weight belt placement

[jaymal]

I am sure this has been asked before but I have had some problems with placement of my weight belt. I had read somewhere on scubaboard that is is best to put your weight belt on and then the BC. Makes sense. The problem is when I need to ditch the weight belt. By ditch I mean take it off and hand it to the waiting hand on the boat. In some rough seas I released the weight belt and it didn't budge as the hog harness and crotch strap had held it in place. I eventually had to release the harness as well to get the weight belt loose.

Should the weight belt be put on over the harness? So after I put the BP/Wing on? That doesn't really make sense but I don't want to spend a minute struggling to get weight belt loose from the harness.

Thanks for your input Tobin.

Jeremy

 

[Rainer]

Most of us diving this configuration have the weight belt UNDER the crotch strap. This will increase the chance of not losing the weight belt in case in comes loose. Not a guarantee, but at least it might get hung up on the crotch strap.

How much weight do you have? I've NEVER taken off my belt before climbing onto a boat.

If you did need to ditch it, just undo the crotch strap first.

I am sure this has been asked before but I have had some problems with placement of my weight belt. I had read somewhere on scubaboard that is is best to put your weight belt on and then the BC. Makes sense. The problem is when I need to ditch the weight belt. By ditch I mean take it off and hand it to the waiting hand on the boat. In some rough seas I released the weight belt and it didn't budge as the hog harness and crotch strap had held it in place. I eventually had to release the harness as well to get the weight belt loose.

Should the weight belt be put on over the harness? So after I put the BP/Wing on? That doesn't really make sense but I don't want to spend a minute struggling to get weight belt loose from the harness.

Thanks for your input Tobin.

Jeremy

 

[cool_hardware52]

Rainer nailed it.

Tobin

 

[spectrum]

I think Jeremy was asking about the waist strap as much as the crotch strap. If the weight belt is up on one's hips can the waist strap of the harness and the plate it's self be high enough for the weight belt to be unencumbered?

The concept of removing a weight belt prior to boarding is not uncommon.

 

[cool_hardware52]

I think Jeremy was asking about the waist strap as much as the crotch strap. If the weight belt is up on one's hips can the waist strap of the harness and the plate it's self be high enough for the weight belt to be unencumbered?

The concept of removing a weight belt prior to boarding is not uncommon.

If you are wearing the weight belt under the harness (that's what I do if I'm using a belt) then it will be necessary release the crotch strap, and the waist belt. Opening the waist belt buckle on the harness does both.

Tobin

 

[Tortuga68]

I only dive warm water so I don't use a weight belt

But placing the weight belt over the crotch strap is going to restrict the movement of the crotch strap, so I'd agree with the above posters

Another option may be to use integrated weight pouches (eg like those made by Halcyon)
on your cam bands (non-ditchable) or waist belt (ditchable), instead of a separate weight belt

It can also assist with your trim

 

[jaymal]

I was diving in the sea of cortez and so only had 6 lbs of of weight on the belt. More times then not I needed to remove the weight belt and BP/Wing before climbing aboard the panga. If the boat you are diving off is only 12' long and bobbing in the ocean like a donkey with a scratch then you need to remove all your gear before scrambling aboard the panga.

I was just under the impression that once I release the weight belt it will come loose if I wiggle a bit. That is not the case and so was curious if I had something misconfigured. As long as I understand that the crotch strap will prevent the weight belt from coming loose then it is not a problem. Although, on one reentry I was a little hesitant to so quickly release the harness as the waves were a bit rough and the crotch strap does a wonderful job at keeping the wing close to the body and I didn't want to be holding onto multiple items (weight belt and B/P) while waiting for the panga to swing back to pick me up.

Back here in California probably 90% of my diving will require me to release my weight belt and remove the BP/Wing before getting back in the boat or kayak. The ability to climb aboard a boat with your weight belt and gear still strapped on requires a bigger boat then the ones I *normally* will be on.

Thanks for all the info. I will likely be looking into getting a weight harness from DUI or equivalent sometime in the future.

Jeremy

 

[tc_rain]

Since I am not a big fan of weight belts, I threaded two XS Scuba weight pouches on the waist strap of my hog harness and secured their position with weight keepers. Each pocket can hold up to 5lbs each. If I need more weight then that, I use the DSS weight plates which give me an approx 9lbs additional. The weight plates are not dumpable but the weight in the pouches are. You just need to unvelcro the pocket and push the weight out through the top by pushing on the bottom of the pouch. This set-up works great for me.

This way you could just dump the BP/W with weights as one whole unit in the water and then climb aboard your boat. Once in the boat retrieve the scuba unit as a whole.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Since I am not a big fan of weight belts, I threaded two XS Scuba weight pouches on the waist strap of my hog harness and secured their position with weight keepers. Each pocket can hold up to 5lbs each. If I need more weight then that, I use the DSS weight plates which give me an approx 9lbs additional. The weight plates are not dumpable but the weight in the pouches are. You just need to unvelcro the pocket and push the weight out through the top by pushing on the bottom of the pouch. This set-up works great for me.

This way you could just dump the BP/W with weights as one whole unit in the water and then climb aboard your boat. Once in the boat retrieve the scuba unit as a whole.

Minor point, the DSS weight plates are per pair, 6.4 lbs (small plate), 8.1 lbs (medium and large plates) and 9.8 (Long Pattern plate)

I need to point out that moving ballast from a weight belt to the harness of a back plate and wing can have unexpected impacts.

The wing needs to be able to float the "rig" at the surface with a full cylinder if the diver ditches it, or wants to don their gear in the water.

Every lbs of ballast moved from a weight belt to the rig increases the load the wing has to support if the rig is ditched.

Placing all of the required ballast on your rig can require a larger wing than is necessary if a belt is used for some portion.

Example:

Configuration: 7mm wetsuit that is 19 lbs positive, Steel HP100, Medium SS Plate and harness.

The maximum negative buoyancy of the "Rig" , with a full tank will be about -18 lbs.
The plate and harness is about -6, the reg is about -2 and a full HP 100 is about -10.

With an empty tank the rig will provide about 10 lbs of ballast. If the suit is +19 the diver will need another ~9 lbs of ballast.

If this ballast is in a weight belt the diver can use a 20 lbs wing. 20 lbs is enough to float the rig which is -18, and 20 is enough to compensate for a full compressed wetsuit which can loose no more than the 19 lbs it starts with.

If OTOH, the additional 9 lbs is attached to the rig it will now be 18 + 9 = 27 lbs negative. A 20 lbs wing is no longer enough. A 30 lbs wing would be required.

Back plates (and bolt on weight plates) offer the advantage of reducing the amount of ballast carried in a weight belt, but I do not recommend that cold water divers place 100% of their ballast on their rig.

A 16, 18, 20 lbs weight belt can be uncomfortable, and hard to keep in place. A 4-8 lbs belt is much more easily managed.

Tobin

 

[tc_rain]

I tried the weight belt and it was just not as comfortable as the weight pockets. I realize the belt is actually the better option but I like the pockets better. I have also dumped the rig in the water to don it and it easily floats with all weight attached. I do have the med plates so I guess it is an additional 8.1 lbs. All said, I do really like the DSS rig; the quality is outstanding. From the smooth edges of the plate to the heavy gauge of buckles and keepers, I am very satisfied. The only thing that does get slightly bothersome on occassion is the short inflator hose. The control valve hits me on the chin every now and then when I turn my head. An inch or so longer and it wouldn't.