dry suit + Halcyon Eclipse + weights = ?

[Doc Intrepid]

Perrone,

Depending on the size of the diver and the undergarment used, as well as type of tanks (and whether single or double), it wouldn't be unheard of.

Both my sons, who are in excellent physical condition and athletic kids (20/21), in full 7mm wetsuits and shorties (e.g. 14mm of neoprene on the torso) w/hoods/gloves and single aluminum 80s, Scubapro BCs, etc. required 30 lbs of weight.

Cold water is definitely a different animal.

Hope you enjoy it!

Doc

 

[MSilvia]

He mentioned, "ACB is outrageously priced"

The steel tank isn't more expensive than ACB?

It's probably a lot more expensive, but that doesn't mean the price is unreasonable. $120 for a pair of weight pockets is highway robbery. $300 for a new steel tank is fair.

 

[PerroneFord]

Perrone,

Depending on the size of the diver and the undergarment used, as well as type of tanks (and whether single or double), it wouldn't be unheard of.

Both my sons, who are in excellent physical condition and athletic kids (20/21), in full 7mm wetsuits and shorties (e.g. 14mm of neoprene on the torso) w/hoods/gloves and single aluminum 80s, Scubapro BCs, etc. required 30 lbs of weight.

Cold water is definitely a different animal.

Hope you enjoy it!

Doc

Wow, ok thanks for the insight guys! Hopefully, I'll be diving dry by that time. I apparently don't get cold easily. I did 3 dives a couple of weeks ago in 56F water with just my 5mm Farmer top and hood. No problems. I'm thinking that with my 7mm bottoms and the 5mm top, I could get away with 6-8 pounds and be comfy in 48-50F water. Any colder than that, and I'll certainly be looking dry.

 

[MSilvia]

Wow, ok thanks for the insight guys! Hopefully, I'll be diving dry by that time. I apparently don't get cold easily. I did 3 dives a couple of weeks ago in 56F water with just my 5mm Farmer top and hood. No problems. I'm thinking that with my 7mm bottoms and the 5mm top, I could get away with 6-8 pounds and be comfy in 48-50F water. Any colder than that, and I'll certainly be looking dry.

That would probably work okay, as I used my "Michelin Man" wetsuit when the SURFACE temps were as low as 45. I think my coldest bottom temp diving wet was 38F.

 

[PerroneFord]

YIKES!!!

Being a Florida diver, those numbers are just PAINFUL to look at!

 

[matt_unique]

As others have said it depends on your rig, suit, and body type. 7mm neo drysuit with neo dry gloves, neo hood, thick winter thermals with a single alum 80 with a 6lb buoyancy shift...40 lbs is not at all uncommon. Obviously you can shave tons off with a SS BP, trilam suit, steel tank, etc., etc.

--Matt

 

[countryboy]

It also depends on the brand of the suit....

I have a 2 piece 7MM neo sport that "requires" 31 lbs of lead (in the pool) to make neutral.. I did this using a mesh gear bag, releasing all air from the suit under water, then kept adding lead to the bag until neutral.. I ran out of lead that I brought and borrowed some from another person...

Saltwater..
My lead was 38 lbs (Using BP/W and the 2 piece 7MM neo sport suit)
My lead was 24 lbs w/ Henderson Gold single 7MM (same BP - Tanks).

So, shedding one layer of 7 MM neoprene and changing makes dropped my weight 14 lbs..(Henderson makes the Neo Sport as an entry level [price] suit.)

That was at the beginning of the summer... Now a few dives later, and a steel LP 108 tank, I only use 12 lbs with the single 7MM.. as per a buoyancy check post my last dive, draining the tank to 400 psi.

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

PerroneFord, for your knowledge there are those of us with less need for lead under water

But you guys are soooo in love with your aluminum tanks, and therefore (in my perspective!) you have to COMPENSATE with a lot of extra lead due to your light tanks. Over here aluminum tanks was something they did back in the 70's, as a result of low dollar and cheap US made tanks. I don't know ANYONE here who uses alu's as anything else than decos. And I tell you I know a lot of divers, being Norway's largest distributor of diving compressors. ("Kompressor", get it?! :14: )

I myself have used a single 12 litre 300 bar tank, empty weight is 17 kilos, BP + 6,5 kilos of lead in salt waters. 6,5 kilos should be about 14,5 lbs of lead. My suit is 7 mm neoprene drysuit with one or two thin layers of pure wool undergarments.

 

[Adobo]

It sounds like there are a bunch of ways to remove weight from your belt and move it to your rig. STA, bolt on plates, pockets that sit on tank bands, etc. By moving all this weight from your belt, aren't you effectively moving weight north? If so, how do you counterbalance to maintain reasonable trim?

FWIW, a little guy like me (5'7", 175lbs) who wears a dry suit and uses a SS BP needs about an additional 16 lbs of weight on my belt here in Northern Cali. My instructor says I could probably drop a little more lead when I get more experienced.

 

[StSomewhere]

He mentioned, "ACB is outrageously priced"

The steel tank isn't more expensive than ACB?

Yeah sure but the steel tank is a much better value than the ACB.