hello

[ohnurse]

New to the site and just wanted to say hello. Have completed 43 dives and just the navigation portion left to AOW. Still questions about bouancy........need a formula. I've just got back in the cold water.......diving with a 7mm suit, bc, and 80lb. steel tank heavy fins. Body weight 146. I carry 24 pounds of lead in an integrated vest. Still hard for the initial descent, but then seem overweighted when descent complete. Just issues of compressing the suit? Anyone with the formula for AL vs. Steel etc.

Thanks

 

[ProMed]

Welcome!

 

[dlndavid]

ohnurse, welcome to SB. Is your wetsuit new? Is it trapping any air? Just a few things that might make your descent difficult. I too am fairly new to diving the cold waters in Monterey, but have been dropping weight with almost every new dive. My weight is 180 and I use PST L100 tanks and I am down to 26 lbs. Just have to work with it over time.
David

 

[scubajoe]

Welcome to the board!

Joe

 

[DandyDon]

Sounds a bit much for such a small person, but some people are more buoyant than others. As David suggested, you may be trapping air in your suit. Pour a quart of warm water in before you dive, then let air out of the neck before descending. Might shed a few pounds.

:14:
don

And don't be shy about posting. Click Forums above, tour the long list of choices, and jump in anywhere you're qualified. PM me with any questions, and I'll try to find a pretty good answer.

 

[hector]

New to the site and just wanted to say hello. Have completed 43 dives and just the navigation portion left to AOW. Still questions about bouancy........need a formula. I've just got back in the cold water.......diving with a 7mm suit, bc, and 80lb. steel tank heavy fins. Body weight 146. I carry 24 pounds of lead in an integrated vest. Still hard for the initial descent, but then seem overweighted when descent complete. Just issues of compressing the suit? Anyone with the formula for AL vs. Steel etc.

Thanks

hi there hector here weight amount is best worked out by trial and error i use a 100cf steel tank weigh 85 kilo 18 lb of weight that works great for me at this time of year wear 10mm wetsuit at depths 30m plus 16lb of lead you just work it out dont be in a hurry to descend wait until water gets in wetsuit deflate bc and you will slowly sink regards jeff hector

 

[bigbaddazza]

Hi there,

It may be something or it may be nothing, but when I first started diving I suffered a lot from anxiety and have been known to have up to 38lbs. of lead on my waist. I was very similar, could not execute even the most simple decents without that amount of weight even in a 7mm suit with steel tanks. One of my instructors highlighted that I had been breathing hard prior to dives and was therefore saturating myself, lungs and muscles with air, thus making it difficult for me to decend. Once down I had problems with my bouyancy at depth and eventually began over exerting myself. Try some relaxation techniques this certainly helped me overcome this problem now I dive with 14-16lbs no problems.

Sorry if this sounds obvious

 

[m3830431]

Welcome aboard. as EL Orns indicated do a bouyancy check at the end of the dive with 500 psi.

Depending on the tanks size and model a PST 80 is approximately 2.5 negative when empty 28 lbs total weight and an Luxfer AL 80 is 2.2 positive 35 lbs empty.

http://www.luxfercylinders.com/products/scuba/specifications/us_imperial.shtml
http://www.diveriteexpress.com/gas/steel.shtml

 

[The Dive Bum]

ohnurse,
When you get ready to descend, relax and when you are ready try to blow every ounce of breath you have out of your lungs. Blow until you actually squeeze your abs. Most new divers do not completely empty their lungs.

the dive bum

 

[murphdivers286]

Welcome to the board. You may want to do a search and you may find a thread which may answer your question.