Ankle Weight Discovery

[rdjiv]

 

[micboucher]

"Training Wheels"??? Oooh...very snooty. Very. I really think this is in the same class as the notion that the most "experienced" diver is the one who needs the least amount of weight. Funny how those "experienced" divers keep getting caught in an "updraft" at the end of their dives, though.

Let's be clear: ANYBODY can dive a dry suit without ankle weights. Nobody truly "needs" them. If your feet are a little buoyant, all you have to do is maintain an "angle of attack" (aeronautical term here) which has your feet below your shoulders a sufficient amount that you can maintain that position indefinitely without any motion. But if the angle of attack decreases below a certain minimum, then you are going to tip over unless you do a dolphin kick to get the feet back down. Personally, I prefer a zero degree angle of attack: I like to be perfectly horizontal. The laws of physics on me and my drysuit dictate that if I do go to a zero degree angle of attack and I don't have a 1# weight on each foot, then I will begin to tip over. I can solve the problem by maintaining a 10-15 degree angle of attack, and can hold that position indefinitely without moving a muscle. But I really would prefer to be completely horizontal.

Now to be completely honest, I'll admit to having cold feet. I normally wear a pair of REI Thinsulate socks inside a pair of DC Thinsulate booties, and I can just barely stuff that mass of thermal protection down inside my drysuit. But a week or so ago the REI socks got so stiff that I couldn't stand to wear them any more, so I tried it for a couple of dives without them. It made an amazing difference in my trim. I found I could ditch the ankle weights and still maintain a zero degree angle of attack. But my feet got cold! By the same token, all I would have to do to shed weights is to cut back on the thickness of my undergarment. So let's see: I can win brownie points for not needing training wheels if I give up having warm feet, and I can even get the "experienced diver" sticker by shedding undergarment thickness and going out with way less lead than everybody else. Naah. I'd rather be comfy. And I really don't give a rat's a** about what anybody else thinks about it.

That's funny Bruce because I use the REI thinsulate socks and then 300gr booties over them too.

 

[Peter_C]

That's funny Bruce because I use the REI thinsulate socks and then 300gr booties over them too.

I use the thickest REI socks you can get, and a pair of 400g booties. That is a requirement to make my fins fit nice and tight too. They are locked onto my toasty warm feet.

 

[bbianchi]

No joke but I use these socks I picked up from Costco. $10 for 2 maybe it was 3 pair, but they are for people with diabetes. I guess they place pressure in different places around the foot to help increase circulation. However, they are thinner than the regular white socks I wear every day, but they keep my feet toasty! My feet get cold pretty easy too, so I am impressed.

Costco doesn't have them anymore but here they are if anyone wants to give them a shot:
Euros Rx Diabetic Crew Socks From ActiveForever.com

 

[skynscuba]

But my feet got cold!

Chemical toe warmers, and Nitrox32. Hands too, if you have dry gloves.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

I use the REI Merino wool Expedition weight sox. Last I looked, $10/pair normally, often $8/pair
if you buy three pairs. I have about 8 pairs.

If your feet are cold, add insulation to your trunk and head. They get cold because your bod is
loosing ground on the trunk and head, says "feet and hands, you get cold". Or, as my old
Scoutmaster Bill Wood said "If your feet are cold, put on a hat." Your bod has its priorities, and
feet and hands come LAST.