How a diver balances his/her weights is certainly a matter of personal choice, but it's been my experience that the majority of the ballast should be kept as close to your centerline as possible and of course equally balanced side to side.
Since an aluminum 80 tank can get approximately 4 lbs buoyant at the end of a dive, countering it with 4 lbs split into the two rear pockets works well. A steel tank or a backplate that already counters the cylinder's buoyancy negates the need completely. Adding any more rear weight out onto the tank usually just contributes to more side to side instability or rolling.
If the diver has the right amount of weight and still has negative buoyancy in the legs, shifting a very small amount higher up on the back would be better than putting more in the rear weight pockets. Besides cylinder band weight pockets, another method I've seen used is to wrap an ankle weight under the tank valve.
Of course carrying excess weight messes up everything, forcing the diver to add too much air in the BC. That makes it like trying to balance on a beach ball.
Chad
Since an aluminum 80 tank can get approximately 4 lbs buoyant at the end of a dive, countering it with 4 lbs split into the two rear pockets works well. A steel tank or a backplate that already counters the cylinder's buoyancy negates the need completely. Adding any more rear weight out onto the tank usually just contributes to more side to side instability or rolling.
If the diver has the right amount of weight and still has negative buoyancy in the legs, shifting a very small amount higher up on the back would be better than putting more in the rear weight pockets. Besides cylinder band weight pockets, another method I've seen used is to wrap an ankle weight under the tank valve.
Of course carrying excess weight messes up everything, forcing the diver to add too much air in the BC. That makes it like trying to balance on a beach ball.
Chad
