This is why I always recommend doing an in water weight check. No two individuals are exactly alike. Let the ancient yet simple laws of physics tell you what weight you need for any given gear configuration or dive environment. It just cna't get any easier.tparrent:
Weight Suggestions
- Thread starter ScubaKicker
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SparticleBrane:
"Ridiculous" is being severly underweighted and floating on the surface with no way to get down there with all the pretty fishies
I am 6'1" and 255 pounds. That's a lot of non dumpable bouyancy.
I'm not flaming you Sparticle - I'm just saying that everyone has their own needs. As a plump, inexperienced diver my needs are certainly going to be different than yours.
BTW, I am headed to the pool this weekend to do nothing but work on bouyancy control in a 7mm suit. It won't make me perfect but I bet I'll get better and I will undoubtedly be able to drop some weight off the belt.
tparrent,
Is the 7mm suit a one piece or farmer john type?
Is the 7mm suit a one piece or farmer john type?
One piece 7mm. Hood, gloves, big jacket style BC.
In my 3mm hyperstretch I was comfortable with 10 pounds with a (I think) steel 80 (might have been a bigger steel tank). That was at the end of a week's diving vacation and I was tuned in to everything pretty well.
Another day, 18 lbs with a 3mm and an AL80 was right.
In my 3mm hyperstretch I was comfortable with 10 pounds with a (I think) steel 80 (might have been a bigger steel tank). That was at the end of a week's diving vacation and I was tuned in to everything pretty well.
Another day, 18 lbs with a 3mm and an AL80 was right.
I have an old neoprene drysuit that is slightly thicker than 7 mm I'm slightly bigger than you are and when I dive that suit I need 30lbs to be able to do the dive form start to finish. If I go any lighter I can't control the ascent from the safety stop to the surface. In the end it takes what it takes to make the dive.
I don't know anything about your diving history but if you are fairly new or don't get to dive frequently you may expect to lower the weights through experience or more frequent diving. At your size and the gear you are using maybe down to 28 or 30 lbs.
For your Saturday practice session, work on being horizontal which may mean moving some weights around. For bouyancy practice try picking up small objects of the bottom while hovering over them and using your breathing to descend. Good luck and best regards.
I don't know anything about your diving history but if you are fairly new or don't get to dive frequently you may expect to lower the weights through experience or more frequent diving. At your size and the gear you are using maybe down to 28 or 30 lbs.
For your Saturday practice session, work on being horizontal which may mean moving some weights around. For bouyancy practice try picking up small objects of the bottom while hovering over them and using your breathing to descend. Good luck and best regards.
To the OP....
All thngs being equal as you describe I drop 6-8 pounds when making that switch. Depending on your exact suits and the amount of depth the 5mm has seem YMMV.
Leaving 6 pounds off and having a few 2 pounders that you can try handing off at the end of the dive during a buoyancy check would be good. Also ask you buddy to carry a 2 pounder in his pocket in case dropping 6 was too much.
Pete
All thngs being equal as you describe I drop 6-8 pounds when making that switch. Depending on your exact suits and the amount of depth the 5mm has seem YMMV.
Leaving 6 pounds off and having a few 2 pounders that you can try handing off at the end of the dive during a buoyancy check would be good. Also ask you buddy to carry a 2 pounder in his pocket in case dropping 6 was too much.
Pete
With my suits, I see about a -4 lb going from 5 to 3.
For salt, it's a 2.5% change, based on dry weight. If your own weight is roughly 170 - 210 lb, it would likely be about a +6 change in weighting. For someone in the 130 - 170 lb range it would be about +5.
The weight changes add, so for me, a 180 lb person:
-4 (5mm to 3 mm) + 6 (fresh to salt) = +2 lb
I would need about 18 lb.
I posted a link on another thread, today, notes that I put together.
For salt, it's a 2.5% change, based on dry weight. If your own weight is roughly 170 - 210 lb, it would likely be about a +6 change in weighting. For someone in the 130 - 170 lb range it would be about +5.
The weight changes add, so for me, a 180 lb person:
-4 (5mm to 3 mm) + 6 (fresh to salt) = +2 lb
I would need about 18 lb.
I posted a link on another thread, today, notes that I put together.
I'm 6'0 /255 lbs. and carry 26 lbs with my 7 mil farmer john. I only carry 20 lbs. with my Isotherm....
My wife is 5'3/140 lbs and carries 25 lbs with her fj and 18 in her Isotherm...go figure. She is a cork - I'm a rock (or at least that what she says I have for ballast between my ears).
When I look back at my open water cet dives I had 40 lbs - I dropped to 32 when I had my own equipment and stayed there for the year. I started to whittle off the weight with about 25 dives and eventually settled in the 26 lb area with an AL80.
One thing I did notice - if I tried to figure out the correct weight at the beginning of the dive I was always over weight at the end. Now I often have to swim down for the first dive of the day but am OK after that once the suit has vented all the trapped air.
Your doing the right thing practicing bouyance in the pool - if you can master it in 10-12 feet you got it licked.
My wife is 5'3/140 lbs and carries 25 lbs with her fj and 18 in her Isotherm...go figure. She is a cork - I'm a rock (or at least that what she says I have for ballast between my ears).
When I look back at my open water cet dives I had 40 lbs - I dropped to 32 when I had my own equipment and stayed there for the year. I started to whittle off the weight with about 25 dives and eventually settled in the 26 lb area with an AL80.
One thing I did notice - if I tried to figure out the correct weight at the beginning of the dive I was always over weight at the end. Now I often have to swim down for the first dive of the day but am OK after that once the suit has vented all the trapped air.
Your doing the right thing practicing bouyance in the pool - if you can master it in 10-12 feet you got it licked.
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Tparrent said:
"I will never understand how people can say a certain weight is too heavy or too light without knowing anything about the diver's body type/ experience/ skills."
Agree...you gotta do an in water check and allow for the safety stop positive factor. Anything else is approximation and conjecture.
Regards,
"I will never understand how people can say a certain weight is too heavy or too light without knowing anything about the diver's body type/ experience/ skills."
Agree...you gotta do an in water check and allow for the safety stop positive factor. Anything else is approximation and conjecture.
Regards,
OP
ScubaKicker
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Thanks all for the advice. Spent the morning today working on bouyancy and trim. By the end of my first dive I was down to 8 pounds. The assistant instructor from my open water class was there and helped out a lot. It sure is nice to have good instructors. I have to swim down at first but once at depth I had no problems. Safety stop was also went very smooth with about 500lbs of air and an empty bc. Once again thanks to all for the help.
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