ditchable or non-ditchable??

[ACR]

I was thinking the other day...

If one is diving with redundancy; redundant regulators, secondary and potentially tertiary sources of lift is there any real need for any ditchable weight? On my last two dive charters a diver has lost his weight belt, one on the surface and the other on the line during the ascent (both are OK). This got me thinking....

 

[ScubaSteve]

So what happens when your BC lung punctures somehow? Or a BC valve fails? Or your inflator fails? Or OOA? There is always a theoritical way out of a situation but reality has a way of creeping up on you, biting you in the ass and saying "See, you never thought of this did you?" You are better off having the back-ups (just my opinion of course) such as ditchable weights.

Have a READ of this thread. There is a lot of information and opinions here so you have to filter but it provides a lot.

 

[String]

If one is diving with redundancy; redundant regulators, secondary and potentially tertiary sources of lift is there any real need for any ditchable weight?

In my view no. Standard here you have a wing/bc, drysuit and SMB. You also have a buddy with all 3 so thats 6 sources of buoyancy.

Even in warm water if weighting is right a wetsuit isnt hard to swim up against.

Ive seen ditched (accidentally) weights cause big incidents and dont think there is any need at all for it.

 

[ucfdiver]

Diving a balanced rig is a MUCH better option, IMO. If you're inherently negative with heavier tanks or doubles, then a drysuit or dual bladder wing is a must.

 

[Charlie99]

Diving a balanced rig is a MUCH better option, IMO.

Much better option than what?

Is this "balanced rig", whatever that is, incompatible with having sufficient ditchable weight to achieve positive buoyancy on the surface with full tanks?

 

[ucfdiver]

Much better option than what?

Is this "balanced rig", whatever that is, incompatible with having sufficient ditchable weight to achieve positive buoyancy on the surface with full tanks?

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I think detachable weight should be used when it is needed, but not use it just to be using it, as another recent thread argued. I think if a rig is slightly negative at the beginning of a dive (where it can still be easily swam to the surface) and close to neutral at the end then that's OK.

I would always try to make it so that if i ditched my weight, i was still able to maintain depth for safety stops. Making it so that ditching a weight belt makes you very positive seems like a bad idea, because you cannot do your safety stops or controlled ascent. There has to be a happy medium.

 

[dpbishop]

Ditchable weights are not for convenience. They are for the Oh **** moment you hope never to have when you say Damn the Safety stop, I'm going up. Better to have a chamber ride at the top then to drown at the bottom. And while everyone is right to say you should be able to make a controlled assent without ditching weights, there is always the chance of that happening, no matter how unlikely. If your back air supply fails, or your buddy is on the wrong side of the wreck, it could save your life.

Everyone always seems to assume that a OOA is going to happen at the end of a dive. I've had one at 80 feet at the beginning. I made to the surface without losing the belt, but you can bet I had my hand on the buckle the whole way.

 

[ucfdiver]

If your back air supply fails, or your buddy is on the wrong side of the wreck, it could save your life.

If your back supply fails you get it from your buddy. If you're solo diving (and if you're diving with a buddy who is too far away to get air from, you're solo diving) then you really need a redundant air source.

Everyone always seems to assume that a OOA is going to happen at the end of a dive.

Of course, OOA situations immediately end the dive. I don't think I'm completely understanding what you're trying to say here (in how this relates to droppable weight), care to elaborate a little more?

 

[String]

If im on a dive and my main air source fails while at exactly the same time my redundant air source fails, drysuit floods, wing tears and delayed SMB goes missing along with my buddy vanishing then i'd probably just accept today is not going to be a good day.
And that scenario above is the only one i can think of where ditchable weights would be needed.

 

[ScubaSteve]

Although we do not necessarily see eye to eye on this issue (which is fine) I must say that this

.......then i'd probably just accept today is not going to be a good day.........

made me .