How Much weight???

[kylgod253]

I usually tell people who are just starting to figure 10% of their body weight + 7 lbs.

hope this helps

 

[DevonDiver]

I usually tell people who are just starting to figure 10% of their body weight + 7 lbs.

hope this helps

Then you aren't really doing them any favours...

That'd put me on 26lbs, diving in a 3mm suit in warm water!?! I actually need 6lbs.

There's some really good information shared in this thread - I hope you'll reconsider the recommendations that you 'used' to give people in light of that new information

 

[LanceRiley]

thanks for the info everyone. !

The place I live in is just a few minutes away from the beach.
I usually dive on sundays. that's 2 dives on that day. Im working out a 3rd.. but... i don't think i'll have enough energy to rinse my gear after the dive

since im just starting... i doubt i'll go 6months without diving... so far the longest was 2 weeks. (skipped 1 weekend to be with family) but when I got back... I dived 2 days straight with 2 dives each.

so far. I've been stripping weights. half pound at a time. (i make my own lead weights. I have a welding shop) so far still negatively buoyant at 15feet. but not by much.

 

[Interceptor121]

That's excellent diving in the same gear in the same place will definitely allow you to assess progress

But as I said don't be obsessed do buoyancy checks at the end of the dive every few months or so and try once to get to 30 bars just to be sure you can stay down

More importantly based on your weight start also working on the trim and distribution of weight to facilitate the type of diving you do (wall, flat, droft, etc etc)

Enjoy

 

[diveprof]

I recommend first getting/borrowing some 1 and 2 pound weights. Then at the end of your dive, after your safety stop, when your tank is down to 500 psi (dump air if needed), have your dive buddy begin removing weights in small increments. The idea is to have minimal air in your BC at 15' at 500 psi and be able to hold the safety stop. All that said, what are the water temps where you are diving? Under 82 degrees will find me in a 4/3 or 3/2 fullsuit (if it ain't 98.6 you are losing body heat = increased air consumption, being tired after a couple of dives). This is my practice. I like loooong dives and many of them.

 

[Danielle's_Dives]

The more you dive and gain confidence, the more you trim weights. I was a fatty weight hog 3 years ago and have cut my weights in half in last year alone. Used to have to wear ankle weights for buoyant legs, left them in LDBS last time I was there by the cannon on accident.
Don't get too hung up on what you use, just enjoy the time you get to use the weights.

 

[boulderjohn]

I usually tell people who are just starting to figure 10% of their body weight + 7 lbs.

hope this helps

The only time I have ever needed this much weight was when diving in Puget Sound with super fluffy underwear inside my dry suit. If I am diving in a 3 mm suit I would need about 1/4 of that.

 

[kylgod253]

thats all fine and dandy, but here in the puget sound NOBODY dives less than an 8mm suit.. almost everyone i know dives drysuits..

that said, i'm 180lbs, 10% of my body weight is 18, add an additional 10 lbs and that puts me at 28 lbs. i dive 24 lbs because im usually using a 119hps tank.

i am perfectly weighted for what i ( and everyone around me ) uses.

know your facts before you flame someone.. and perhaps look at a PADI OW manual.. whats funny is I got my info from my instructors (years ago) but its also stated exactly the same in the manuals.

** before someone says something stupid about me being overweighted; with 24lbs, completely deflated, i am usually fighting to get past 15fsw, so no, I an NOT doing any harm in my advise.

Then you aren't really doing them any favours...

That'd put me on 26lbs, diving in a 3mm suit in warm water!?! I actually need 6lbs.

There's some really good information shared in this thread - I hope you'll reconsider the recommendations that you 'used' to give people in light of that new information

 

[kylgod253]

EXACTLY! look where I am geographically.. oh, whats that? the water I dive year round is the puget sound? hmmm... thank you, John- I'm not out giving bad advise... the people who are "just starting out" are usually diving with a two piece 8mm FJ which gives their total core thickness 16mm.. I challenge anyone on here to dive the puget sound with a 3mm wetsuit. out here, we call a 3mm suit a "skin" that goes under our 8.5mm Bare semi-dry suits

The only time I have ever needed this much weight was when diving in Puget Sound with super fluffy underwear inside my dry suit. If I am diving in a 3 mm suit I would need about 1/4 of that.

 

[boulderjohn]

thats all fine and dandy, but here in the puget sound NOBODY dives less than an 8mm suit.. almost everyone i know dives drysuits..

that said, i'm 180lbs, 10% of my body weight is 18, add an additional 10 lbs and that puts me at 28 lbs. i dive 24 lbs because im usually using a 119hps tank.

i am perfectly weighted for what i ( and everyone around me ) uses.

know your facts before you flame someone.. and perhaps look at a PADI OW manual.. whats funny is I got my info from my instructors (years ago) but its also stated exactly the same in the manuals.

** before someone says something stupid about me being overweighted; with 24lbs, completely deflated, i am usually fighting to get past 15fsw, so no, I an NOT doing any harm in my advise.

Before you complain about being flamed, let's look at the sequence of posts in this thread, starting with your first one:

I usually tell people who are just starting to figure 10% of their body weight + 7 lbs.

hope this helps

Then you aren't really doing them any favours...

That'd put me on 26lbs, diving in a 3mm suit in warm water!?! I actually need 6lbs.

There's some really good information shared in this thread - I hope you'll reconsider the recommendations that you 'used' to give people in light of that new information

Now let's look at the OP's opening post to this thread.

How much weights should you have? in relation to your weight?

I weight around 170 lbs. wearing a 0.5mm wetsuit. wearing jet fins (negatively bouyant)

Im using 10 lbs weight. Now dropping to 9.6 lbs. How far can I expect to loose?

is there a percentage?

So now we learn that you were talking about people diving in thick wet suits or dry suits, instead of the OP in a 0.5mm skin, the way everyone else was. How were we to know that? You say we should have looked at your location in your profile. Well, if you looked at the profile of anyone from Colorado, you might assume we all dive in thick wet suits or dry suits, but the fact is 95% of Colorado divers do all their diving on vacations in warm water sites. As for me, my advice was tailored to the OP's situation. I didn't see any point in telling him what I use with a dry suit.

Here is how you might have written your first post to avoid this confusion and your feeling of being flamed.

When I talk with new divers wearing thick wet suits or dry suits, I usually tell people who are just starting to figure 10% of their body weight + 7 lbs.

I realize your situation is not remotely like this, but I hope this helps anyway.​