Deliberately overweighting yourself?

[Frosty]

Specifically when acting in the capacity of Divemaster or instructor do you deliberately overweight yourself ?
if so Why?
If not Why?
By how much if so?
im thinking it will be easier to demo BCD use to students if overweighted a couple of KG and offers the ability to "hand off" a kilo or two for anyone underweight.

 

[TMHeimer]

I overweight myself by one pound whether diving with a class or alone. My body weight swings within a certain range and I have found that if I'm one pound over I need not do a weight check and will still be OK after Thanksgiving dinner. For our OW checkout dives we have a crate full of weights left in shallow water. All students do weight checks before dive #1 and we can add if need be from the crate. If a weight pouch is dropped and lost it's not that far back to the crate to get more. I usually get the nice job of lugging the crate to and from the shore-just love it.

Not sure what BC use you're demonstrating at the ocean or why being overweighted would help....That's done in the pool and no need to be overweighted there. My favourite weight crate is right by the pool ladder.

I have heard of some instructors carrying extra in case students for some reason do need some, as you point out.

 

[decompression]

Specifically when acting in the capacity of Divemaster or instructor do you deliberately overweight yourself ?
if so Why?
If not Why?
By how much if so?
im thinking it will be easier to demo BCD use to students if overweighted a couple of KG and offers the ability to "hand off" a kilo or two for anyone underweight.

Teach them right at the beginning and you won't have to hand off weight.....but, really after almost 20 years as a pro there have been many occasions where handing off a couple of pounds would have helped. And did.


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[TSandM]

I carry a couple of extra pounds, but it's not so much to hand off, as where I carry my weights, that isn't easy. It's because when a student loses buoyancy control, I want to be able to grab them and VENT and get myself good and negative. I can vent a student's BC, but I cannot vent their dry suit for them, so if I can't slow their ascent long enough to help them reposition themselves to get that dump valve to the highest point, we are going to the surface. My normal weighting, which is elegantly titrated to a minimum, is not enough.

 

[theskull]

Totally agree with TSandM. I like to be overweighted by 2-4 lbs. to make myself more effective at slowing a panicked ascent or compensating for a diver who lost a weight pouch. In addition to students, this also holds true for all but my most trusted dive buddies!

theskull

 

[tbone1004]

I don't wear weight, but I'm usually about 2-4lbs overweight at a minimum. Helps with being able to make a fast descent to catch someone or slow a rapid ascent. XXL Jet Fins help when flared, provide a bit of drag....

I don't buy the whole "overweight to demonstrate bc use, because that just promotes being overweight. If I'm in the ocean, I'll usually carry a 4lb trim weight that is on a bolt snap that I can hand off to someone if they misjudged their weight in the water.

 

[victorzamora]

I weight myself a smidge heavy (2lbs), and then clip off a bunch of weights (4-8 pounds, depending on what they looked like in the pool!!). I can handle being overweighted, especially just during a course. My weights are mine and are there for venting/flaring. The clipped-off weights are for students that were too optimistic, or did a weight check with a fuller-than-empty tank, or added an extra layer of neoprene.

Edit: weighted. I haven't done so in a while and don't intend to dive in a professional capacity for the forseeable future.

 

[CuracaoJ]

I keep myself 4# heavy with 4 1# weights, pretty much for the reasons mentioned above, the occasional student handoff, and its helpful when doing rescue classes, not to mention the occasional DSD.

 

[captio2000]

When assisting with OW classes I usually carry a couple click weights to hand off to students. I also add a pound or two to my own weighting to help me with more leverage to intervene with student buoyancy problems. So, I dive 4-6 pounds heavy on the first OW dive.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Dive where there are lots of rocks to grab and stuff in their pockets or down their suit. No need to carry extra weight.