Underweighted Divers?

[1_T_Submariner]

Over the last year I have went on dive trips that involve diving with others instead of just with people that I share common background and training.

I have noticed that there seem to be a lot of Moderately experienced divers that are underwieghted and have a very difficult time doing a safety stop. Through a few conversations with them about weights and weighting it seems there is a push to carry as little weight as possible.

So how close do you like to be to neutral with an empty tank (for the sake of disscussion 500 PSI is empty)?

The proper way to do a bounancy check has been beat to death so that's not really what I'm looking for.

I'm really curious if anyone else is noticing this and I actually feel it is more dangerous to be underweighted than it is to be slightly overweighted. I'm talking more like 1-2lbs over instead of 1-2lbs under. I just feel as I have more control If I don't have to hold on to something or swim down to maintain a safety stop.

 

[warmwaterturner]

Got to agree with you. I have seen lots of discussion about diving with minimal weight - almost to the point of a religion or some sort of minimalist zen perspective. On the otherhand, learning to properly approach a safety stop is a technique that really, really needs to be mastered for the safety of the diver. That being said - I agree - at the beginning stages of diver training I would prefer to see a diver being slightly overweighted than under. It is a whole lot easier to control the "sink" by adding air or dropping weight than stop the out of control ascent.

 

[diver 85]

Ask Mike Nelson if it's better to be too heavy or too light.....That sucker got tree trunks outta that series(ie-I've been DVR-'ing Seahunt, THIS TV network, for a while now)------You have to remember, he was my hero as a youngster in the 50's & enjoy watching the shows as a diver now......That fella also churned up the bottom quite a bit from being so negatively buoyant----but----never shot thru any safety stops-----lol, what's a safety stop he said......

 

[crogue]

I agree completely with the premise that divers should not be underweighted. I make around 90 ocean dives per year and it has been my observation, however, that most divers are over weighted. Seems like the first clue is that their trim tends to go toward the vertical. I suspect that the problem on both ends of the spectrum is that divers, in general, do not try to fine tune their weighting and just know approximately how much weight they need. When the dive master is passing out weight and asks how much each diver needs, only a few know exactly how much they need.

 

[chrpai]

The most I ever overweight myself is about 5lbs when I'm doing a shark dive on BlackBeard cruises. You want to be a boat anchor to make it easy to sit on the sand during the show.

Otherwise I try to be right on the numbers for my weighting. 1-2 lbs overweight is fine.

Then I turn my attention towards where to put the weight.

 

[Fishpie]

I always try to dive with as little weight as possible....and advise others to do the same.
Obviously, enough is being able to hold a 10' stop with empty tank(s)......no need to carry any extra.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

So how close do you like to be to neutral with an empty tank (for the sake of disscussion 500 PSI is empty)?

The proper way to do a bounancy check has been beat to death so that's not really what I'm looking for.

For me, the answer to your question is +/- 2 lbs. from neutral using my weight check method. You mentioned not wanting to talk about the method of the weight check, but it does influence whether one will be nearer the "slightly heavy" or "slightly light" side of the properly weighted spectrum. In the highly unlikely event that I'm feeling a little light during a safety stop (forgot trim weights?), I can run less air inside my drysuit and just change the way I breathe.

When I've witnessed moderately experienced divers (50 lifetime dives?) having issues holding a safety stop, it's been because they completely neglected to do a weight check. When questioned, they explain that they didn't do a weight check beforehand because they always do one with an empty tank...and an empty tank wasn't available at the time.

In my diving both locally and abroad, I haven't seen too many underweighted divers. Then again, it sounds like you dive with strangers more often than I do. On a few occasions, I have overheard a boat DM asking customers how much weight they need...and the customers answer by asking a question of their own: "How much do you think I need?"

 

[1_T_Submariner]

I always try to dive with as little weight as possible....and advise others to do the same.
Obviously, enough is being able to hold a 10' stop with empty tank(s)......no need to carry any extra.

When you advise others to dive with as little weight as possible do they end up blowing their safety stop occasionally or have to hold onto a line or hang bar?

Or have a hard time staying down torward the end of the dive?

 

[TSandM]

I had an eye-opening experience several years ago, when I ran into an equipment issue at about 90 fsw that took considerable time to solve. We ran right up against NDLs, and worse, ran right up against gas limits. At the end of the dive, I had shot a bag, and was trying to keep a little downward tension on the thing to keep it standing upright, but I was below 500 psi by a little bit and was light, so I had to swim downward the whole time. The conclusion I came to was that I wanted to weight myself at least 2 lbs heavy at 10 feet with 500 psi, so that I would not face that issue again.

Diving doubles has taught me that being a bit heavy is quite manageable, if the weight is balanced and the diver's awareness is good. Being too light is something you can't fix with technique, so I'd rather avoid it.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

For me, the answer to your question is +/- 2 lbs. from neutral using my weight check method. You mentioned not wanting to talk about the method of the weight check, but it does influence whether one will be nearer the "slightly heavy" or "slightly light" side of the properly weighted spectrum. In the highly unlikely event that I'm feeling a little light during a safety stop (forgot trim weights?), I can run less air inside my drysuit and just change the way I breathe.

When I've witnessed moderately experienced divers (50 lifetime dives?) having issues holding a safety stop, it's been because they completely neglected to do a weight check. When questioned, they explain that they didn't do a weight check beforehand because they always do one with an empty tank...and an empty tank wasn't available at the time.

In my diving both locally and abroad, I haven't seen too many underweighted divers. Then again, it sounds like you dive with strangers more often than I do. On a few occasions, I have overheard on a boat DM asking customers how much weight they need...and the customers answer by asking a question of their own: "How much do you think I need?"

Thanks for the insight. I have only started noticing this in the last year as I've been diving with strangers a little more.

When I wear a Drysuit the air consumption bounancy change is a far less percentage of the weight I'm diving with. Ok example My 120 holds about 9 lbs of air I usually have 32lbs of lead plus my steel tank. So it's unlikely I'll be a light. I've never seen anyone underweighted in a drysuit.