Good thread. I just finished my first dive after buying my own equipment and am playing around with my weighting for my set up. 180lbs, 5/4 wetsuit, 80/al tank, freshwater, I used 10 lbs the other day. Could not sink on own and had to "swim down" initially. Dive went well but I surfaced at the end with 1500lbs and once I was topside I was a cork. Had I wanted to I could not have gone down again and I think I would have had a hard time holding a safety stop at 15 had I come up with less air. I was thinking of trying 14lbs next or would I be better just going up 2lbs at a time? I was pretty comfortable at 35feet and didn't need a lot of air in the bc but I did feel pretty light when I came up. Thoughts?
1500 LBS ON AN 80 IS 40 CU FT AIR IS APX 8 LBS PER 100 CU FT
sorry for the caps... i would add 4 lbs do the dive adn then i would see what was needed to be neutral with 4-500lbs in tank. no air in the bc. if you can get neutral in those conditions you are weighted right overall. now it is a trim issue. placement of the weights to allow you to be both neutran and horizontal.
do this in a pool or at a doc with some weights with you to add and remove till you are neutral. when this happens you will be perhaps 6 lbs heavy with a full tank of air.
thisis not the final solution but it should get you close. remember your breathing should allow you to ascend and decend when neut.
good luck.