Could the need for ankle weights be influenced by gender?

[Warren_L]

The problem you run into is them not realizing it's actually a crutch. I once dove with a fellow with well over 1000 dives. His trim was _so_ bad that he managed to silt up a dive site that had a sandy bottom in open water. Trying to point out the effect of the ankle weights on his trim would have been an exercise in futility. If the problem being crutched is perceived to be solved by ankle weights, how or why would they ever seek alternate methods of solving the problem?

Yes, I agree that is a problem, but that is a separate issue which does not mean that ankle weights cannot serve a very useful purpose under the right circumstances. For some reason they keep selling.

 

[UWSojourner]

I don't want to "steal" this thread, but for those of you who say ankle weights are unnecessary (or persist bad diving habits, etc), do you put gators in the same category?

 

[Diver0001]

I don't want to "steal" this thread, but for those of you who say ankle weights are unnecessary (or persist bad diving habits, etc), do you put gators in the same category?

Of course not. Ankle weights are a crutch. Gators are only training wheels.



R..

 

[Spectre]

Gators have their place, but they really are a cure for a poorly fitting suit and/or diving with an excess of gas in your suit. Personally I have built in gators on my suit so I use them, but when I forget to zip them up, I don't even notice it.

So I'm slightly hypocritical when I say that they are unnecessary, but I think the downside of gators is smaller than that of ankle weights.

 

[chickdiver]

I agree that Gaitors are a fix for a poorly fitted suit. I neither use nor own them.

 

[Snowbear]

I was taught to use the DS for buoyancy. I used split fins. I was put in ankle weights by my OW/AOW instructor. I still had floaty feet.

My suit fits poorly. I no longer use it for buoyancy and only put enough air in it to keep warm. I do not use gaitors or finkeepers. My fins are NOT 1-2 lbs negative, each! I have floaty feet. My trim is reasonably squared away.

 

[UWSojourner]

I agree that Gaitors are a fix for a poorly fitted suit. I neither use nor own them.

Thanks. I'm just getting started doing drysuit diving. My first "crutch" were weights for a rental suit that has boots the size of a small apartment.

Now that I have my own suit, its good to know that the goal is no weights, no gators. Anybody want some weight-integrated-gators for cheap? :cheeky:

Probably take me another dive or 2 to get proficient

 

[hnladue]

During OW I had to wear ankle weights to do those silly fin pivots....What do those accomplish anyhow?? Now that I've actually been out diving, I see that I don't want ankle weights!!! I need to keep my feet up!!

 

[Warren_L]

During OW I had to wear ankle weights to do those silly fin pivots....What do those accomplish anyhow?? Now that I've actually been out diving, I see that I don't want ankle weights!!! I need to keep my feet up!!

Fin pivots as a practical skill are pretty useless. When would you ever have (or should have) your feet or fins pinned to the bottom? Never. However, I believe the intent is to help new students get used to using lung volume to fine tune buoyancy. It can probably be done without touching the bottom, but I've found that with a lot of new o/w students in a pool setting it helps for them to a grounding point. Other than that, there is no practical application in an open water setting.

 

[Spectre]

It can probably be done without touching the bottom, but I've found that with a lot of new o/w students in a pool setting it helps for them to a grounding point

[soapbox]
It unfortunately took me 3 tries in my OW class. They kept failing me on the skill because I couldn't keep my feet on the bottom of the pool
[/soapbox]