perils with no dive weight?

[hedonist222]

As a formerly skinny person that was negatively buoyant without weights you will be fine, just make sure your buddy is aware that you do not have or need weights!

Ok
I'll be sure to tell myself

Signed : the solo diver
But the boat captain and dive masters know I don't have weights

 

[Gareth J]

I currently need no weight.
Im as light/buoyant as I can be.
The optimal scenario at the surface.
Why are you suggesting that I add weight?

Can you go over what you posted...

If you are light as you can be then there is little you can do other than accept the risk.

Query,
Without your set on do you sink?
If not, can you reduce weight in your set?
If not, accept the risk.
A crushed neoprene drysuit is more buoyant than a membrane, do you consider changing?

Primarily its about understanding the risk.

I am not saying it's wrong. What I am saying is that when you switch to fixed (unditchable) weight, you have an increased risk.
It impedes the rescuer. They will have to keep you afloat rather than towing you or giving you in water AV.

I don't dive OC anymore. In the old days, I dived OC with no or minimal detachable weight. I accepted the risk.
I now dive CCR, most of the weight is on the unit. I have minimal weight on the weight belt.

The problem is there are too many internet experts that don't understand the consequences of some of there configurations.

 

[AdivingBel]

Not sure what ditchable weights and inflator issues have to do with each other in a tropical environment. IMHO you're weighted properly if you can dive with minimal air in your wing/bcd and still hold your SS at the end of your dive. Ditchable weights are handy if you have a wing/bladder issue on the surface or if you aren't "in control" and others have to keep you on the surface. Might be a different story in cold water, lots of thermal protection, and lots of added weight...don't know, not my type of diving. All IMHO, YMMV.

 

[hedonist222]

If you are light as you can be then there is little you can do other than accept the risk.

Query,
Without your set on do you sink?
If not, can you reduce weight in your set?
If not, accept the risk.
A crushed neoprene drysuit is more buoyant than a membrane, do you consider changing?

Primarily its about understanding the risk.

I am not saying it's wrong. What I am saying is that when you switch to fixed (unditchable) weight, you have an increased risk.
It impedes the rescuer. They will have to keep you afloat rather than towing you or giving you in water AV.

I don't dive OC anymore. In the old days, I dived OC with no or minimal detachable weight. I accepted the risk.
I now dive CCR, most of the weight is on the unit. I have minimal weight on the weight belt.

The problem is there are too many internet experts that don't understand the consequences of some of there configurations.

I swear Gareth I cannot understand your posts.
I understand each word but I have no comprehension of what you're saying.
I appreciate your input but have no idea what you're saying

By set, do you mean scuba gear?
If so, no I don't think I'd sink.

I could reduce some weight by jettisoning the single tank adapter and switching to a plastic back plate. Although I doubt I'd be aiding bouyancy very much.

What membrane are you referring to?

I don't have fixed/unditchable weight.
Unless you consider the back plate or cylinder fixed weight.

 

[Gareth J]

PADI has added the same requirement for the same purpose.

On the other hand, a properly weighted diver with an empty tank at the surface will have a hard time sinking.

I am perhaps more sensitive, having recently debriefed someone who lifted a buddy from 30m (99ft). Having got the casualty to the surface they couldn't inflate the casualties wing and there was no detachable weight. They almost drowned themselves keeping the casualty on the surface. As they said, they where lucky the rescue boat was there quickly, otherwise they would have lost the casualty.

It is about understanding risk on consequence.
I dive a CCR .....

 

[Gareth J]

I swear Gareth I cannot understand your posts.
I understand each word but I have no comprehension of what you're saying.
I appreciate your input but have no idea what you're saying

By set, do you mean scuba gear?
If so, no I don't think I'd sink.

I could reduce some weight by jettisoning the single tank adapter and switching to a plastic back plate. Although I doubt I'd be aiding bouyancy very much.

What membrane are you referring to?

I don't have fixed/unditchable weight.
Unless you consider the back plate or cylinder fixed weight.

Set = cylinder, regulators, backplate and wing
membrane = membrane drysuit which is a thin material with no inherent buoyancy characteristics - e.g. think of a plastic bag.
Crushed neoprene drysuits have inherent buoyancy which is the same at any depth. In comparison to a neoprene drysuit whose buoyancy characteristics, and thermal characteristics change (reduce) with depth (as the neoprene is crushed by the water pressure as you get deeper).

