You would want to ditch your weight at the surface, there have been several cases when someone surfaced, and then drowned because they were unable to stay afloat, and orally inflating a BC is quite a bit more complicated than ditching your weight belt, especially if the BC is ruptured or cannot hold air. I have experienced being pulled down under water (in a pool in controlled conditions), and I can assure you it's a really stressful experience when the water begins to cover your mouth and you cannot swim up. Unlike in technical diving, recreational divers usually do not carry redundant buoyancy, and there should be no deco obligation, and if a diver is unable to remain calm and solve the problem under water, an emergency ascent is probably still better than drowning.
When do you put the weight belt on?
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You would want to ditch your weight at the surface, there have been several cases when someone surfaced, and then drowned because they were unable to stay afloat, and orally inflating a BC is quite a bit more complicated than ditching your weight belt, especially if the BC is ruptured or cannot hold air. I have experienced being pulled down under water (in a pool in controlled conditions), and I can assure you it's a really stressful experience when the water begins to cover your mouth and you cannot swim up. Unlike in technical diving, recreational divers usually do not carry redundant buoyancy, and there should be no deco obligation, and if a diver is unable to remain calm and solve the problem under water, an emergency ascent is probably still better than drowning.
Dr Dog
Contributor
I would not discount the skills, experience, and confidence that technical diving provides... To just say, "oh I am just a recreational diver", is shortchanging the diver on a greater percentage of problem solving underwater, or even on surface.
Bob DBF
Contributor
In addition, if you are horizontal and release the belt, it stays in place until you pull it free and it falls away without engaging the crotch strap at all.
Another variant is to slide the crotch strap on to the weight belt. As the weight belt is released, it slides out of the crotch strap on it's way to the bottom.
Bob
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I may be old, but I'm not dead yet.
Preaching to the choir... the bottom line is that everyone needs a redundant source of buoyancy, and in the absence of something better, a ditchable weight belt is one such source. Admittedly, a crude one that only comes with a one-way on/off switch, but a crude one is still better than none...
dumpsterDiver
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Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
I put the weightbelt on first with the crotch strap over.
If I ever need to ditch then there's two things I need to do. No big deal.
Having the safety insurance factor of NOT losing the belt is more important to me than having a way to quickly lose the belt. I am buoyant on the surface at the start of the dive with a full tank anyway so there isn't a real need for me to establish positive buoyancy at the surface because it's already established.
If I ever see a need to have the weightbelt on top I will still put the belt on first then feed the crotch strap underneath after I put my rig on.
If I ever need to ditch then there's two things I need to do. No big deal.
Having the safety insurance factor of NOT losing the belt is more important to me than having a way to quickly lose the belt. I am buoyant on the surface at the start of the dive with a full tank anyway so there isn't a real need for me to establish positive buoyancy at the surface because it's already established.
If I ever see a need to have the weightbelt on top I will still put the belt on first then feed the crotch strap underneath after I put my rig on.
GrumpyOldGuy
Contributor
I agree with you on the danger of a release mechanism that can release unexpectedly. Ditchable weight is for the surface. Lots of people get in trouble on surface, not under. Cardiac issues for the increasing number of older divers would be a good example. I have been with someone having a heart attack, there is very little they can do on their own, pulling a quick release is about the max. Survival on the surface is possible, you at least have a window of time to work with. Submerged its near zero.
ams511
Contributor
Are you a certified diver? Every agency I know of recommends ditchable weight. The reason for ditchable weight is that some divers carry more weight than they can swim up without air in a BC. So in case of a BC failure, these divers would die unless they shed weight or have a secondary buoyancy source (dry suit, buddy, lift bag).
If a QR is inherently dangerous then we would see much more diving accidents related to them. Also recreational diving is no decompression diving so a diver can immediately go to the surface at any time. In the unlikely event the diver gets bent, DCS is treatable drowning is not.
Every agency also recommends a snorkel and buddy diving. In the real world, things are quite different. I use a balanced rig, one that I can swim up from depth without adding air to my wing.
Those divers should learn to dive without so much weight. New divers tend to be nervous and move around a lot. Many, including some more experienced divers swim with their hands. Once they get comfortable and learn better techniques they will lose some of the lead.
I try to avoid both. I lost a weightbelt once when I was a new diver. I was fortunate that there was kelp within swimming distance. My buddy saw my belt in the sand and found me. If she hadn't handed me the weights I would have had to go up the kelp feet first.
sphyrnidus
Contributor
As I've been far more often compromised by ditchable weights leaving the premises on their own accord and read quite often about weight pockets that have been lost I do not use ditchable weights anymore. I was surprised by a surge coming from a porthole on a wreck I was diving on. It gave me a push and I bumped in to a guard rail. The Mares mrs 2 plus immediately came loose and went down. My wife was swimming behind me and had no clue innitially what happened. I was carrying $ 7000.- worth of camera equipement in my one hand and needed my other one to hold on to the ship. So communication was rather difficult. This was at 28 m/75 ft. Not a depth u want to be launched from. As this was the 3rd pocket that gave me trouble I decided that it was time for a different set up. I now use a bp/w and the weight is 5 kg bp and 7 kg attached to the tank. More over I dive dry and carry a bag, I'll get on top if the need arrives, which never happened in >2500 dives btw.
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