7mm 20lb buoyant?

[RAWalker]

I just got back from San Carlos it was my first Saltwater dive in my 7-6-5 Tilos Hyperstretch. Using a AL80 I dive with 24 lbs in freshwater. I'm 200 lbs and wear an XL. My first attempt to submerge was with my BCD weight and trim pockets maxed out with 30 lbs and that wasn't quite enough. So I wouldn't need to keep my buddy waiting to long I grabbed another pair of 2 lbs and slipped them into my accessory pockets. At 34 lbs I was a bit heavier than needed but it was easily manageable. Next time I may start with 32 lbs and see if I can submerge again at the end of my dive with 500 psi left in the tank.

 

[mikeguerrero]

I dive a fullsuit 7mil, with 3mil hooded vest, 3 mil heated torso. I use the HP worthington steel 100's. I'm 5'5 175 lbs and I use 20 lbs of weight. All my dives are in Monterey. 12 lbs are ditchable and 8 lbs are not.

No problem at all with bouyancy; I remember I started with about 36 lbs when I first started and was diving aluminium 80's...

 

[RonMurray]

Thanks for the reassuring posts guys. I was afraid I was going to be overweighted. Didn't want to look like a dork and have people laugh at me

 

[amajamar]

Yes.

I can tell you that my Bare 7mm step-in hooded vest represents 11 pounds in freshwater. This was from a mesh bag test done after saturating the suit during a dive. Based on that 20 pounds for a 7mm suit is right in the ballpark.

Do not confuse the actual suit buoyancy with your freshwater/saltwater adjustment.

With that Vest, and a 7mm Arctic in Salt water with an E7-80 26 pounds is just right for me.

Being a medium you will wear less rubber, don't mention a vest and have less personal displacement (I'm an XL) but the AL80 will work against you. Your estimate of 20+ makes as much sense as anythng.

Pete

Hey Pete,

Not to sidetrack here, but are you talking about the two-piece Bare 7mm combination set that ST's has? I was really interested in that setup and would usually be using only the full piece, but are you saying that the 7mm hooded vest adds and ADDITIONAL 11 pounds in freshwater? Whoa, that's alot of lead! Currently I'm diving an O'neill 7mm fullsuit and I wear 30#'s with an aluminum 80. I just got steel tanks over the winter and it sounds like if I use the steel tank with the two piece wetsuit I may be over 30#s of lead again. Does that sound about right?

 

[dkktsunami]

I have a new Pinnacle 7mm and use 19 lbs. in salt water with an aluminum 80.

 

[Hank658]

Try a drysuit in salt water I did my first salt water drysuit dive this year and needed 32 pounds :11: That's a lot of lead for a little thing but I wear so many undies I can't stay under with less. One of my dive buddies is 315 pounds and wears 5 pounds less lead than I do in fresh water in a drysuit (I'm 130 pounds and need 28 pounds of lead). Hi! My name is Ber and I'm an anchor
Ber :lilbunny:

Hi Ber the Anchor,
I guess if the boat wants to pull the hook and go you can say "oh no you don't!!" Dang that's a lot of lead. Are you diving AL or ST tanks? This past year I was at 20# with a ST80, 12# with a ST100 and 4-6# with double 100's, all while diving dry. Got a SS BP for this year to take some more off the belt. Any more and it's going to be to much work to climb the ladder

 

[spectrum]

Hey Pete,

Not to sidetrack here, but are you talking about the two-piece Bare 7mm combination set that ST's has? I was really interested in that setup and would usually be using only the full piece, but are you saying that the 7mm hooded vest adds and ADDITIONAL 11 pounds in freshwater? Whoa, that's alot of lead! Currently I'm diving an O'neill 7mm fullsuit and I wear 30#'s with an aluminum 80. I just got steel tanks over the winter and it sounds like if I use the steel tank with the two piece wetsuit I may be over 30#s of lead again. Does that sound about right?

Yes that is the suit/vest I am talking about.

Yes the vest is actually 10.5 pounds positive so go 10 or 11 depending on how close you are to begin with.

The weight adder has no meaningful difference between salt and fresh water.

As I said with that suit in an XL size and an E7-80 I dive that suit & vest with 26 pounds in the ocean. I can make 24 work but at the end in surge I'm getting light.

Pete

 

[amajamar]

Yes that is the suit/vest I am talking about.

Yes the vest is actually 10.5 pounds positive so go 10 or 11 depending on how close you are to begin with.

The weight adder has no meaningful difference between salt and fresh water.

As I said with that suit in an XL size and an E7-80 I dive that suit & vest with 26 pounds in the ocean. I can make 24 work but at the end in surge I'm getting light.

Pete

Good to know, Pete! Do you find that the combination is significantly warmer than just the fullsuit?

 

[spectrum]

Good to know, Pete! Do you find that the combination is significantly warmer than just the fullsuit?

Absolutely.

I also use the same full suit with the Bare 3mm hooded thermal skin vest, worn under the suit when the water us milder, like in the 60s. That lets me drop 7 pounds of lead.

Pete

 

[Scubastud16]

Can someone tell me what the buoyancy for a BARE Artic (Men's) 7mm? I'm stepping up to a much thicker suit, and need an idea on what lead I'll need.

Thanks!
Danny