Drop weights

[SuPrBuGmAn]

There seem to be two methods cave divers use.

A- Ignore the fact that you're overweight (This is a very popular choice, see above posts).
B- Seek redundant buoyancy with a dual bladder wing or drysuit.

Being overweighted and having redundant bouyancy are two different issues, you can have both, and nothing in the above posts says anything to say otherwise?

 

[rjack321]

you'll also be extremely negative at +100 ft.

Then how would you handle taking weight off the rig and applying drop weights to avoid both of those bad situations.

You can always crawl out of a cave when you are "extremely negative". There is no way in open water to lose the drop weight shallow, and for sure refind it again on the way home.

Skip the STA, use an aluminum plate and a weightbelt with your single 108. If you are diving doubles with deco use a drysuit, you'll need to redundant buoyancy and the ability to adjust your thermostat as well.

 

[LiteHedded]

You can always crawl out of a cave when you are "extremely negative". There is no way in open water to lose the drop weight shallow, and for sure refind it again on the way home.

Skip the STA, use an aluminum plate and a weightbelt with your single 108. If you are diving doubles with deco use a drysuit, you'll need to redundant buoyancy and the ability to adjust your thermostat as well.

i would say that that depends on the cave

 

[PfcAJ]

You can always crawl out of a cave when you are "extremely negative". There is no way in open water to lose the drop weight shallow, and for sure refind it again on the way home.

No, you really can't. Its not a practical/safe/responsible option.

 

[rjack321]

No, you really can't. Its not a practical/safe/responsible option.

That was a George "quote". You guys are way too serious. Should I have put in more s?

 

[PfcAJ]

I guess I should have took the cotton out of my ears and put it in my mouth

 

[rjack321]

Besides, I can't tell if the OP is even cave diving or not!

 

[LiteHedded]

That was a George "quote". You guys are way too serious. Should I have put in more s?

first time i've been accused of that!

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Drop weights were in favor for Cave divers back in the days before buoyancy compensators were common. So the weight used to descend became a liability when you wanted to swim at depth and maintain good control with your compressed wet suit. With a good BC, wing, or drysuit it simply is not an issue any more.

That pretty much covers it.

With regard to potential over weighting and a wing failure, I dive a dry suit to address that possibility. With a dry suit in cold water with suitable undergarments, I am near neutral with near empty doubles with a 6 lb SS plate. I tend to dive the same plate in warmer water caves requiring lighter undergarments. I have a 2 lb AL plate that would technically be better in terms of ideal weighting, but I'd rather be a couple pounds heavy than a couple pounds light, especially if I want to loft the insulation a bit more than usual on a long deco stop after a long dive.

I could argue that I do use a "drop weight" from time to time, but it will have about 45 cu ft of O2 in it, so it still serves a purpose other than just weight. It is not, in any event, needed to correct a too buoyant condition at the end of the dive.

A diver needs to approach the whole weight issue as an integrated system. For example, the diver needs to know the bouyancy traits of the basic harness, plate, wing, tanks, can light, backup lights and suit, then consider the impact of items such as full and empty stages, deco bottles, etc to ensure you have enough lift at depth to stay neutral and enough weight to hold a 10' deco stop with near empty stages and near empty back gas.

When you consider the buoyancy traits of steel doubles, a plate, can light, backup lights, reels, etc, it is obvious that drop weights are probably not going to be needed as you are already going to have more than enough weight.

 

[addexdiver]

"ensure you have enough lift at depth to stay neutral and enough weight to hold a 10' deco stop with near empty stages and near empty back gas."

You can also consider floating the empties to the surface or clipping off nearby while on deco.