holy cow that's a lot of lead

[Genesis]

Do your buoyancy check before you get back on the boat at the end of the dive as follows:

1. Have a near-empty (500lbs) tank. If you come up with too much air defer until the next time you surface.
2. Surface after your dive.
3. Make sure ALL your air is out of your BC.
4. You should be able to hang VERTICALLY JUST UNDER the surface (the top of your head should be just under the surface of the water)
5. While doing this test, CROSS YOUR LEGS, place your left hand on your BC inflator (but do not use it) and your right hand across your chest. This prevents you from unconsciously finning or using your arms.

Breathe lightly and normally.

If you sink, you're too heavy.

If you float, you're too light.

If you hover with the top of your head about 6"-1' under the surface, you're golden.

If all the air is out of your BC, you now have a baseline that works for that gear configuration - make adjustments accordingly.

I did this and immediately ended up with 15lbs as my "base" weighting, and haven't had to change it since...

Whatever you need to make this test work, you need.....

Note that your breathing can and does change buoyancy, which is why you need to be relaxed and breathing normally.

 

[Scubamedicjoe]

Genesis
has told you the proper way to weight yourself and you will feel more in control

 

[WreckWriter]

Genesis' method will work quite nicely. Point #5 most important, if you skip that you might as well skip it all.

Tom

 

[hitomi316]

here's my 2cts

if you have not found your buoyancy yet(as goes with the advice on "finding your buoyancy) then it is better to be a little heavy than to be too light, especially when your tank gets low!!

 

[CuriousMe]

Scuba Princess once bubbled...
My question is this then...

Why is it that I have a fear of shedding the weights??? I'm sure that none of you can truly answer this since you don't live in my head, but I really have a fear of shedding the weights. The last dive I did, I had 24 lbs of weight. As a fairly new diver, I don't see that as out of proportion. Well, on that dive, a friend of mine took out 4 lbs. and said you'll do fine. I freaked out (not really). I told him I needed them! But in truth, I didn't. I dove without those 4 lbs and actually felt more in control under water. We ascended and of course he did the "I told you so" and I did the "whatever" thing. But then he said I could drop at least 2 lbs more and not even worry about it. I said take a hike! I don't get it. You would think it would be more detrimental to my health to be overweighted... comments appreciated.

Scuba Princess..

I don't think it's hard to figure out why your concerned with dropping weights....If I had to choose....I'd definitely pick to heavy over to light (right in the middle is best of course).

The first time I dove, it was a Discover SCUBA dive in the Philippines. We did the video, went over the information, then we went out to the beach with the gear and did some basic skills...we were only in about 8 feet of water....I just couldn't stay on the bottom and my very petite, female instructor couldn't figure out why I needed so much more weight than her (I could figure it out!)....anyway, she finally gave me more weight...I still couldn't kneel in the sand (which she really wanted me to do) but I could hover right above it (little did I know that was better anyway )

When I started my Open Water class a year or so later....I was concerned about being able to stay down, and talked to my instructor about it....she was very reassuring and said we'd figure out how much weight I needed....truthfully, I was only comfortable once I was waaaaay to heavy, but I think it was basically because I remembered that feeling of constantly feeling light and fighting it the whole dive.

I've dropped 8 lbs since OW class....but I'll tell ya, I dropped them one at a time spread out over a bunch of dives, I probably can still drop a few more....and I'm working in that direction. One thing I've figured out is that for me, changes are best made slowly.

Give yourself time, to be more comfortable and to trust yourself.

Peace,
Cathie