BC integrated weights – dangerous?

[drdaddy]

I have not read the entire thread, so forgive me if this is redundant.

If you are properly weighted to begin with, you will not be "seriously negatively buoyant" if you remove your BC. If you are, then you are carrying too much weight. A BC is a convenience, not a necessity.

With a weight belt, removing a BC should leave you only slightly negative with a 7mm suit.

You should have read it.

The problem being discussed is a weight integrated BCD with a 7mm wetsuit. If one takes off the BCD when underwater (as many dive agencies have us practice in our early training), then you will be very buoyant since all your weight is in your BCD and not on your body.

 

[jbtut]

On my first checkout dive in March my weight-belt came off at 40 ft and I headed to the surface. I dumped by BC on the way up to slow my ascent. After reaching the surface I dove back down and was able to grab the weight belt and swim with it in hand to the instructor at the time. I have virtually no body-fat so I was easily able to swim down to get it, but because it happened once I definitely do not trust weight belts, they are a single point of failure and it could be dangerous, especially for deep dives. I now own a weight integrated BC.

On my recent dive trip I had a weight belt with a standard metal buckle. For whatever reason the weight would slide down the belt and pop open the buckle. Three times over the course of the week if fell off. I was only wearing a 1mm suit. And I had 8lbs. I probably could drop to 6 or 7, but I have a difficult time stopping at 15 feet with an empty tank. Anyway I never had to surface, I could easily swim against the slight positive buoyancy after it fell off and go grab it. With a 7mm suit that may be more difficult. Weight integrated or not, you can lose your weights unexpectedly.

I was mostly concerned that they didn't damage the reef. Fortunately where I didn't cause any visible damage. I may have cause some damage. Any is too much, but it could have been worse.

In many respects it may not be necessary to have them so easily detachable. It seems like there are substantially more situations where weights are unintentionally dropped than there are where it's necessary to jettison them quickly. For newer divers an uncontrolled ascent may be a greater risk than whatever would happen if weights were slightly more difficult to jettison. I've considered putting them in my BCD pockets. Or split the difference and put 5lbs or so on a belt depending on what suit you're wearing and the rest in the pockets where they can't fall out, but could be dropped if necessary.

 

[Brian Sharpe]

On my recent dive trip I had a weight belt with a standard metal buckle. For whatever reason the weight would slide down the belt and pop open the buckle. Three times over the course of the week if fell off. I was only wearing a 1mm suit. And I had 8lbs. I probably could drop to 6 or 7, but I have a difficult time stopping at 15 feet with an empty tank. Anyway I never had to surface, I could easily swim against the slight positive buoyancy after it fell off and go grab it. With a 7mm suit that may be more difficult. Weight integrated or not, you can lose your weights unexpectedly. .................


I've considered putting them in my BCD pockets. Or split the difference and put 5lbs or so on a belt depending on what suit you're wearing and the rest in the pockets where they can't fall out, but could be dropped if necessary.

That's where those little plastic "keepers" come in handy - they stop the weights from slidingg too much on the belt but a lot of dive operators don't use them because they're constantly changing the weights on belts.

Splitting your weight between your BC & weight belt is one solution (with integrated BCs it's still all ditchable) and even better solution is to use a weight harness. Even if the buckle failed for some reason it won't fall off.

 

[diver 85]

Y'all do realize the question in this post is 7 years old

yep---all equipment mentioned so far has deteriorated to dust & resting in scuba diving equipment heaven.......I was taught with a belt & dive that way still......why were WI BCs invented anyway, to try & bankrupt weight belt companies??

(.............My thinking in this thread--why fix something that ain't broken.....)

 

[Chris Horn]

During our open water cert we were taught to basically take a knee. One leg out in front of you and the other on your knee, you swing your bc around and rest it on your leg, still hanging on to it. Actually you for the most part have one arm in it still. Obviously if you are not on the bottom and are still suspended this wont work, I dont know your specific situation. But that works fine for me in a 3 mil.

 

[Wantonmien]

Interesting Subject, integrated or not, and one with which I am wondering if I made a mistake with.

I bought a Mares Prestige MRS Plus BCD with integrated weights. On very first dive wearing it, whilst out with an Instructor, swimming in some serious surge over a rocky outcrop, I accidentally brushed base of BCD against a rock and unknown to me at the time out fell one of the two front weight holders complete with it's 2kg weight. For the rest of the dive I wondered why I felt a little too buoyant, and of course staying down for a safety stop later was pretty difficult !

I'd say go for a weight belt, or make sure your BCD integrated weight pockets cannot easily unclip and drop out, as they most definetly can with the Mares BCD I bought ! The particular Mares design allows easy quick release, which as I found out can easily be accidental as well.

Needless to say double checking on the security of the front weight pockets, and ensuring they are clicked in place is something I do every few minutes on a dive now ~ but on the next BCD I invest in, I'll be away from integrated and back to a belt.

cheers

 

[Hatul]

Interesting Subject, integrated or not, and one with which I am wondering if I made a mistake with.

I bought a Mares Prestige MRS Plus BCD with integrated weights. On very first dive wearing it, whilst out with an Instructor, swimming in some serious surge over a rocky outcrop, I accidentally brushed base of BCD against a rock and unknown to me at the time out fell one of the two front weight holders complete with it's 2kg weight. For the rest of the dive I wondered why I felt a little too buoyant, and of course staying down for a safety stop later was pretty difficult !

I'd say go for a weight belt, or make sure your BCD integrated weight pockets cannot easily unclip and drop out, as they most definetly can with the Mares BCD I bought ! The particular Mares design allows easy quick release, which as I found out can easily be accidental as well.

Needless to say double checking on the security of the front weight pockets, and ensuring they are clicked in place is something I do every few minutes on a dive now ~ but on the next BCD I invest in, I'll be away from integrated and back to a belt.

cheers

I use a Zeagle Escape with the parachute rip-cord system, which is unlikely to release by accident. Before, my weight belt kept slipping because of lack of waist. If I did use a weight belt I'd get one of the suspender systems to hold it in place.

Adam

 

[yarik83]

I used to wear a belt and every time I climbed back on the boat i would get bruises all over my legs and stomach. Throughout the dive i found my belt shifting all over even with soft weights. My BCD came with integrated weights so I took an opportunity to get advantage of that. I, however have seen what happens to divers who loose their gear so I learned a little trick from a dive master in mexico. He (and now I) takes his regular plastic shopping bag with him as a safety precaution and keeps it inside his pocket. I found myself giving weight to newer divers while diving so having learned from the guy I take out my bag and reach over to the floor. I usually swim a distance off the reef and pick up a few scoops of sand. Each scoop gives me about a pound of weight control. I just strap the bag to my chest strap and keep swimming. I usually hower some distance from the reef so carrying extra baggage is not so bad. Usually upon my ascent I do my safety stop with other divers and right before going up I dump the sand and put plastic bag back in my BCD pocket (obviously i do not dump on top of reef). Overall I had to use my little 2 cent contraption probably 5 or 6 times. Having a bag with me allows me to be flexible with respect to removal of gear. If need be I can always give myself another 10lbs of negative buoyancy without carrying it around.