BCD/WEIGHT is it me or the bcd

[Nephi911]

Ok here is my question, I have a Aqua Lung Dimension i3 which I bought when I started my ow and aow combo class.
I like the bcd, I love the i3 system. I have 20 dives with it. The one issue I have found on every dive is I can not get my weight down with two problems, one I cannot fit enough weight in the bcd and two using the formal 10 of body weight plus 5 pound for salt water doesn't not work.

Example I just did my first ocean dive at casino point. I had to put n 40 pounds of weight and still was fighting to stay down. I only weight 225-230. On all my dives I have to 36-38 pounds to stay under.

I live in Nevada and dive sea base in Grantsville ut a lot. I wear a 7mm wet suite with those dives because its cold. Even when I have worn a 3mm on warmer dives its the same thing.

So far all the instructors I have been with have all said they don't get.

I'm to the point of selling my bcd and trying something else. I can't work on buoyancy control if I cannot get my weight down.

Any help would be great. Understanding I'm new but the it will get better with each dive is not coming true.

 

[fnfalman]

Well, I think that there is something weird about those "automatic transmission" BCs. One of my old dive buddies had one of those i3s and he's as skinny as a rail at 5ft2. Yet it took him 24-lbs to sink. At first I didn't believe him until he showed me that he couldn't make a descend with anything less than 24-lbs of lead on a STEEL tank.

Personally I think that the "automatic transmission" is the devil's work.

Seriously, since that I don't see how you make a descension, I can't tell you if it's your BC or technique that needs improvement. Maybe you unconsciously finned up all the time. Maybe you didn't relax enough and breath like a Hoover. Can't tell without watching you perform a descension.

 

[Nephi911]

Ps:I cannot add a weight belt because of the waist buckle. So that idea is out.

I just don't get it.

Oh yeah a little more about my equipment. I have the ocean reef g series full face mask, I have a aqualung z3 reg as my back up. A puck for my computer

---------- Post added June 28th, 2013 at 12:08 AM ----------

Well, I think that there is something weird about those "automatic transmission" BCs. One of my old dive buddies had one of those i3s and he's as skinny as a rail at 5ft2. Yet it took him 24-lbs to sink. At first I didn't believe him until he showed me that he couldn't make a descend with anything less than 24-lbs of lead on a STEEL tank.

Personally I think that the "automatic transmission" is the devil's work.

Seriously, since that I don't see how you make a descension, I can't tell you if it's your BC or technique that needs improvement. Maybe you unconsciously finned up all the time. Maybe you didn't relax enough and breath like a Hoover. Can't tell without watching you perform a descension.

I do have deep lungs as I just had a PFT done and the doc said I can inhale deeply.

I haven't thought about my feet. I will next time and see if that helps at all. Thanks for the input.

 

[fbk]

Is that 7mm a 2pc wetsuit? Thats a lot of neoprene and you should need only a fraction of that weight in a 3mm so you are trapping air somewhere. Probably in the BC but also the suit.

I am even heavier than you, when I first started diving in a 2pc 5mm with Al tanks and a Jacket BC I needed 24lb to sink. Now I dive a 3mm 1pc wetsuit, steel tank and aluminium backplate and I need only 3lb. in a 5mm its 6-9lb, I've never worn 7mm but I would guess around 12-15lb. 40lb sounds crazy, most people would struggle to even lift that on a belt.

Switching to a BP/W with steel plate will reduce how much weight you need considerably. Steel tanks and thinner wetsuits will help too. See if you can try one out. I'm sure you will get more similar advice.

 

[g1138]

Have you tried deflating through the manual dump?
Those i3's aren't capable of fully dumping ALL your air in every possible orientation. They're limited in that aspect, despite what AL might say otherwise.

If that isn't the problem, then I don't know what to tell you. And I don't know why you can't add a weight belt. It's ok to overlap with your cumberbun/waist strap as long as you can access it. Shouldn't be a problem with the i3, I've done it before when I demoed the BC.

Personally I don't like the system, but it does work for people.

 

[Nephi911]

Is that 7mm a 2pc wetsuit? Thats a lot of neoprene and you should need only a fraction of that weight in a 3mm so you are trapping air somewhere. Probably in the BC but also the suit.

I am even heavier than you, when I first started diving in a 2pc 5mm with Al tanks and a Jacket BC I needed 24lb to sink. Now I dive a 3mm 1pc wetsuit, steel tank and aluminium backplate and I need only 3lb. in a 5mm its 6-9lb, I've never worn 7mm but I would guess around 12-15lb. 40lb sounds crazy, most people would struggle to even lift that on a belt.

Switching to a BP/W with steel plate will reduce how much weight you need considerably. Steel tanks and thinner wetsuits will help too. See if you can try one out. I'm sure you will get more similar advice.

It's a one piece suite. Like I said even the one piece 3mm I'm still in the 30's weight. I'm heading to slc in two weekends and might hit some local shops and see what is my options. I'll try the steel tank I've always used just the regular tanks. Thanks for the input.

---------- Post added June 28th, 2013 at 12:15 AM ----------

Have you tried deflating through the manual dump?
Those i3's aren't capable of fully dumping ALL your air in every possible orientation. They're limited in that aspect, despite what AL might say otherwise.

If that isn't the problem, then I don't know what to tell you. And I don't know why you can't add a weight belt. It's ok to overlap with your cumberbun/waist strap as long as you can access it. Shouldn't be a problem with the i3, I've done it before when I demoed the BC.

