A "weighty" issue.

[Frosty]

My lovely wife is of "reubinesque" proportions. Um she's 5 foot 2 and is well rounded. in a dolly parton kind of way.Which means she's rather boyant naturally.
She was diving with the bottom half of a 5mm 2 piece
She has just completed her padi OW.Early on she dived with a 10kg dive belt but the instructor thought she was overweighted so tried dropping her to 8kg.
This failed so rather than reloading the weights on the belt she put 1kg in each pocket of her BC which are much higher than the belt.
From what I could see and from her comments this made her trim better than all the weight being on the belt so she tried 4kg in the pockets and 6 on the belt. Again she felt better trimmed.
Now heres the questions.
If this really is the case would it be a good idea carrying 4kg in the bc pockets?
If yes then would a couple of lead shot filled "beanbags" be a safer bet.
Is there something faulty in our logic?
The theory being dumping the weightbelt is still going to drop 6kg

 

[znolan]

Typically, (IMHO) a new diver will drop unnecessary weight as they become more comfortable diving. So dive dive dive and perhaps some of that "pocket weight" will vanish.

 

[k ellis]

Agreed with Znolan. In reference to the question though you can place some weight (Very little) in the pockets of the BCD if needed you just need to make sure if you drop your weight or integrated weights they leave you positively buoyant so long as you drop enough to leave you positive you can place trim anywhere. I never recommend doing this but the whole point of ditchable weight is to be able to float to the surface if needed and to be able to float on the surface should you pass out.

As you guys dive more maybe go somewhere safe like a swimming pool and experiment with moving weights around to where you are comfortable and find what works.

 

[melissawest]

I'm the same when I started diving but as I got better in controlling my buoyancy I started lessening my weights too so dive dive dive

 

[g1138]

New divers generally don't know how to position their body in the water to get good trim, this effects their buoyancy. They also prefer to have some feeling of gravity, whether they consciously know it or not. As you wife gets more comfortable in the water she'll drop a few kg's from her setup.

In terms of safety though I would not put anymore than 2kg's in non-ditchable pockets. The only exception to this is if you, as a diver, are confidant in your own ability to remain calm in all situations (something I don't trust a new diver to be able to do) AND you're confident in your ability to swim all your weight and gear to the surface with a fully deflated BC (thinking of a worst case scenario).

The style of weight, whether shot pouches or solid bars, it doesn't matter. Weight is weight, some just may be more comfortable on your hips than others.

 

[knowone]

Hows about utilising weight integration.

 

[jepuskar]

:worthless:

Please post appropriate pics and measurements so we can a precise idea of what we are working with.

 

[TSandM]

If she is close to being properly weighted, then dropping 6 kg of weights should make her reliably positive, especially at the surface (which is where dropping weights is most likely to be useful).

One warning, though -- BC pockets aren't necessarily designed to carry that kind of weight. The material and stitching may not hold up over the long term. And I would certainly recommend using soft weights, if at all possible.

 

[tyesai]

:worthless:

Please post appropriate pics and measurements so we can a precise idea of what we are working with.

Beat me to it!

 

[kmurray719]

One warning, though -- BC pockets aren't necessarily designed to carry that kind of weight. The material and stitching may not hold up over the long term. And I would certainly recommend using soft weights, if at all possible.

I assumed he was talking about trim pockets on the back/top of the BC, in which case they ARE designed for carrying weight.

I am also a "rubinesque" and well endowed diver. My "PFD's" necessitate carrying a decent amount of weight on my back (trim pockets, steel tank) to maintain horizontal trim. There's just too much "floatiness" in the front that causes a heads up/feet down position without it. Your wife will most likely drop some of her overall weight required as she gains experience, but she may always need some in the trim pockets.