Weight distribution and the boat crew

[MaxBottomtime]

After pulling someone's gear aboard his boat, my buddy Ross once said that he likes Hitler more than integrated weights.

 

[TSandM]

Most of the places I've dived with a dive operator and off a RIB, we have doffed gear in the water and the crew has pulled it in. When we dive off our own boat, WE pull it in, and we rarely dive doubles off our boat any more . . .

 

[Pavao]

15-20Lbs of lead and a HP 130? No wonder you got back problems.

interesting.... i've got a back-inflated BCD with integrated weights.. but i decided recently to purchase a weight belt to get some of the weight off the rig itself to help protect my back. (between 15-20lbs of lead) and the hp130s, it's more than i want to lift if i can find a way around it, especially gearing up during a shore dive. as it is right now, still benched from actual diving due to a pinched nerve in my lower back. but i can go snorkeling (going end of the month with the manatees) i miss the water

i'm glad that i'm not working as crew on a boat like that... it would give you back issues.

 

[g1138]

A small hand pushing under the tank does a whole lot of help. Just saying.....
It's beats hauling 3 units of gear and a 50lb game bag of coralline cobble stones onto a Gamefisher by yourself. At least you have some stability for leverage on a rib.

Those guys do deserve a pat on the back and a good tip though.

 

[jIM STEELE]

when I dont walk or climb out I pass my game bag weight belt then the weight pockets at last my tank and bc.

 

[TSandM]

Most folks passed up cameras, weight pockets or weight belts, and then the rest of the equipment. I just realized that those of us who attach non-removable weight to our rigs make the guys' jobs harder. I may, on my next warm water trip, try taking lighter fins and putting no weight on the cambands.

These guys deserved, and got, a good tip. They were an amazing crew.

 

[fnfalman]

We were in the Socorros. Mostly, the water conditions were pretty calm, although a couple of days we had some significant chop and wind waves. But it's not a good biomechanical thing, to lean over the side of a boat, grab a heavy weight, and drag it up. Mind you, the crew never said a single word or even had a facial expression that said they didn't like the gear. But I watched how hard they worked to get the bigger tanks (HP 100s and 120s) and the heavier setups onto the boat, and thought I'd at least bring this up for people to think about.

At the risk of sounding callous, but that's their job. They're there for the convenience of the customers, not the other way around.

Tip them well at the end of the dives.

 

[bakodiver391]

You are callous. If you bugger up the backs of the majority of crew, the ship is heading back to port and no one gets to dive. It's a medical condition, and if they are in pain, they deserve the same consideration as a customer. They are, after all, human beings.

 

[btw2459]

When I dive in Scotland of a RIB the protocol is always to pull your weights and hand them up and then take off your BC and help push it up while others on the boat pull.

 

[scuberd]

I'm not working from a Rib, but I'd rather pull up a backplate than a normal BC. BC pockets tend to hold a lot of water that is even heavier than whatever weights have just been pulled out and then they dump sea water all over my feet.

If the crew's standard procedure is to pull up you gear, best just to stand back and let them. They have a system that works and sometimes 'helping' isn't helpful. Every boat is a little different, so let them do what they do and show your appreciation at the end with a nice tip, that means more to them than pulling out your weight pockets