Returning to ScubaBoard...and Hopefully Diving

[MidOH]

Warm water divers are already foot heavy, usually. So they avoid the weight belt.

But if thats a good trim spot for you, use one. The less weight on your rig, the easier it is to pick up. I use a weight belt whenever I can.

 

[OMyMyOHellYes]

I stopped by a local dive shop this past weekend and the person running the counter said that weight belts are pretty much extinct industry-wide. When I was last diving, integrated weights were definitely becoming more and more popular but to hear that weight belts are totally gone was surprising. Is that really so?

Depends on who you talk to. I bet if you had stopped in Atlantis Scuba in Southlake (South of Sthlake Blvd on east side of Davis), you would have gotten a different answer. I think (wouldn't swear) that I have heard Kevin say all his OW classes are taught w wt. belts.

BTW, which shop?

 

[rx7diver]

... integrated weights were definitely becoming more and more popular but to hear that weight belts are totally gone was surprising. Is that really so?

I still dive with a weight belt. (After all, we are swimmers first, skin divers next, and scuba divers last, no?)

In fact, I still dive pretty much like I did when I was certified in 1987: Weight belt, tables, analog gauges, etc. Same Scubapro Mk 10 + Balanced Ajustable/G250/D400 regs. Back to using a steel 72 sometimes, my fav. No need to "fix" what's not broken.

Slower ascent rates now, though, for me. And a lift bag. Almost always solo, though, so two complete regs on a Y-valve when diving moderate depths. Double-hose reg for shallow depths.

Simple.

rx7diver

 

[Aquatic Eagle]

Depends on who you talk to. I bet if you had stopped in Atlantis Scuba in Southlake (South of Sthlake Blvd on east side of Davis), you would have gotten a different answer. I think (wouldn't swear) that I have heard Kevin say all his OW classes are taught w wt. belts.

BTW, which shop?

The Scuba Shop in North Richland Hills, an SSI shop.

 

[SlugLife]

Welcome back, I also had a hiatus, not from diving but from this site for a time.
Somethings had changed , like Nitrox is not 'Voo do' gas, you will die etc, solo diving, also you will die.
You may find the people posting more polite than in the past [I did, or is it, with age you care less?].
Enjoy.

These days, it's "you do you man, I call dibs on your scuba-tanks if you drown!"

There are a couple rude people on the board, it's the internet afterall, but mostly people are pretty friendly and very helpful.

I stopped by a local dive shop this past weekend and the person running the counter said that weight belts are pretty much extinct industry-wide. When I was last diving, integrated weights were definitely becoming more and more popular but to hear that weight belts are totally gone was surprising. Is that really so?

Yes/no. Entry level people are often sold jacket-style BCDs with ditchable-weight pockets. More "advanced" divers might go for a backplate-wing setup, dial in their weights, and attach them to their BCD in a way that is not easily-ditchable.

Personally, I have a nylon plate with 6 velcro-pockets that's designed for BPW, and attaches through the typical BPW screw-holes, which also works with my sidemount setup. That carries my "typical" amount of weight that I need on most dives. Even if my BCD tears a giant hole and can't inflate, I can still surface without excessive effort. I also carry redundant-bouyancy in the form of a DSMB. If I was stuck out in the ocean, with too much free-time, I'd probably remove my harness, remove the weights from the back-pad, and put it back on.

However, if I change the conditions significantly from my norm, such as diving in salt-water, double-wet-suit, dry-suit, etc and I don't know how much weight I need, that extra weight is going on a weight-belt. I also use weight-belts when traveling and renting weights.

I have a "weight belt" (just 2-inch nylon and a buckle) in my oversized save-a-dive kit, that barely takes up any space. I don't necessarily expect to need it as a weight-belt, but I could possibly use it for other things like spare webbing, spare buckle, spare tank-strap, etc.