Drop the freaking weights!

[MXGratefulDiver]

I saw a great example of this while watching a mainstream diving agency's Nitrox training video. I found it difficult to pay attention to the Nitrox info because of the subtle, but significant, head up trim and consequent sinking every time the diver(s) stopped fining.

Those videos are great training tools ... every time I show one I'll stop at certain points and tell my students "I do NOT want to see you diving like this" ... and then tell them why ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[raftingtigger]

Those videos are great training tools ... every time I show one I'll stop at certain points and tell my students "I do NOT want to see you diving like this" ... and then tell them why ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Off topic, sorry. It still galls me to "have to" buy said video and the book (pamphlet really) for an exorbitant amount and not even have a Nitrox NDL chart or even a picture of same in the package.

 

[scubamama]

I agree totally with "drop the freaking weights! Only thing I can think of is a panic situation or a medical/health problem. Don't know what the depth was but there's also shallow water blackout, N2 narcosis and O2 toxicity? I hope the real reason this diver lost his life is discovered so we can learn from it. In the meantime, condolensces to him and his family.

 

[Rich Keller]

Don't disagree with the premise, but in this case ...

1. You're suggesting that not ditching weights had anything at all to do with the fatality ... which is pure speculation ... and ...
2. The person in the incident was not in any way associated with "Kool-Aid" or "holding a perfect hover" ... which makes your whole premise nothing more than yet another dick-pulling exercise.

Why don't you try, instead, to make your point without either leaping to unsubstantiated conclusions or finding some way to blame it on some other group of divers that you don't like?

... and FWIW ... this isn't the 1970's ... there are way more choices than weight belts which are equally practical in most recreational diving situations ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

As I said in post #6 I was not referring solely to that incident but to dropping weights in general. Though that incident did prompt this thread. If I wanted to make this point about that incident I would have done so in the thread started about that incident. There is NOT a group of divers that I do not like just because we do not agree on everything.

---------- Post added October 17th, 2013 at 05:52 AM ----------

Is it because some anonymous person in an internet discussion said so?

So I should ignore all the people on SB or just the ones who do not agree with you?

 

[Akimbo]

… I dropped my weight belt because I had one trick left and if that didn't work panic was my next option, so I dropped the belt before my last trick. Also, I've been so vocal about dropping the belt, I didn't want to get caught dead with my belt on...

Divers found dead with their weightbelt on is evidence of the most rapid acting form of lead poisoning known to man.

 

[fisheater]

Divers found dead with their weightbelt on is evidence of the most rapid acting form of lead poisoning known to man.

Tragic, no doubt. But the gunshot version of "lead poisoning" is even faster.

 

[Skittl1321]

My buddy recently had to ditch a $10,000 rebreather when the wing failed on the surface and all his lead was bolted to his backplate.

Wow, does insurance cover that?

I have to think deceased divers found with weight belts didn't not ditch them due to cost, but instead realizing too late they should have, if there was even a chance to realize that (most medical related deaths don't seem to give you the option). We were taught ditching weights is a last resort (very very last resort if you aren't on the surface). It is difficult to realize the extent of the emergency if it is now 'last resort' or think there is still something you can do, and then you can't really rethink the decision after you are dead.

 

[Akimbo]

Tragic, no doubt. But the gunshot version of "lead poisoning" is even faster.

I stand corrected.

 

[Rich Keller]

Wow, does insurance cover that?

I have to think deceased divers found with weight belts didn't not ditch them due to cost, but instead realizing too late they should have, if there was even a chance to realize that (most medical related deaths don't seem to give you the option). We were taught ditching weights is a last resort (very very last resort if you aren't on the surface). It is difficult to realize the extent of the emergency if it is now 'last resort' or think there is still something you can do, and then you can't really rethink the decision after you are dead.

I do not think too many people worry about the cost but some might hesitate if they are worried about what others might think of their skills after the fact. In my opinion if your are thinking about dropping your weight belt and you still have not done it yet then you may have waited too long already. This is a last resort so waiting even a few seconds when you may only have a few seconds left could be a huge mistake.

 

[t4e]

if it wasn't for integrated weights i would have never been comfortable in the water...weight belts are extremely uncomfortable, at least for me

i do agree on one point tho, i've seen a lot of people commenting that they wouldn't ditch the weights because they are expensive, or such and such dive shop would charge them an arm and a leg to replace or that pockets are expensive, $30-50...my question to them would be "that's all your life is worth?"...i'll ditch the whole gear if my life depended on it