Weighting question

[oszillodrom]

Hey guys,

I'm a recreational warmwater diver with 180 dives, starting my route to divemaster soon. I'm 30 and physically fit.

I am extremely foot-heavy, so after some experimentation I have found that I'm happiest with my horizontal trim with 2.5 kg on my tankband and 1 kg on my belt when wearing a 5 mm wetsuit that I have done about 80 dives with. I already have the lightest fins that I'm happy with.

What do you think of this configuration? My concern is that I might be much more buyoant than my tank + BCD when I have to take them off (haven't actually tried it out yet, will do), and this might create problems.

Any thoughts or tips are much appreciated!

 

[phoenix31tt]

Do a check with your wetsuit on alone... you will see how bouyant you are without your other gear

 

[SailNaked]

How often do you expect to take off your BC and then why would you need to not be buoyant? I guess I do not understand the question. do you swim horizontal with your config? if so great what is the issue.

If you need to take off your BC and then not have your body float like maybe entering a narrow door on a wreck, then add some weight to your belt, and just before you take off the BC let the air out of it.

 

[phoenix31tt]

How often do you expect to take off your BC and then why would you need to not be buoyant? I guess I do not understand the question.

it will be part of his dive master exams i guess...

but also, regardless of trim, if you may need to remove your bcd to fix something, you wont want to be floating up while your bcd is floating down...
having something close to a balanced setup helps alot in those scenarios, even though they may not pop up much.

 

[TSandM]

I use 9 pounds with my five mil wetsuit in fresh water, with a standard recreational BC that's probably 1 or 2 pounds positive, and an aluminum tank. If I take my gear off, I am very slightly negative (because all the weight is on my person) but it isn't difficult to manage with breath control.

I suspect, if you are using an aluminum tank and not using a steel backplate, that you will find your rig is close to neutral when you take it off, and you and your suit are a little positive. Again, probably nothing you can't manage, in the unlikely event that you have to take your gear off at depth (in other words, when you have gotten entangled or have another problem, and you have ALSO lost your buddy).