Personally I don't like the system, but it does work for people.

I haven't tried to manual dump, I was unaware of that info thanks.

I didn't think it was ok to over lap because of the possibility of getting it tangled with with cumberbun if you needed to dump. I do see your point.

I was thinking of getting a ranger if this bcd doesn't work out for.

Thanks for the input though.

 

[g1138]

Ok I didn't notice your dive count before Nephi911.
First off, you're using a back-inflate BC. You need to lean back on deflate so your dump port is high above you. Often times new divers will go limp when deflating and their back-inflate BC leans forward in the water because of this. So the dump port no longer sits high and you get a huge air bubble trapped in the BC. So lean back and tilt a shoulder up into the air (the side that has the dump port).

Also re-read your book or elearning. There are no regular tanks. There are Aluminum Tanks and Steel tanks. There are Al 80's and St 80s. Different cubic feet of tanks.
HP 100's (high pressure steel)
Al 63's
St72's
the list goes on

This is a big peeve of mine, usually because I've spent long periods of time trying to decipher what some divers are trying to tell me because they fail to grasp lingo and terms.
Being more familiar with these terms and being able to identify equipment will help you in the long run.

For the weight belt, be sure to release and grasp the belt. Then pull the whole belt away from you, clear it at an arms distance before dropping it. If you just pull the buckle and expect it to drop cleanly away, well it may or it may not. So be sure to unbuckle, grap, and clear, before you drop your belt.

 

[PsyWulf]

Would have to seperate these items to try work out where your buoyancy issues lie.
First you'd hop in fresh water with your Wetsuit(s) only and a weight belt and weight yourself to sink to eye level

Next up keep that weight,then with BCD and Cylinder get back in and start adding weight till you can do the same fully kitted. It shouldn't take much more if any for a bcd that's fully deflated to sink with you. Once you've got a clear picture how much weight is needed fully for fresh,you can test salt water by doing the same 2 tests,that way you can determine which component(s) are causing your buoyancy problem

 

[Nephi911]

Would have to seperate these items to try work out where your buoyancy issues lie.
First you'd hop in fresh water with your Wetsuit(s) only and a weight belt and weight yourself to sink to eye level

Next up keep that weight,then with BCD and Cylinder get back in and start adding weight till you can do the same fully kitted. It shouldn't take much more if any for a bcd that's fully deflated to sink with you. Once you've got a clear picture how much weight is needed fully for fresh,you can test salt water by doing the same 2 tests,that way you can determine which component(s) are causing your buoyancy problem

I like this idea and I know of two places that will allow me to do this in a safe setting. The pool where I got my certain at and sea base which has almost the same salt content as the ocean. Thanks for the idea ill let you know what happens.

---------- Post added June 28th, 2013 at 12:55 AM ----------

I know the two type of materials used for tanks as well as the fact that they have different cubic feet. It's 0030 where I live and my brain is shutting down for the night and I took a short cut on the word aluminum 80 by stating regular tank as that is the only type of tank I have ever dived with. I do understand the pet peeve though, I have one with the word clip and magazine for a gun. Clips go in your hair and magazines go in guns....when you have to run extra laps because a guy in your class won't get it right it becomes a pet peeve. I will remember for the next time I have a question, which I'm sure will be soon.

I can tell you right off the back I do go "limp" while trying to descend. Wanting to see where I'm going type of mind set, I will keep that in my mind and roll back at first to make sure all the air is dumped and see how that helps.

I have never used a weight belt or messed with one as my bcd is weight integrated. When I'm back at my lds I will try one in the pool and practice with it to see if that fits my weight needs better.

All good ideas to try. Thanks for everyone who has posted. Looking forward to more info and ideas to try.

 

[PsyWulf]

I like this idea and I know of two places that will allow me to do this in a safe setting. The pool where I got my certain at and sea base which has almost the same salt content as the ocean. Thanks for the idea ill let you know what happens.

---------- Post added June 28th, 2013 at 12:55 AM ----------

I know the two type of materials used for tanks as well as the fact that they have different cubic feet. It's 0030 where I live and my brain is shutting down for the night and I took a short cut on the word aluminum 80 by stating regular tank as that is the only type of tank I have ever dived with. I do understand the pet peeve though, I have one with the word clip and magazine for a gun. Clips go in your hair and magazines go in guns....when you have to run extra laps because a guy in your class won't get it right it becomes a pet peeve. I will remember for the next time I have a question, which I'm sure will be soon.

I can tell you right off the back I do go "limp" while trying to descend. Wanting to see where I'm going type of mind set, I will keep that in my mind and roll back at first to make sure all the air is dumped and see how that helps.

I have never used a weight belt or messed with one as my bcd is weight integrated. When I'm back at my lds I will try one in the pool and practice with it to see if that fits my weight needs better.

All good ideas to try. Thanks for everyone who has posted. Looking forward to more info and ideas to try.

No problem,I've got a Mares Dragon with AT aswell,you gotta be "standing" position for the AT to dump everything effectively. Ocean dives if you are a bit rusty or struggling you can use both a belt with a bit of weight and integrated,rather than lobbing tons of weight into the BCD only. Bit of extra effort but its all for comfort,those integrated pockets can get uncomfortable if the weight you use sits funny or is a bit bulky