40lbs is too much to carry

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Kwbyron

Contributor
Messages
476
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Location
San Diego, CA
# of dives
50 - 99
Ok, I need help with my weighting. I am a fairly new diver, 14 dives, so I am still in the renting most of my gear phase. I Dive dry in the Pacific NW with an appropriate undergarment, 400? Not sure... If I dive a steal 95 with jacket BC I need about 40 lbs to get under. Does anyone have any tips on ways to reduce the amount of lead needed? I went diving in freshwater with a harness and ss plate, and suck 12lbs into pockets on the harness...so nice w/o the weight belt. Is that a lost hope in cold saltwater? I hate the belts. Also any tips on ways to distribute the weight for better trim would be appreciated.
 
Dive in freshwater. Ha ha.
 
First of all have you done a weight check with a nearly empty tank?

If yes then I hate to tell you, but go to a backplate and wing. You should drop at least 10 pounds if not more.

You can get a backplate that weighs 10 lbs along with a 6 lb STA then you add weight according to your needs. With 16 lbs over you lungs you will trim out nicely. I dive with steel 130's, dry, 400 undergarmet and I use 26 lbs.
 
Kwbyron:
Ok, I need help with my weighting. I am a fairly new diver, 14 dives, so I am still in the renting most of my gear phase. I Dive dry in the Pacific NW with an appropriate undergarment, 400? Not sure... If I dive a steal 95 with jacket BC I need about 40 lbs to get under. Does anyone have any tips on ways to reduce the amount of lead needed? I went diving in freshwater with a harness and ss plate, and suck 12lbs into pockets on the harness...so nice w/o the weight belt. Is that a lost hope in cold saltwater? I hate the belts. Also any tips on ways to distribute the weight for better trim would be appreciated.
Where are you in the PNW?

If you're close to the Seattle area, let's get together for a dive sometime. It's best to see what you're doing ... then I can probably help you lose some of that lead ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
The guys above always give good advice. I will add that the quick answer is likely you are diving with too much weight but not that much. You can easily get rid of 10 pounds (likely) with another 50 dives and a BP/W and making sure you are getting all the air out of your dry suit. Hang in there. It will get better! And take NWGRATEFULDIVER up on his offer if you can. Judging from his many past posts, you will learn al ot from him.

I use 26 ish pounds in very similiar conditions. A little less if I don't mind a bit more squeeze but I get cold very easily and prefer a tiny bit of loft. When I first started I was using about 36 pounds so there ya go. Congrats on your cert and welcome to the board!
 
Kwbyron:
Ok, I need help with my weighting. I am a fairly new diver, 14 dives, so I am still in the renting most of my gear phase. I Dive dry in the Pacific NW with an appropriate undergarment, 400? Not sure... If I dive a steal 95 with jacket BC I need about 40 lbs to get under. Does anyone have any tips on ways to reduce the amount of lead needed? I went diving in freshwater with a harness and ss plate, and suck 12lbs into pockets on the harness...so nice w/o the weight belt. Is that a lost hope in cold saltwater? I hate the belts. Also any tips on ways to distribute the weight for better trim would be appreciated.

Thick undies for cold salt water will take more weight.

One thing you may not be aware of is that many jacket BC's are inherently positive, even when not inflated. Foam pads, cumberbunds etc. all are floaty. I've seen bc's that needed more than 5 lbs just to sink the BC!


A back plate will help, as they add about 5-6 lbs, but just as importantly, a typical BP&W has no pads and foam etc to make it positive. 5-6 lbs of SS plate and avoiding 5+ of floaty BC takes ~10+ right off the belt.

Best idea is to take NWGratefuldiver up on his offer.


Tobin
 
Kwbyron,

I wish that NWGratefulDiver had offered to help me when I first started! You should definitely take him up on the offer.

Remember that "It's Not A Competition". Each person needs as much weight as they need. Some people and some configurations are more bouyant than others. It is good to try to decrease the amount of lead that you are carrying, but the absolute number is not really all that important. Find out what you "need" and then use that much.

Note that many people will tell you that as you get more experienced you will need less weight. When I first started, and I heard that I thought "yeah, right". Well, it usually is true.

As you get more comfortable, you will (hopefully) get more relaxed and you will be able to use less weight.

