Fyffer
Contributor
Holy **** that a ton of lead. I’m new ans with a trilam drysuit with lots of floaty layers under neath I have 42lb including my sta ans plate which is 12lb So 30 lbs lead. This is with alum 80 in ocean. Hope to drop 4 pounds more.
Shed lead , New tanks
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It has been a long time since I have dived with a drysuit and an AL80. When I did, it was with a Whites Fusion. With a backplate, I used 16 pounds.
The undergarments you use make a huge difference. When I dived in Puget Sound and used a thicker undergarment, I used a lot more, but I don't recall how much more.
I am finding it very hard to believe you need that much. How much air do you have in the suit?
You dive with your lift bag pre inflated? I'll bite, whats the catch here?
OP
Diesel_Diver
Contributor
No catch, seriously. I guess I am really buoyant lol. It’s funny when I go south in a 3 mm shorty I use 16# with an AL80. How in cold water it’s 61. Water temp is low to mid 30’s right now. A good summer day you might hit high 30’s. Wear a 4 mm neoprean suit with fourth element artic underwear. And a pair of wool socks. Even when I dove a 2 pc farmer John 7mm I was in the low 50# range.
OP
Diesel_Diver
Contributor
Very little at the start . I burp the suit properly . Just add enough air to take away the squeeze. I use a vest style BCD for buoyancy.
Back to the OP: I switch occasionally between AL80 and a steel 120. "They" say add 4 pounds. I find I need 5 pounds.
@Diesel_Diver : Wow. I go 26 pounds in a drysuit (neoprene, wearing sweats and a base layer, wool socks) with a 120, 31 pounds with an 80.
@Diesel_Diver : Wow. I go 26 pounds in a drysuit (neoprene, wearing sweats and a base layer, wool socks) with a 120, 31 pounds with an 80.
CT-Rich
Contributor
You may want to avoid the bean burritos for 24 hrs before diving...
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That's nearly twice of what I'm carrying (belt plus non-ditchable) and about three-quarters of the total weight of my rig. And that's in a trilam with a really cosy, thick undersuit. In a 4 mil neo with just a thin wool layer underneath, I carry exactly one fifth of what you're carrying.
So yes, that sounds like a tad much to me, too. Even if my tank is a 10L 300 bar steel, which subtracts some 6 or so kg (13#) from my belt compared to if I were using an Al80.
key: + = positive buoyancy, - = negative buoyancy
Faber 133: empty = +1.45, full = -9.08
Catalina c80: empty = 0, full = -5.8
Catalina s80: empty = +4.1, full = -1.6
You need to be neutral holding a safety or deco stop at the end of the dive when the tank is near empty. Assuming you were neutral using the Catalina cylinder then your difference in lead weight will be the difference between the empty weight of the two cylinders. If you were using the c80 the difference is +1.5 so add 2 lbs of weight. If you were using the s80 the difference is -2.6 so remove 3 lbs of weight.
Faber 133: empty = +1.45, full = -9.08
Catalina c80: empty = 0, full = -5.8
Catalina s80: empty = +4.1, full = -1.6
You need to be neutral holding a safety or deco stop at the end of the dive when the tank is near empty. Assuming you were neutral using the Catalina cylinder then your difference in lead weight will be the difference between the empty weight of the two cylinders. If you were using the c80 the difference is +1.5 so add 2 lbs of weight. If you were using the s80 the difference is -2.6 so remove 3 lbs of weight.
KentB
Contributor
Jesus.
I’m 260 and floaty..... like I could fall asleep in a pool and not drown.
Even with my drysuit and thick undergarments and 2al80 and a al40 all at 500 psi I use 45 lbs and that allows enough air in the suit to not squeeze me at last stop. I can make due with 42 lbs but the suit is really uncomfortable tight. The comfort I get from the extra 3 pounds is worth carrying it
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