Do you count weight of regulator?

[tursiops]

The only buoyancy calculator I trust is Info - Optimal Buoyancy Computer. Once you dial it in with all your personal info, it is really good. Best of all, you can very quickly see what the weighting difference is going from salt to fresh, or skin to 5mm.

 

[Blackcrusader]

I’ve never heard of anyone counting reg or light weight when doing this, and who knows what the calculators are doing. (My husband pays attention to his camera as he needs a few more pounds if he doesn’t take it on a dive, but its a DSLR in a big metal housing with the works.) Calculators really just provide a starting point, doing a weight check will provide your real answer.

The reason I do not calculate the weight of torches or cameras on a dive is because if you did and you dropped your gear and were underweighted you could have an uncontrolled ascent.

The OP really needs to do a weight check before starting the dive with a near empty tank in a pool or shallow water. Then placement of weights for trim he be done as well.

 

[TMHeimer]

Never occurred to me to include reg weight.

Same here. Lots of data in the replies. Guess I'll say it-- do a weight check? Since everyone's body and (age of the) wetsuit differs a bit anyway.

 

[Centrals]

To keep the calculation easy and simple.
Torch? Difference in weight is HUGE.
Fins? Negative or positive.
The list is pretty long.

 

[happy-diver]

Always have

 

[DrWilliam]

Great responses here. Yes, I will do a weight check. I guess the issue that puzzled me was the high calculations for weight on calculators. This got me thinking that when I say "I dive with just 6 pounds with no wetsuit" that maybe really I'm over that by a few pounds for reg and lights so closer to 8 or even 9 lbs.
I was also thinking a bit (concerned?) about weighting up to near the limit of the wing lift.

I appreciate the comments and discussion.

 

[Eric802]

I would say the weight of your reg is already figured in...you're trying to see the difference between what you'll need, and what you've been using. The weight of the regulator is a constant between both. As was mentioned, focus on just offsetting the extra buoyancy of the wetsuit.

 

[ATJ]

I think one important thing to consider is density vs weight. Lead weights and steel backplates are much more dense than water and so their weight in air corresponds to the negative buoyancy in water.

A tank on the other hand may be quite heavy in air but not so negatively buoyant in water. For example, an empty Catalina S80 weighs around 14kg in air but is positively buoyant (~2kg).

Regs are likely to show a similar trend. So while your regs may weight around 1kg in air, it is unlikely they make you 2kg heavier in water.

You should actually be more concerned about the buoyancy changes in the tanks you use than the effect of the regs. I have a number of different tanks I use and have to change the weights I use depending on each tank even though everything else about my set up doesn't change.

 

[Jonn]

Those calculations are “how much lead should I pack in the car”, not “how much lead should I wear in the water”. You bring a few pounds more than you’ll ever need and dial it in on the check dive. The easy low-pressure shore dive that you totally do before the boat dive, right? Little things like regs and lights and the buoyancy of your mask do all add up but there’s no sense thinking about them. Theory will never get that close to practice anyway.

 

[DrWilliam]

It seems some people mistook my initial question. I understand and know how to do a weight check and achieve proper minimal weight (beginning of dive mid-breath sink to mask eye level, exhale to sink, ability to hold neutral at 15 fsw and 500PSI). And I understand its all relative and you just add and remove until you achieve this. I was simply confused using the buoyancy calculators and that got me thinking that maybe there is "hidden" weight that if properly accounted for would actually make the buoyancy calculator accurate. (for instance I usually carry 2 mid-size metal lights that probably weigh 1 lbs combined).

Anyhow, I ended up at 15.5 pounds with a brand new 5mm suit and without carrying my flashlights. I felt I could have dropped another pound but didn't have the right size weights to try it. If I count the regulator at between 1-2 pounds and my fins which are negatively buoyant, the online buoyancy calculator starts to get closer to accurate. Go figure.

Appreciate all the discussions. I always learn a lot from this forum!