Ankle weights with wetsuits????

[RJP]

...without the weights im skydiving the whole time.. i wear my tank purty damn low.. i removed weight out of my BCD when i would wear the ankle weights. Im not sure what else to do to get my feet to go down...

Hmm, sounds like you're properly trimmed WITHOUT the ankle weights, and that with them your feet "go down" into roto-tiller position.

 

[in_cavediver]

Exactly! If it works for you then go for it!

Personally, I always seem a bit bottom heavy and think I need to stick some weight closer to my head (although I was using a steel 120 this summer, and I just bought a steel 119 which is a shorter tank, so I need to check out my trim with that)

If it keep you trim great, if not no biggie! I know a few people that use ankle weights for their own reasons.

Here's another trick an Instructor I dm'd for used. Put a single ankle weight on the tank valve under the reg. It will put wieght right behind your head if you 'butt heavy'.

Remeber, in the end, its all about results and working with the gear you have. Its easy for some to say 'swap out 'this' for 'that' to correct it'. That may be the ideal solution, but when you have 'this' and don't want to buy 'that', other options, even those that may be less ideal are available and equally effective.

 

[shoredivr]

Hi Felon_Monk, I know what you mean about the skydiving feeling.

You could ask a buddy to check your trim from a side view in the water with and without ankle weights. I had someone take a photo of me this summer underwater and it showed me that while wearing the heavy OMS rubber fins and with bent knees, my body trim was pretty horizontal. This confirmed that my underwater "positional" sense was correct for how horizontal I was in the water column.

 

[Damselfish]

lots of people use ankle weights - they're called jetfins ...

 

[CrackedConch]

Could you explain this a bit more?

I dive with a person who has over 10,000 dives, is a leader in the dive industry, is an oft interviewed/cited source on dive related issues, is a contributing author of dive training curricula, is an instructor trainer, has a 3 digit instructor number and he dives with ankle weights.

Maybe I should tell him to take off his training wheels?


Tim

I'm just of the opinion that the better your buoyancy control, the less weight you need. And I'm sure your friend has great buoyancy control and is far more experienced than me. If anybody wants to wear ankle weights, it doesn't mean they are a bad person. To each their own. Everybody has to configure their gear, including weights to best meet their needs. It's just my opinion that ankle weights are generally not needed.

Another contributing factor to the floating legs phenomenon is tight muscles. When you hold your muscles tight, you are slightly more buoyant than when you are relaxed. People in cold water (hence the need for a 7mm suit) tend to tighten up more than in warm water.

Part of the floating feet issue is extra neoprene. A smaller part of it has to do with tight calf muscles. If you slow your breathing and consciously relax your calf muscles in cold water with a 7mm suit, you might find that your body will float more level and natural like in warmer water with a thinner suit or no suit.

It's like someone said earlier--when an ankle weight strap breaks or falls off accidentally, the diver finds out, "Oh, I really didn't need that after all"

 

[Tigerman]

lots of people use ankle weights - they're called jetfins ...

I wear these http://www.affordablescubagear.com/site/748357/product/ISTF2 instead of the jetfins (not bought from there tho)

 

[Buoyant1]

Here's another trick an Instructor I dm'd for used. Put a single ankle weight on the tank valve under the reg. It will put wieght right behind your head if you 'butt heavy'.

snip

That's what I'm going to try if using the shorter tank doesn't seem to help. One of my instructors suggested that ...

I need to go do a weight check with the new gear and if that doesn't raise up the back end, then I'll try the weight on the tank valve.

whatever works!!!

 

[neil]

Another contributing factor to the floating legs phenomenon is tight muscles. When you hold your muscles tight, you are slightly more buoyant than when you are relaxed.

Because......? Is that like when you squeeze the handlebars on your bike, you coast downhill faster?

 

[RJP]

Is that like when you squeeze the handlebars on your bike, you coast downhill faster?

Don't be ridiculous.

You must also go "vrrrrrroooooommmmm" under your breath while squeezing the handlebars!

 

[Grounded]

I like to wear ankle weights with my .5 mm suit.

My booties are 5 mm. Thus, with the unequal distribution of neoprene, my feet are, indeed, positively boyant with respect to the rest of my body.

when I switch to the 3 mm wetsuit, weights at my waist are sufficient.

I would argue that it makes sense to put the weight where the boyancy exists.