A newbie turtles

[TSandM]

I don't know, Nemrod . . . I dive my SS BP in warm water, with 2 lbs on the cambands and my can light on my waist belt, and I trim out perfectly (3 mil wetsuit).

Really, what works, works. You need the correct static distribution of weight to be stable, and that's going to vary with your size and shape, the exposure protection you have, and the tanks you are using. The good news is that you can check static balance in a pool -- although salt water weighting will have you overweighted, the BALANCE will be the same.

 

[Nemrod]

"I don't know, Nemrod . . . I dive my SS BP in warm water, with 2 lbs on the cambands and my can light on my waist belt, and I trim out perfectly (3 mil wetsuit). "


Ah, The Lady in Black, how are you, I hope very well? Well, my thoughts in reply to your post directed at me is that I was speaking to the original poster who had a problem with "turtling." I am glad to hear that you have no such issues. As I told him and I tell you, don't get bent if you don't like my suggestions but they are still my suggestions. G'day.

Oh, PS, do you get a lot of use out of a can light in the tropics in broad open daylight? N

 

[TSandM]

I was just observing that not everybody diving in warm water needs an Al plate to balance out, that's all.

Yes, I love my 21W Salvo in the tropics. It brings out the true colors of things. It's amazing how many brilliant reds and oranges there are that you can't see below about 30 feet. It's also very useful for looking in crevices and under things. I'm not sure I'd BUY one for tropical diving, but since I already have it, I take it with me, and I enjoy having it to use.

It's awful at night, though . . . Useless.

 

[WeekendDiver]

Thanks for all the replies to my inquiry. I just got back from Bonaire so here is a little recap of my (weight) and other experiences.
Equipment: 3/2mm full wetsuit, bp/w, long hose setup, 6lb SS backplate, weightbelt with 5lb on it.
Having the weightbelt solved my turtle problem, and I actually used it to manage my trim. When the reef was on my left I'd shift the weights a little to the right to cause me to swim a bit more with my left side up and vice versa. I also practiced reading my gauge (clipping and unclipping many times every dive as practice). Now it is actually easy to check it.
Unfortunately I had to stop diving towards the end because I got this tremendous (wetsuit?) rash. I was covered with red bumps, some of which burst open and leaked some kind of fluid. I had an issue with this before (but never this severely) so I wore a (henderson) skin underneath my wetsuit. I only get the rash where the suit (and booties) touch me. my hands and neck/face were fine. Having water touch me (especially salt water) was very unpleasant. The first 10 minutes in a dive I just focussed on breathing so I could endure the pain. Eventually I stopped diving and spent most of my time on the bed with the AC and the ceiling fan going full speed. That somewhat eased the pain and itch. I tried a variety of medications like benadryl (pill, cream) and a variety of other ointments. They were all fruitless.
I'll go to a dermatologist to see what can be done..
A depressed WeekendDiver :-(

 

[runamonk]

Greetings Weekend Diver and welcome to SB!!!

What ever your choice (weight belt, or tank strap weight system) I would recommend that you hit the pool again before you take off for your trip. You may need to try a variety of configurations before your bouyancy smooths out the way you want it. You also want to make sure you are comfortable getting into/out of your gear.

Diving in Bonaire might be a lot of more fun if your gear is set and all you need to do is dive.

You didn't mention what material your tank is? Also do you roll over with a full tank and an empty tank - is there any difference here.

As for the SPG I dive a brass SPG without the rubber cover on a 21 inch hose. Instead of routing the SPG around my left side to the D-ring, I route it down my inflator hose where it is always visible. This is a very streamlined configuration that is easy to use and requires no clipping/unclipping. You do need proper hose management to keep all 3 hoses together, I use old inner tube cut into 1/2 inch wide sections.

Dive safe, dive often and have fun in Bonaire

Cheers

This is the same configuration I've been using for my SPG and boy do I get some funny looks from people. They always ask how I can see it and such hehe. It works out well!

I'm going to be trying to have mine on the left hip, but I don't know if I'll be able to get used to it or not.

 

[Doubles]

This is the same configuration I've been using for my SPG and boy do I get some funny looks from people. They always ask how I can see it and such hehe. It works out well!

I'm going to be trying to have mine on the left hip, but I don't know if I'll be able to get used to it or not.

I don't think I could ever go back to having the SPG clipped off on the left side. It's just so convenient having it on the inflator hose. With proper hose management it's out of the way.

I have had a few odd looks...but hey thats ok

 

[SparticleBrane]

To me it sounds like you're overweighted. 11-12 pounds diving in warm tropical waters? ADDING weight probably won't solve your problem.

 

[WeekendDiver]

well, what I did was (in a 3/2 full suit, skin, AL80 and 11lb, including the six in the SS backplate) after a dive, including safetystop, in about 7ft of water completely empty out my tank (to beyond zero interestingly enough, after my halcyon SPG hit zero air still came out for a minute or so) by letting both regs freeflow. I was breathing from my buddy's octo. unless I completely exhaled I started to float up. with a full tank I can get away with using probably 6lb or so to get down but I become positive later in the dive. 80 cu ft of air weighs, i believe about 6lb and though one never should have an empty tank I think it is more important to be able to be negative at any point during a dive, no?
Thanks
WeekendDiver

 

[SparticleBrane]

11 still seems like a lot for just a 3/2.