is to incorporate removable weights. Most divers carry this weight in the form of a belt that, in the event of an emergency, can be dropped; others carry this weight in the form of a canister light, which also can be dropped in the event of an emergency.

The bottom line here, however, is that divers should be certain that, without any air in their buoyancy compensators, they are capable of swimming against the weight of their configuration with full tanks and all weight in place. This would allow them to verify that they are able to manage their SCUBA configuration in the event of a buoyancy failure.

bold added