Apporximately how much weight to add when using a 3mm full suite?

[bill_bain]

Leaving this weekend for a dive trip to the keys -- I lent my skin to a friend who won't be back before I leave, so I've borrowed a 3mm suit. Can someone give me a rough idea how much extra weight to add to account for the suit?

Thanx!

Bill

 

[The Kraken]

What type of rig are you diving?
What are your physical characteristics?
How much weight do you use in fresh water and what type exposure suit do you wear . . . etc., etc., etc. . . ad infinitum . . .

 

[TwoTanks]

If you just want to know how much weight to add for this suit, throw it in the tub, get the air out, fold it up, and see if a 3lb weight will sink it, then try a four, etc. don't forget that you need to subtract from that amount, the weight you have on your belt for your dive skin.

TT

 

[bill_bain]

Oops, I wasn't clear enough, my mistake. Rig is single AL80, Mares jacket BC, I usually dive in a skin in salt water with 6 lbs, but this time I'm using the 3mm jumpsuit instead of a skin.

Just trying to get a feel for an approximate answer when I get asked on the dive boat, 'How much weight do you need?" since I've not used a wetsuit since my youth diving in New England. Those 3/8" farmer johns took a whole bunch of weght to offset their buoyancy, I remember that!

 

[Charlie99]

For L or XL size wetsuits I use just under 3 pounds per mm for a full suit.

Assuming the skin has no buoyancy, I'd start by adding 10 pounds for the 3mm full assuming you are L or XL size. This might be a couple of pounds too much, but heavy 2 or 3 pounds is a lot better than light by 2 or 3.

TwoTanks has an excellent suggestion above, although when I tried a similar measurement the results were way high, probably because either the suit wasn't fully wetted or had trapped some air.

 

[bill_bain]

WEll, I *used to be* a medium, now I'm a large. :-( Thanx. It's probably going to take a dive or so to get dialed in, but that gives me a range to work in.

 

[montyb]

I'm 6' weigh 180 and when I dive in Hawaii. Steel 80 and 3mil one piece suit, booties use 6 lb's
montyb

 

[Rickg]

Leaving this weekend for a dive trip to the keys -- I lent my skin to a friend who won't be back before I leave, so I've borrowed a 3mm suit. Can someone give me a rough idea how much extra weight to add to account for the suit?

Thanx!

Bill

Bill,

I weigh 215lbs and dive with a vest-style BC, single AL80 tank and a 3/2mm Bare fullsuit. I use 3 Kg (approximately 7 lbs) of weight unless I'm going to be diving in a shallow area where I expect a lot of surge when I bump it up to 4 Kg (approximately 9 lbs).

Rickg