Is remove and replace weight belt at the surface skill out dated?

[Octopusprime]

One of the many open water skills is the "remove and replace weight belt at the surface", Today in the world of integrated weight BCDs Should the agencies remove this skill from OW skills?

I say this as I have not used a weight belt in over 10 years. I totally understand there is still a purpose for a weight belt to distribute weight, non integrated harnesses, or if someone needs more weight than will fit in a integrated pocket. By requiring this skill you are adding a piece of equipment which is another failure point for a new student diver.

Would it make more since to have a buddy team remove and replace an integrated pocket?

Just throwing out the question.

 

[Diver0001]

Not at all. First of all, the skill is to remove and replace the "weight system" at the surface. Anno 2015 people still make exits onto Zodiacs that require this surface skill. Furthermore accident statistics underscore the critical importance of being able to manage your gear on the surface while maintaining positive buoyancy.

To me it would be completely unacceptable to scrap this skill.

R..

 

[Coop42]

I think it should still be there. There are a LOT of non-weight integrated BC's still out there, especially on tourist dive boats. As those divers are most likely to be newbies, the skill of dealing with a weightbelt should still be taught.

 

[Octopusprime]

Not at all. First of all, the skill is to remove and replace the "weight system" at the surface. Anno 2015 people still make exits onto Zodiacs that require this surface skill. Furthermore accident statistics underscore the critical importance of being able to manage your gear on the surface while maintaining positive buoyancy.

To me it would be completely unacceptable to scrap this skill.

R..

Great point returner that it is remove "weight system" at the surface. So if you were teaching an OW course with weight integrated BCD to Non Diver students would you teach removing and replacing the BCD pocket underwater and at the surface?

 

[tbone1004]

agreed, even with BP/W's the belts are valuable tools and much preferred by me for wearing weight than pockets since you can position them a bit better and it doesn't tie up waist real estate.

 

[Diver0001]

Great point returner that it is remove "weight system" at the surface. So if you were teaching an OW course with weight integrated BCD to Non Diver students would you teach removing and replacing the BCD pocket underwater and at the surface?

What I personally demonstrate is the weightbelt because it can be a little more involved, especially if it's heavy. In the voice-over I address integrated BCD's and field questions, but I don't demonstrate it unless asked.

Throughout, I stress how incredibly important it is to be familiar with your own gear and to be 100% sure how to achieve and maintain positive buoyancy.

Look.... realities on the ground are that students are either going to buy or experience (via buddies) just about every variation of "weight systems" on the market if they dive much. The one thing common thing to all of them is that no matter what you can do in your BCD, you can always add a weight belt. There are issues about ditchable weight, trim, buoyancy control etc etc that are all interconnected. These are things you address.

If you zoom out on this skill to helicopter altitude then what are you really doing? You're showing students (a) how to do things in the right order -- ie, weights go OFF first and ON last and (b) that it's important to have complete control over your positive buoyancy. It's sickening to know how many (fatal) accidents happen because a diver was unable to maintain positive buoyancy. You sometimes hear that "buoyancy issues" contribute largely to serious accidents. As a diver you might think "buoyancy issues" means "uncontrolled ascent" and that's part of it, but did anyone ever tell you that most of those "buoyancy issues" happened at or just under the surface?

R..

 

[Storker]

the skill is to remove and replace the "weight system" at the surface.

I totally get the "remove weight system" skill. Without that, it'd be pretty complicated to do the kind of diving I do from small boats (I almost always remove my weights and hand them to the boat tender before getting out of the water). But please enlighten me, what's the important issue with being able to replace your weights at the surface?

 

[Centrals]

I am still using weight belt with BP/W. And I hate to dive with anyone using integrated weight systems because there are so many types out there
Why can't we just keep it simple?

 

[oly5050user]

I totally get the "remove weight system" skill. Without that, it'd be pretty complicated to do the kind of diving I do from small boats (I almost always remove my weights and hand them to the boat tender before getting out of the water). But please enlighten me, what's the important issue with being able to replace your weights at the surface?

so that the diver gets more familiar with their gear and can make weight adjustments in the water if necessary.

 

[TSandM]

I think the "replace weights at the surface" would usually come into play if the diver lost them getting into the water (which happens!). With weight-integrated BCs in Puget Sound, it can be almost impossible to replace a weight pocket while in the water. They are simply too heavy and too bulky.

I know a lot of people who use weight belts. I am among them.