Weight belt vs. BC integrated weights in an emergency

[Dsix36]

Another aspect of the weight belt vs. integrated weight is what about gear removal underwater. With a weight belt you will stay negative when you remove your BCD and replace it. with your weight integrated into your BCD, you will become very buoyant when you remove it and if you loose your grip on it you will pop to the surface like a cork.

Either will work, but make sure that you are familiar with all the safety drills and able to perform them with your setup.

 

[Glenn08]

I prefer all my weight to be on a belt. In an emergency I do not want to be pulling weights from 2-4 different locations that are secured by different means. I want to release one buckle and have it all gone as simply and quickly as possible. Another advantage to having your weight on a belt is if you are left behind by a charter you can attach a reel to the belt and drop it so you are anchored in the first place someone will come looking for you.

I prefer shore diving, but being able to use your weight belt as an anchor is an interesting option.

 

[DivemasterDennis]

First, I second everything Pocky21 said. Now as to weight system preference, I prefer integrated weights, and I find they are easily release. A weight pocket costs more to replace than a weight belt, but each is of no value compared to a life. Also, pulling one at a time is a desirable alternative to dumping both if one will do. Pre dive briefing and buddy check is the time to not only discuss but demonstrate pocket removal and replacemenT - and double check the pocket is securely replaced after the practice or demonstration.
DivemasterDennis

 

[TSandM]

In the single and unusual case you posit, and assuming that I decided to intervene at all (and the liability risks of doing so have already been pointed out), I would prefer integrated weights, so that I could jettison only part of the ballast the diver is carrying.

In general, I am not a big fan of integrated weights. Here in Puget Sound, you are asking a lot of a clip or other connection system, to hold sometimes 15 pounds or more securely and still let go of it when needed. Lost weight pockets are pretty common around here -- much more common than events where a diver needs to drop his weights.

 

[nadenal]

Thank you all for your insights. I am trying to learn all I can from incidents I read about online so I can apply that to my own diving. Personally I am setup with integrated weights dialed in for freshwater then just adding a weight belt for going to saltwater.

 

[uncfnp]

Another aspect of the weight belt vs. integrated weight is what about gear removal underwater. With a weight belt you will stay negative when you remove your BCD and replace it. with your weight integrated into your BCD, you will become very buoyant when you remove it and if you loose your grip on it you will pop to the surface like a cork.

Either will work, but make sure that you are familiar with all the safety drills and able to perform them with your setup.

As I have said in another thread, if your system allows, it is possible to remove one or both pockets of an integrative weight system and hold or tuck them into your wetsuit. Then remove BCD, do what needs done, redon and replace weights. Not graceful but doable.

 

[TMHeimer]

I agree with most posts. The big thing of course being you & your buddy know what each other has. I use suspenders for the belt, so it would be considerably more difficult to remove than a normal belt. But I either have 20 pounds in the BC or all of it in the BC if diving warmer water. Dropping the BC weights should be plenty. When buddy diving I always make dead sure the buddy knows exactly how to release the pockets. To actually answer the question, I'd say there is a slight advantage in releasing a belt, since most of us first learned how to do that and all belts buckle the same. Once in a blue moon your buddy might simply forget what you told him about the pockets and panic himself.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

The initial scenario of a diver hell bent on death, swimming straight down into the abyss is a bit extreme and I doubt any of us will be presented with it but.... in that case, how the heck are you gonna swim down, match their speed, work while upside down and ditch their lead? Dragging them up forcibly by use of excess buoyancy is more practical, and is probably a better option because you can recover from it. Once you drop significant weight off them, they are pretty much constrained to an accelerated ascent all the way to the surface and if they went very deep, they are likely to be injured.

Advanced scuba hunters do a similar (dangerous and not recommended procedure) of using excess lift from their BC to drag a large speared fish up from the depths as it swims down with 30 or more lbs of force downward. This idea is not that outrageous, but it really should be reserved for true emergencies, not to salvage a speargun and fish that was shot poorly.

 

[Hatul]

It's generally not a good idea to carry a lot of weight either in a weight belt or in integrated pockets as it leads to problems with trim as you turn in the water and the center of lift is away from the center of mass. Better to distribute weight with tank band trim weights, steel tank and or back plate, while still having reasonable ditchable weight. It's also safer if you do have to ditch the weights underwater-- best to drop a little at a time.

A better way to deal with runaway negative buoyancy is inflating the SMB which can add 20lb or more of lift.

 

[Steve_C]

Another aspect of the weight belt vs. integrated weight is what about gear removal underwater. With a weight belt you will stay negative when you remove your BCD and replace it. with your weight integrated into your BCD, you will become very buoyant when you remove it and if you loose your grip on it you will pop to the surface like a cork.

Either will work, but make sure that you are familiar with all the safety drills and able to perform them with your setup.

I wear dive shorts with large pockets since I prefer those pockets to the ones in my BCD. You just remove the weight pockets and put in shorts pocket. Take off gear. Put gear back on and return weight pockets to BCD. I did it two weeks ago in a quarry and it worked like a charm.