jhelmuth
Contributor
Don Burke:A set of 104s would be about 13 pounds heavier full than at 500 psig.
Actually ~10.6 lbs
Don Burke:My Bare 5/3 XL wetsuit plus hood, gloves, and booties is about 16 pounds positive at the surface. Some measurements I made at 10 and 15 feet lead me to believe that combination would be about 5 pounds positive at 100 feet.
My Seaquest 5/3 (Large I think), booties and gloves are ~12 lbs total at surface (seems about right) - don't know about the calculations or measurements part, but I'll assume about 5 (probably less, but not a big deal).
Don Burke:That's about 20 pounds negative at the bottom. That 20 pounds is applied to a diver that is neutral, as opposed to 10 pounds applied to a swimmer who is slightly positive.
Well, I think its maybe 15 lbs - but OK, I'll go with 20 at bottom is neutral - it is neutral, right (not bottom heavy)?
By the way, how much ditchable weight am I wearing?
Don Burke:I'm 6'1 and about 200 pounds and I throw a 24 pound weight belt onto a pier to get out of the water at least a couple of times a month. I wouldn't bet my life on being able to swim that 20 pounds or so up. I'd put a few hundred dollars on it, but not my life.
Does your wetsuit continue to become more buoyant as you surface? If yes - dosen't that make swiming up even easier as you surface? Can I ditch weight - or am I diving with no ditchable weight?
I'm 6'1 and 210 lbs. I don't throw a weight belt, but I do have a back-infaltion, weight-integrated BC that I add 12 lbs to if I dive a single tank to 100' weraing my Seaquest Isoflex 5/3. I can swim it all up without much too much effort, but that's because I can easily ditch 4lbs if I want. And if I were to dive doubles, I'd have to think about the right setup - but I think another 4.3-5.3 lbs won't kill me (especially if I use my head, think it through before I dive in, and practice it often enough that I react appropriately). I'll bet my life that I'll figure out the right setup, know the proceedures for an emergency and be practiced enough to execute it. Because I am betting my life on it.
Maybe this was not quite faily stated - but maybe so. I appologize if I'm wrong.