Additional weight?

[Biggenz]

I recently just got a new 3mm shorty. The problem is that I will not have enough I me to check proper weighting for buoyancy before going diving. Is there a standard "add this much weight" I could use?

I am a big guy 400 lbs 6'7" I use 14lbs in fresh water, which is where I will be diving with this suit.

I should also also say I am a new diver and this is the first wetsuit I have used so I don't have anything previous to go off of.

 

[fjpatrum]

Biggenz, you use 14 pounds in fresh water wearing what kind of suit? a 3mm shorty typically doesn't have a huge amount of buoyancy but on someone your size it will obviously be more than on a 100 pound teenage girl. I'd estimate 4 pounds (which I think is about the "norm" for a 3mm full suit on a smaller person) and see how that goes with a legitimate weight check on your first dive.

 

[DevonDiver]

Everything you need to know about weighting: Scuba Weighting | 4of9 | Scuba Buoyancy Masterclass

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[Biggenz]

I don't typically where a suit. My dives have all been warm wate. Would adding 4 lbs be sufficient?

 

[spectrum]

4 is not a bad guess but you probably want to have more just in case. An extra 2-4 won't make the dive that difficult. At the end of this dive with a low cylinder pressure, in she shallows and an empty BC you can hand weight off 2 pounds at a time to see where you go neutral.

Nobody can give you a precise answer.

 

[DevonDiver]

Nobody can give you a precise answer.

If you're diving with no suit at all, and only need to compensate for a new wetsuit.... You only need to determine the weighting requirements for that wetsuit.

So... stick the wetsuit into a mesh bag, throw it in the pool, water tank etc... Add weight until you just start sinking it.

Add that weight to what you already carry as weighting with no suit.

What's hard in giving advice on suit weighting is that, even for a 3mm shorty, there will be variation between brands, sizes, models... and the age of the suit. Of course, the size is also critical, as this is the biggest determination of the amount of neoprene material used to construct the suit.

 

[Herb-alaska]

If you're diving with no suit at all, and only need to compensate for a new wetsuit.... You only need to determine the weighting requirements for that wetsuit.

So... stick the wetsuit into a mesh bag, throw it in the pool, water tank etc... Add weight until you just start sinking it.

Add that weight to what you already carry as weighting with no suit.

What's hard in giving advice on suit weighting is that, even for a 3mm shorty, there will be variation between brands, sizes, models... and the age of the suit. Of course, the size is also critical, as this is the biggest determination of the amount of neoprene material used to construct the suit.

you know the toss the suit in a laundry bag with lead and toss it in the pool is a really great basic idea. Had not thought about that I would have put the suit on and just added the weight to me but your idea is basic quick and really a good idea

 

[Rich Keller]

I recently just got a new 3mm shorty. The problem is that I will not have enough I me to check proper weighting for buoyancy before going diving. Is there a standard "add this much weight" I could use?

I am a big guy 400 lbs 6'7" I use 14lbs in fresh water, which is where I will be diving with this suit.

I should also also say I am a new diver and this is the first wetsuit I have used so I don't have anything previous to go off of.

There is no standard answer that works for everyone but most will get you in the ballpark. The only way I know of to do this is to put your old suit into a mesh bag with just enough weights to sink the bag, then do the same with the new suit and add the difference to your weights. This assumes you were weighted properly with your old suit though.

 

[Kairoos]

4 extra pounds sound about right moving from no suit to a shorty at your size. There's no harm in being slightly overweighted though, and a lot of divers do it on purpose. It is better to be slightly overweighted than slightly underweighted.

 

[spectrum]

If you're diving with no suit at all, and only need to compensate for a new wetsuit.... You only need to determine the weighting requirements for that wetsuit.

So... stick the wetsuit into a mesh bag, throw it in the pool, water tank etc... Add weight until you just start sinking it.

Add that weight to what you already carry as weighting with no suit.

What's hard in giving advice on suit weighting is that, even for a 3mm shorty, there will be variation between brands, sizes, models... and the age of the suit. Of course, the size is also critical, as this is the biggest determination of the amount of neoprene material used to construct the suit.

I agree with you and considered that option, I have used it myself in fact. However by the time you really get all of the air out of the equation and soak it like an end of dive condition and find the body of water to do it in etc. the likelihood of a precise answer is low. I do agree that if the OP has the time and resources to do the suit alone test that would beat the 4 pound shot in the dark as a starting point.