Bouyancy question/problem

[Tim Greaves]

What to do here?

Background: Im 5'9" 180 pounds and I use a Viking drysuit with alot of undergarments for cold water.. Im using a BP/W and double steel 95's..

The problem I see is that even though I wear a weight belt with like 15 pounds or so on it I still float like a cork in my drysuit with all of the air out of it.. I know some people even use no weight with the same setup.. Suppose I needed to come out of my gear to untangle from something underwater, I'm gonna float like a cork..

I noticed this in my tech diving class, I need to go down to my gear and put it on underwater.. I really had to pull myself down to the platform using the rope to get to my gear..

How does anyone deal with this problem?

 

[PerroneFord]

Have you done a weight check? I'd try to get in a pool, with no gear on other than the undergarments and the suit, and take some weights. Walk in slowly with the neck seal open and let the water compress the suit. Walk in deep enough to compress your chest and shoulders. You might need weights to do this. Once this is done, see how much weight you really need. to not float. Once you know how buoyant the suit is, you can introduce the negative buoyancy of your rig (with nearly empty tanks), and subtract that from your weight requirements.

When I did this, I was quite pleased to see I really needed no weight at all, except for trim, when using my 108s.

 

[TSandM]

Tim, I know what you mean. I've done the buoyancy test, and it takes 28 pounds to get me neutral in my dry suit with all my undergarments. That 28 pounds gets made up from a weight belt and the negative parts of my rig. Without my rig, I'd be positive, even with 20 pounds on a belt.

I think the usual line is that there are few, if any occasions when a tech diver would expect to get out of his gear underwater. And if it's because you're stuck in a restriction, you're not going to float up much.

 

[spectrum]

You could go to an AL backplate and move more to your belt but the elephant in the room is the 2 steel 95s. By their nature they are part of your ballast complement and when you decouple from it you have an issue. As TSandM stated the frequency if incident should be darned low. Occasional practice is your friend.

If it really really bothers you I bet somebody would offer to trade a pair of AL80s with you.

Pete

 

[DA Aquamaster]

It is a non problem. I don't see you taking your gear off in open water under any circumstances and as long as you can swim your rig up to the surface in the event of either a wing failure or dry suit flood, and are properly weighted so that you are neutral at 20 ft with near empty tanks no air in the wing and a normal amounto fair in the suit you are good to go.

As for caves, if you dive in a cave you are probably going to be in FL or Mexico and in either case you will not be in cold water that requires heavy undergarments. Under those conditions I suspect you will be much closer to neutral in just your dry suit and light weight undergarments.