The likes of @Bob DBF will probably have learnt in the days when there where no BCD's (wings). You swam down and you swam up, if you where too heavy, you couldn't swim up!! Being able to float on the surface was important!!

 

[Angelo Farina]

During a dive in summer 2019, my son Giacomo, at the beginning of the dive, had the inflator stuck, continuously filling his BCD. He did simply disconnect the hose (which comes out easily even when air is flowing) and continued the dive without using it.
It is something absolutely NOT risky, and I would not consider it a problem, just a slight inconvenience.
I did dive for 10 years using BCDs which did not have a hose form the air tank. Mouth filling it, when required, is effective and simple. See the Bouee Fenzy in my avatar. It was my friend for years. And before it, simply there was NO BCD. Even simpler, when you need to ascend you simply kick strong enough (with proper fins and proper kicking technique, of course).
Regarding diving with no weights, however, this can be some sort of problem or even a risk, in case you are in a situation when you usually dig your weight belt.
My wife is quite negatively buoyant, so she also does not need any weight when diving with a 15-liters steel (which is the standard tank you find everywhere here in the Mediterranean sea - we do not love the AL80s, it is considered too small for the depth and length of dives which are typical here, always going down to 40m-50m and often with some short deco).
We often evaluated the risk of being unable to get some extra buoyancy by digging the weight belt.
In the end the solution has been to take two counter-measures:
1) she always keeps a plastic bag in her BCD pocket. As Raimondo Bucher always predicated, a plastic bag can be used as an effective help for getting extra buoyancy when needed, for example for pulling some heavy object to the surface
2) she always employs long free-diving fins (Cressi Rondine Gara). My wife is a finned swimming instructor, and she can make good use of such fins for getting a very strong thrust, if required.
With these two simple tricks, she feels perfectly safe even if she has no weight belt to be removed. And she never had troubles related to buoyancy, after she started diving without weight belt.

 

[wnissen]

I currently need no weight.
Im as light/buoyant as I can be.
The optimal scenario at the surface.
Why are you suggesting that I add weight?

Would you go over what you posted...

The question is if you can maintain your head comfortably above the water in a worst case scenario. Being able to swim in a pool when slightly negatively buoyant is one thing, but if you have surface waves, a big tank on your back, and seasickness to contend with, it's not that easy.

To create ditchable weight, you would need to add some buoyancy as well. I would use some closed cell marine foam, such as part of a life vest or a buoy. Then you can put weight into a harness, belt, or ditchable pockets in your BCD. That's similar to what Angelo's partner is doing.

 

[Ayisha]

I currently need no weight.
Im as light/buoyant as I can be.
The optimal scenario at the surface.
Why are you suggesting that I add weight?...

(to another poster)

No, you are absolutely right.

A balanced rig may or may not include ditchable weight. The only time you *need ditchable weight or (redundant buoyancy) is when you are (purposely) diving unbalanced. That may include equipment you can ditch in an emergency, like a can light, scooter, camera equipment, etc.

The issue is likely because your XDeep AL bp weighs 6 lbs. Compare that with the Halcyon AL bp that is 2 lbs or the Steel bp that weighs 6 lbs or perhaps others.

That few lbs that you're overweighted isn't too bad. It should be quite manageable. If you can swim it up from depth without air in your wing when you're in your warm water wear, you should be fine.

You're also right that you don't add buoyant things to yourself in order to require more weight.

Do you have much gas in the wing at your last stop or at 10 feet? Ideally, you want the wing to be empty at 10 feet and still be able to hold the stop and make a controlled ascent.

If you're correctly weighted, the worst you will be at the surface at the beginning of the dive, is neutral. At the end of a dive with a mostly depleted tank, you would be a little positively buoyant, even if your wing didn't hold air. That's exactly what we want.

With some of the advice on having ditchable weight at all cost, you would think that those of us who dive a balanced rig are plummeting uncontrollably to the bottom when we jump in at the start of a dive. Um, nope.

Hope that helps...

 

[hedonist222]

We often evaluated the risk of being unable to get some extra buoyancy by digging the weight belt.
In the end the solution has been to take two counter-measures:

Me unable to attain more positive buoyancy is no different than another diver who jettisoned their weight belt ?

I'm not sure I understand.
In a month, I may be even more negatively buoyant as I won't be wearing a 3mm suit and hoodie & 5mm boots.