How much weight can YOU swim up?

[fdog]

...I bet you'd be surprised.

I posted this because of all the interest lately in weighting, and amount of ditchable weight.




Every winter I do a "scuba tune-up" mentoring session. One thing it includes is swimming up a variety of weight belts in the deep end of a pool. Because I've tried it in a lot of configurations, I know that I can swim up:

• 5 lbs is easy. Not even noticed. Yawn.
• 10 lbs is just a strong kick.
• 15 lbs is a strong kick and fast cadence. It's work but not difficult.
• 20 lbs is difficult with a whopping RMV. Doable but we're talking a RMV of 3 or more.
• 30 lbs, I can barely do this, but only by executing short, 12' sprints.

This is for me, 6' tall and 200 lbs. swimming with a powerful kick with Jetfins or Quattros.

Something I've noticed is a diver with split fins tops out at 20 lbs, no matter how good their legs are. The same for the fins that bend to produce thrust, like Volos or the Scubapro Seawings. Each person is different, you have to actually try it to know how much you can swim up.

I would submit that part and parcel of determining ditchable weight is A) how much you, personally, can swim up, and, B) the maximum potential negative buoyancy you may encounter in an emergency.


All the best, James

 

[swimmer_spe]

Something I am gonna have ta try in the pool with both sets of fins. I have a solid and a split set.

 

[Ayisha]

I can swim up my 8 lbs of lead, plus my 1.8 lb AL bp and 6 lb weighted STA, so about 16 lbs ballast in a cold fresh water setup with AL 63.
In a warm salt water setup, also with an AL 63, I can swim up my 6 lbs of lead, and 1.8 lb AL bp, so about 8 lbs.

In a cold salt water setup, I haven't tried to swim up 8 lbs of lead, 1.8 lb AL bp (I don't fly with a weighted STA), and HP steel 80 tank, so I'll have to try the next time I get the opportunity.

 

[TSandM]

I have swum up full double steel 85s. That's probably about 15 pounds. I would absolutely never want to swim up any more than that. It's not so much the swimming up, as the "How do I stay here?" once you get to the surface.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Depends on how far I have to go and what I'm wearing. Last month I had double 130s on an AL plate with jet fins and trunks/lavacore, and was able to barely swim them up 2/3s full or so from 40' or so with zero air in the wing. RVM was through the roof and there was no way I was keeping them on the surface long enough to fully doff the rig. Which is why I keep at least one CC SMB with lift equal to that of my wing on me during all dives.

 

[Cyprian]

Great post, James!

I remember my Fundies instructor talking about having to swim up a 20 lb dumbbell......in a swimsuit and fins. He said it was brutal and certainly not something he would want to do again.

I hope this post is an eye opener for some.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Past experience may change one's perception of what's a swimmable weight. I used to have my lifeguards and trainees retrieve and then tread water with a 10lb diving brick, in fresh water without neoprene or fins...I don't recall there being any problems. The showoffs would hold it out of the water over their heads while treading. I should probably see if I can still do that drill without a problem myself, though

 

[Crass3000]

As you showed us there are lots of variables. I sure hope more than I have seen this year. I can guarantee a couple people would be dead this year if I hadn't helped them. Really sad to see people who ARE probably good technical divers but they get arrogant and almost die.

 

[ajduplessis]

Around 25lb with Jets (wet), massive RMV and pending heart attack IMO Jets are not great for this, maybe some free-diving fins will show better results :cool2:

 

[Darnold9999]

Have absolutely no idea. Worth finding out.

Will depend very much on fin choice I suspect. I wear Volo's diving dry and full foot very light fins tropical so I suspect the answer will be very different for each.