Weighting

[skinerd]

Latley I have been diving in 33def F water using a 7mill farmer john with hood and gloves. I use 20# and at the start of the dive, that just isn't enough, I have to have my buddy pull me down, but once I have been down and surface, I can descend again with no problem. Is this because of air pokets inbetween layers of the suit and in the gloves and hood, or just the neoprene compressing? Any ways I can fix this?
Thanks for all your advice
Andrew

 

[The Kraken]

One of the reasons is that you have water inside the suit which increases your overall weight and your suit, itself, has absorbed some water.

One of these days weigh your fj/j when it's dry and then weigh it when it's wet. While the water in your wet suit does not add weight, per se, it displaces the air that's in the neoprene thereby reducing buoyancy.

the K

 

[colsonn]

You probably know this, but for cold water, 10% of your body weight and add 10 pounds, start weighting yourself there, +/- from here. 20# sounds a little light. Good luck figuring it out, be sure to bring extra weights next time, or big rocks and do a weight check before you drop down.

Nick

One way to fix this...Drysuit! You won't regret it.

 

[Charlie99]

You probably know this, but for cold water, 10% of your body weight and add 10 pounds, start weighting yourself there, +/- from here. 20# sounds a little light.

The key statement by skinerd is

.....I have to have my buddy pull me down, but once I have been down and surface, I can descend again with no problem.

I think Kraken identified the real cause.

You could try just hanging out on the surface for 5 minutes or so and see if that soaks the neoprene enough to make a difference.

You might also work a bit on techniques of overcoming the extra bit of positive buoyancy you have at the beginning of the dive. The usual recommendations are

1.) be vertical, drive upward with fins, and then with arms at your side, slide back down in the water.
2) exhale really hard as you start sinking.
3. Fin with your arms to get another couple feet of depth.

If this doesn't reliably get you down to where you're neutral, then you don't really have much choice than adding a few more pounds.

 

[skinerd]

Thanks all. I did use those three techniques, but to no avail... Dry suit here I come.

 

[donacheson]

One of the reasons is that you have water inside the suit which increases your overall weight and your suit, itself, has absorbed some water.

One of these days weigh your fj/j when it's dry and then weigh it when it's wet. While the water in your wet suit does not add weight, per se, it displaces the air that's in the neoprene thereby reducing buoyancy.

the K

It's much more likely that, just after donning his wetsuit on the surface, air is trapped inside it and time at depth is needed for the air to work its way out.

 

[scubafool]

Something I learned when I was looking at freediving. Try laying horizontal in the water, then bending your torso down slightly, then raising one leg straight into the air. The weight of your leg above the waterwill tend to push you down, and that might be enough to start compressing your suit. If that gets your descent started, lift the other leg, and that should be enough to get you down.