When I started Scuba diving, the biggest change that I made was in the amount of air in my lungs at the surface. Remember that being underwater and going underwater is not "natural" for humans. All my life, just before I dove under the surface of the water, I would take in as much air as I possibly could. Whether I was swimming to the bottom of the pool to retrieve a coin, or seeing how far I could swim underwater, or whatever, I always gulped as much as possible.

It took a little while to realize, but I was doing the same thing for my Scuba descents. I would be at the surface, bobbing along, not really completely comfortable. When it was time to descend, reg in mouth, inflator up, deflate, and take in a huge breath of air. Why? Because I was going underwater, and my body "knew" that I needed air. But wait, I have a big tank of air on my back! I don't need it all in my lungs right now!

I know this sounds silly, but I really did have a lot of trouble descending until I realized and dealt with it. Before, I would have to turn upside down and kick to get under. It was silly. I ended up adding more weight to ensure that I would be able to descend. Then I was adding more air at depth to compensate. More air in the BC means more expansion / contraction as I ascended / descended. Later, when I had closer to the "right" amount of weight, the variations were much smaller and easier to deal with.

Even when you think that you are exhaled, a feeling of angst can make you keep a tight chest and a lot of air inside. Once I became really comfortable, and learned to really exhale, I carry a bunch less weight, and I descend simply by exhaling more deeply as I deflate.

You might be surprised how bouyant a small volume of air can be. I knew a lady in Cozumel that was having some trouble descending some times. I noticed that her hood was filling with air (it had a small visor that caught passing exhaled air bubbles) On one descent, I gently pressed down on her hood, just enough to push the air out, but not enough to be pushing her down. She descended more easily, and we talked about it later. Just that air in her hood made a difference, and she wasn't even aware it was there. Of course she had always been able to descend regardless of air in her hood, but the point is that it made a difference.

Just some suggestions, and only because you asked.


Wristshot
 
The advice above is all excellent. The only small thing I would add is that the DUI weight and Trim II is a far the better weight holder than conventional weight belts.

The design allows large amounts of weight to be carried without pain or belt slippage. I dive with one and much prefer it to carry the 24 lbs I need for PNW drysuit diving.
 
lead head,


I would not sweat it, like the others have stated new divers typically load up on weight starting in ow class. Its much easier and safer to have divers somwhat heavy in class as opposed to bouncing up and down.It is a double edge sword because a heavy weight belt is a major complaint and can leave a bad impression on new divers who do not stay the course and dive only warm water and skip diving around here.

If your a big guy/gal with a little extra cushin 40 lbs is not out of the question, a weight harness will make a big difference on how the weight feels, I wouldnt dive without it! In the mean time try to move the weight around your body like ankle weights, tank weight, SS back plate, steel cylinders, etc

After a few dozen dives you will get more comfortable and you will drop some weight.

Jumbo
 
Just post cert, 1 year ago, I was 30lb, AL80, fresh water, dry suit, which would have been about 37 lb salt. A handful of dives later I was 22 lb -- purely practice, newbie jitters and bad form.

I used ankle weights for my first handful of dives -- found them useful. I outgrew them fairly fast, but whatever works is OK (doesn't violate any safety mechanisms, though it does mean you're moving more mass with your legs), and I now keep them around for other folks who might have a bit of difficulty.

A tank weight can also be handy, in addition to tank band trim weights. I normally dive with a pony, counterbalanced with a 2lb trim weight. If I don't want it (dive 2 on a shallow reef, for instance), I put the 4lb tank weight on. (Yes, I'm a true nut, carry my own tank weight, 2lb soft, and pony, for travel)

Similar for wet, 18 lb down to 12. By late Fall I checked DS at 20, could have gone to 10 on 5mm wet though I choose to stay 12 -- a few extra lb do not cause harm, it's a case of consciously deciding to have that couple extra for greater control with others.

Just plain diving, building one's comfort and experience, is a huge thing. Take up NWGratefulDiver's kind offer.

As to the BP/W part, I'm sure they're marvelous, but like many things not an absolute must-have. Weight is weight. If there's fresh water in your future, and/or warm climes, you might well find yourself in a 3 or 5mm fresh, wet, end up only needing that total of 10 or 12 lb. I like to have at least some ditchable weight.

Have fun!
 

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