Integrated weights?

[Sas]

Try that with a drysuit and 12-14kg of positive buoyancy. If you can swim that down you're a hell of a lot fitter than i am!

I must be I wear 15.7kg with my drysuit. Swimming has been one of my big hobbies for years though so I imagine I am a strong swimmer. My buddy wears 13kg with his drysuit and has no troubles too. He is a very good snorkeller though, like can freedive easily in a 7mm semidry with no weight. Haven't seen him in the drysuit doing that though.

 

[ianr33]

most BC's i've rented had a clip in addition to the velcro holding the weights in.

That makes me feel a whole lot better. Velcro AND a bit of plastic

I used to own an Aqualung Malibu. The integrated weights were only held on by velcro.

Losing,say,6 pounds of weight at depth could really spoil your day if you were near an NDL when it happened. Just seems like a danger that is easily avoided.

 

[Sas]

I didn't realise that people use integrated weights secured only by velcro... In that case I can see the point why some people are hesitant to use them, I wouldn't use weight pockets secured by velco (or ones like Tusa were you pull a tab and they come out)... I've never seen velcro pockets, what kind of BCs use these?

 

[String]

I must be I wear 15.7kg with my drysuit. Swimming has been one of my big hobbies for years though so I imagine I am a strong swimmer. My buddy wears 13kg with his drysuit and has no troubles too. He is a very good snorkeller though, like can freedive easily in a 7mm semidry with no weight. Haven't seen him in the drysuit doing that though.

If that is the case its impressive - put someone in a pool with a pair of fins, make them hold 15kg/30lb of lead and i cant think of anyone that will be able to keep their head above water for long carrying that. The same is true for losing it on the bottom - thats a hell of a lot of constant power needed to stay down, stop for a split second and you've gone. I know for certain i cant do that (and im not that unfit - do 10km and half marathons in decentish times).

and FWIW most weight integrated systems ive seen rely far too heavily on velcro - most of my pouch salvage collection consists of those.

 

[InTheDrink]

I would have to agree, you'd need to be an amazing swimmer to control an ascent to the surface with -15kg. 15kg is a LOT of weight. You might be able to manage it at depth by emptying your BC, maybe, but anywhere nearer there surface I don't see any reasonable way to generate an extra 15kg of downward force for more than a few seconds without either exhausting yourself, burning your air or otherwise having a calamity. Probably academic in any event - most correctly weighted people certainly could not manage with -15kg removed.

 

[Sas]

If that is the case its impressive - put someone in a pool with a pair of fins, make them hold 15kg/30lb of lead and i cant think of anyone that will be able to keep their head above water for long carrying that. The same is true for losing it on the bottom - thats a hell of a lot of constant power needed to stay down, stop for a split second and you've gone. I know for certain i cant do that (and im not that unfit - do 10km and half marathons in decentish times).

and FWIW most weight integrated systems ive seen rely far too heavily on velcro - most of my pouch salvage collection consists of those.

It's not easy. I was exhausted after swimming to get my weight belt back (had 11kg on it). Edit: I looked up my depth - was about 18m and I lost it on a ledge over a wall so I did not have to swim far (maybe a few metres?). If I had dropped it all the way to the bottom (30m) I would not have been able to retrieve it. Lucky it was caught in time. I will try this shallower to see how I go, think I have tried this in 5m and was ok though. I try to maintain a hold of my BC if I remove it as I don't have to swim as hard (or weight belt if I happen to be using one). I am glad though, if I lost contact I would most likely be able to swim back, but I would like to avoid it if all possible

My integrated weight system has buckles (like the quick release ones). Whilst not perfect I have found them very secure. They cannot be ditched as quickly as the ones you pull on a tab though...

 

[Sas]

I would have to agree, you'd need to be an amazing swimmer to control an ascent to the surface with -15kg. 15kg is a LOT of weight. You might be able to manage it at depth by emptying your BC, maybe, but anywhere nearer there surface I don't see any reasonable way to generate an extra 15kg of downward force for more than a few seconds without either exhausting yourself, burning your air or otherwise having a calamity. Probably academic in any event - most correctly weighted people certainly could not manage with -15kg removed.

If you lose contact with your BC, you don't need to maintain it for more than a few seconds anyway, if you react quickly.... And when taking off your BC (with integrated weights) you should be pretty careful about monitoring that anyway. I don't think I could manage it for very long, but I've never needed to for very long anyway. And yes, you do burn through a lot of air.

 

[psychocabbage]

I quite like the integrated weights.. now.. in your scenario, had it been real, would you not be quite a bit extra careful when you are pulling your bc off? and why would you take off your fins?

I would think that once you realize you are tangled, you carefully take your bc off and not off entirely unless the condition requires it.. I would forsee taking one arm out and turning to cut free. once free, then don the gear back and you are set.

 

[String]

If you lose contact with your BC, you don't need to maintain it for more than a few seconds anyway, if you react quickly.... And when taking off your BC (with integrated weights) you should be pretty careful about monitoring that anyway. I don't think I could manage it for very long, but I've never needed to for very long anyway. And yes, you do burn through a lot of air.

Im just thinking of the most common reason - entanglement. Any situation like that is likely to require 2 hands. I wouldnt want to be finning like hell as well just to stay in contact with it.
The problem is due to pivots as soon as the kit is off your very buoyant body is trying to go up and you are just holding on to the now very heavy gear on the bottom which is now vertically below you. I cant imagine actually being able to use the hands to solve any problem in that situation.

 

[Sas]

Im just thinking of the most common reason - entanglement. Any situation like that is likely to require 2 hands. I wouldnt want to be finning like hell as well just to stay in contact with it.
The problem is due to pivots as soon as the kit is off your very buoyant body is trying to go up and you are just holding on to the now very heavy gear on the bottom which is now vertically below you. I cant imagine actually being able to use the hands to solve any problem in that situation.

Yea I guess I hadn't thought about entanglement properly with integrated weights as entanglement is such a low risk for me (other than a drift dive on a line, but I avoid them these days anyway).. The only two reasons I have witnessed for people removing it underwater are to get crayfish or for photography purposes and I have never seen any real trouble with this. When I take my BC off underwater I hook one of my arms under the shoulder so I have two hands free anyway, just one of them with restricted movement. I guess entanglement might not allow this, what have other people experienced when entangled?