Perfect buoyancy

[Altamira]

If you want to add a little more uncertainty into the game, start weighting your dive weights. The results more interesting if you use old or backyard made weights.


Bob

I have a bunch of commercial and homemade 3# weights. None of them weigh exactly 3#. The commercial weights ranged from 2.63-2.92#, and the homemade ones I made in 1965 on my mom's stove were a little worse in range. These are weights that have been pretty gently used since l965 so I can only imagine the range of weight variations on your typical dive boat or shore dive operation where the lead has been dropped and dragged across concrete and rocks hundreds, in not thousands of time. This is one reason I get such a chuckle out of some divers trying to micromanage their weights to the half pound or pound. It reminds me of the old woodworking adage: "Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, and cut with an axe."

 

[Jcp2]

So in essence, it’s better to be nominally slightly overweighted because the real weight is less than the nominal weight, which will result in closer to ideal weight?

 

[CT-Rich]

I have a bunch of commercial and homemade 3# weights. None of them weigh exactly 3#. The commercial weights ranged from 2.63-2.92#, and the homemade ones I made in 1965 on my mom's stove were a little worse in range. These are weights that have been pretty gently used since l965 so I can only imagine the range of weight variations on your typical dive boat or shore dive operation where the lead has been dropped and dragged across concrete and rocks hundreds, in not thousands of time. This is one reason I get such a chuckle out of some divers trying to micromanage their weights to the half pound or pound. It reminds me of the old woodworking adage: "Measure with a micrometer, mark with chalk, and cut with an axe."

Remind me to never A) never loan you equipment, or B) invite you on a boat

 

[CT-Rich]

Or C) eat at your Mom’s house...

 

[Neilwood]

I personally would always aim for slightly negative than absolutely perfect. I can always add a small amount of air to the drysuit/wing to compensate. I really don't want to spend my safety stops trying to fin down or desperately holding a line to stop myself floating to the surface.

Also when using a drysuit it is important to make sure that you can add enough air to the suit to properly loft the undersuit otherwise you will more than likely be cold, miserable and more at risk of DCS (being cold at the end of a dive causes a decrease in offgassing rate).

 

[RainPilot]

Slightly over will always be better than slightly under. The challenge for all of us is finding that given value of "slightly".