+1 to what tbone said. I have the same issue with being foot-heavy, and I added trim weights to my shoulder straps. I thought about ditchable weight, but the idea of adding weight you don't need just so you have option you will likely never use of dropping it is perfectly ludicrous. Dive with your small trim weights and be glad.
BP&W trim issue
- Thread starter SpyrosDives
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When it comes to effective trim adjustment, a two lb ankle weight around the tank valve is worth a two Kg weight on the tank band and is easier to move to a new tank.
Three comments:
1. I think you have already solved your problem.
It appears to be a matter of weight distribution, and moving weight toward your head allows you to maintain horizontal trim. Actually, what you have (very appropriately) done is move a bit more weight to a position where it adjacent to your physiologic center of lift (chest/ thorax), rather than 'below' it (on the waist). Your AL backplate has already done that in part. You just need to move more. Weight belts are great, fully functional, etc. But, they place weight 'below' the diver's center of lift and, not surprisingly, tend to pull your lower body - legs and feet - down, when you are in a horizontal position.2. I agree with tbone and others - do not worry about ditch-able weight in your particular case. Put another way, don't make that a deal-breaker with regard to where you place your weight. You are using only 2-3 kg, not a lot to begin with. You should be able to EASILY swim that to the surface. Being able to maintain good horizontal trim should be your focus and priority.
3. Some alternatives to moving weight from the waist strap pouches to the top of the cylinder:
a. Try using a steel (vs AL) backplate. I am not suggesting that you go out and buy a(nother) plate, rather see if you can find one to try out. That might provide you with a functional, no added weight, rig.
b. You can attach 1 pound weights to each of your shoulder straps, either by putting a trim weight pocket on each strap (which would give you somewhat ditch-able weight), or use tie wraps to attach them. Some divers actually thread weights onto their shoulder straps (I don't anymore, but others use this technique with success).
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EricTheDood
Contributor
I hate ditchable weight.
I just carry a large open-ended SMB which can double as a lift bag.
The logic is that if my wing fails, I'll just kick up and inflate the SMB if necessary. If my wing fails AND I'm OOA (unlikely), I'd just ditch the whole rig. I sling a pony, so a triple failure has very little chance of happening.
I just carry a large open-ended SMB which can double as a lift bag.
The logic is that if my wing fails, I'll just kick up and inflate the SMB if necessary. If my wing fails AND I'm OOA (unlikely), I'd just ditch the whole rig. I sling a pony, so a triple failure has very little chance of happening.
Shoulder weights work like a champ with BP/W config.. At this time I had two 2lb weights attached with zip ties to my straps..
I use essentially the same setup, and that's exactly what I do.
No ditchable weight as opposed to 2 kg of ditchable weight is acceptable to me. I have tested it by emptying the wing and trying to swim up to the surface from a typical dive depth. I had no difficulty swimming up.
An argument against having to resort to "swimming up" in the event of a total wing failure is that your ability might be compromised by fatigue, a leg cramp, or something to that effect, preventing you from swimming up as well as you did when you tested it. My thinking is that wing failure is rare, and a wing failure while I have a cramp or am fatigued would be doubly rare. On top of that, I always dive with a buddy close by.
2airishuman
Contributor
Hello Spyros.
Essentially, buoyancy wise, you're diving without a wetsuit. The vest, as you point out, is neutrally buoyant.
You will have to decide whether this is safe given your swimming ability and the diving conditions you encounter. Typically, the buoyancy provided by a wetsuit contributes to safety at the surface in an emergency.
A rig that remains negative with all weight ditched would further erode safety margins in this situation. Whether sufficient margins remain is a judgment call.
What kind of aluminum tank? Is it one of the "neutrally buoyant" ones, or did someone stick a 6 lb lead weight between the bottom of the tank and tank boot? If anything, a normal Al80 should be "butt light" partway through your dive. Or do you have unusually long legs?
There is little buoyant fat in your lower legs and feet compared to other areas of the body. Add in not wearing a wet suit which means no buoyant neoprene on your lower legs, all the buoyancy is in the lungs, wing and fat from the knee up. Tilting feet down is common.
2 kg is not much. I wouldn't worry that it is not self ditchable.
2 kg is not much. I wouldn't worry that it is not self ditchable.
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Hmm. I missed the lack of wetsuit part of the original post. I would feel more safely buoyant at the surface with a 3 mm or 3/2 mm wetsuit. Definitely a judgment call--no clear answer.
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