Trim, Buoyancy and Weight Placement

[aviator8]

I never used the integrated pockets. Went straight to a standard weight belt, the rubber kind. I did my rescue diver cert last month and had a hard time getting it off when it was under my crotch strap and had a hard time stripping out of my BC underwater when it was over the crotch strap. I just want to get rid of the weight belt all together and don't want to put the weights on my BC belt. I am very tall so the BC belt rides me more closely to the sternum than my waste.

I see now. If you were leg heavy you could move some weight all the way to the top of your shoulder straps with bungee and still have it semi ditchable. It sounds like you need that weight in your waist area though if you are in trim now. I was going to suggest just putting some smaller xs scuba pockets on the belt. If you dont do the belt or pockets I think you are going to lose the ditchablility. You can put them on a lower tank cam, and as long as you keep it as close to your back as possible and don't have too much weight there they will work. I seriously doubt you could easily dump it though. I found that as little as 4 lbs on my tank cam straps tucked tight to my backlpate would work fine while moving. The moment I would get in a hover and stop all motion I would roll belly up, so I move weights to my shoulder straps.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I see now. If you were leg heavy you could move some weight all the way to the top of your shoulder straps with bungee and still have it semi ditchable. It sounds like you need that weight in your waist area though if you are in trim now. I was going to suggest just putting some smaller xs scuba pockets on the belt. If you dont do the belt or pockets I think you are going to lose the ditchablility. You can put them on a lower tank cam, and as long as you keep it as close to your back as possible and don't have too much weight there they will work. I seriously doubt you could easily dump it though. I found that as little as 4 lbs on my tank cam straps tucked tight to my backlpate would work fine while moving. The moment I would get in a hover and stop all motion I would roll belly up, so I move weights to my shoulder straps.

Maybe more weight at my shoulder trim pockets and less weight on the cam strap. These are all great suggestions and at least now I have an idea of what to try when I get to Isla.

 

[dmaziuk]

I never used the integrated pockets. Went straight to a standard weight belt, the rubber kind. I did my rescue diver cert last month and had a hard time getting it off when it was under my crotch strap and had a hard time stripping out of my BC underwater when it was over the crotch strap.

Did they make you swim around with a 10lb brick? If you didn't have a problem doing that, you shouldn't have a problem with non-ditchable 10lbs. Under normal circumstances anyway.

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

I practice no weight in fresh water. Didn't do the brick thing, no.

 

[dmaziuk]

I practice no weight in fresh water. Didn't do the brick thing, no.

FWIW I have about that much in salt water: ~5lb SS plate and 2x2 or 2x3 lbs on the top camband, none of it ditchable, nothing on the belt. But I do the brick thing in the pool every once in a while, scaring the new student-lifeguards.

 

[Nemrod]

Question for all the trim gurus out there.

I currently use 10lbs total in saltwater. 2 lbs each in my bcd trim pockets (up high on the hydros pro) and two 3 lb weights on my belt.

I have a trip coming up in February and want to try to get rid of the belt (its a pain in the ass with a crotch strap) so I bought a cam band and a couple of weight pockets. My intent is to strap the weights (same 6 lbs total) to the tank (probably closer to the bottom) and see if this effects my trim.

I am having no issues with trim or buoyancy with the weight belt. I am trying this just to get rid of the thing.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

I should add that I typically descend butt first looking through my legs until I am about a body's length from where I want to be and then flip over and hover. This helps with clearing my ears as I can look up easier and stretch out my "delicate" eustachian tubes. Also, since we are tank heavy on descent, this makes it easier for me to sink.

You should have ditch-able weight or at least be able to establish some positive buoyancy independent of your BC unless you have a redundant buoyancy capability that can be QUICKLY deployed and inflated.

The butt first decent, why? I am not understanding that at all. Why not descend in a swimming position (horizontal) in control? That is really a bad habit or worse.

N

 

[rick00001967]

for what it is worth.....sounds like you might be over thinking this a bit. if it was me (but it's not haha) i would put all 10 lbs in the integrated pockets first and then evaluate your trim etc from there. why would you buy a weight integrated bc if you did not intend on using them ? not a criticism, just an honest question.
not gonna get into the whole "do i need ditchable weight" argument but if you have the integrated pockets already, the ability to be properly weighted and stay in good trim, then why would you not carry some ditchable weight ? (assuming it is properly secured and will not deploy inadvertently)
btw....if you are diving wet then imho you should have some ditchable lead. but i know some others will disagree.

 

[LanceRiley]

10 lbs of weight is a lot. I bet if he got a stainless plate 5 lbs and sta1 lb. total of 6lbs... that will probably give him a balanced rig. Add a lb or 2 if necessary. 6 lbs on the tank and thr slightest shift. Can catch you off balance

 

[David Novo]

Moving past the ditchable weight issue (as in, can you swim up with a catastrophic wing failure? Not saying that you can't, 10lbs minus the buoyancy of your compressed wetsuit does not seem dramatic to me), how do you usually place your arms when you dive?

If your new placement affects your trim, you can always place your arms further to counter it. Seems more a question of comfort than trim (that weight is currently on a belt...).