How much do you use for your weight belt?

[riverdiver]

Overweighted divers I see it all the time, they get in the water with their bc full of air and then try to go head first to the bottom pulling on their shoulder dump valve. When they come back up they say I could not get down I need to add more weight. They do not understand head first dump valve at your waste, feet first dump valve at your shoulder. I am 205 lbs. 6.5 mil steel tank 12 lbs in weight belt right hand release.
The test is dump all your air out of bc and start to add your lead when you are done your mask should have a water line through he center at the surface.
Being over weighted is like running a 60 yard dash with 10 lbs around each ankle, Or driving your pickup truck with 20 extra psi in all four ties going down a dirt road. You have no control.
Ed

 

[canasm00]

I use enough to drown two normal divers... 36 pounds. I weigh 250 so by the rule of thumb for 7mm full wetsuits, 10% of my body weight plus 5-7 lbs puts me at 32 lbs. I add an extra four to keep me more stationary when I'm filming. I have no trouble maintaining good buoyancy with my 28# lift BC. Your mileage should vary!

I thought that I used a lot of weight, but I can see that Bill takes the price!

I use 22 lbs, (6' 4'' and 280 lbs) in salt water with a 5mm shorty (I dive in warm water). That much weight was hard on my back so I moved from a weight belt to an integrated BCD and it made all the difference.

Quoting someone at the top, you should take a little time at the end of the next dive and find out your optimum weight. With 500psi left on your tank, empty your BCD and....bla bla bla (we all know the rest).

 

[mikerault]

With a dive skin and AL BP with a 2pd SS STA and 80 CF Aluminum tank I run 8 pounds (10 pounds total). With a NextGen Bilam drysuit and 100gr under garment, SS backplate (6 pounds) double AL80s I use 16 pounds (22 total). With 3mm core 2mm arms and legs I run 12 pounds in the single tank rig, in a 5mm full about 14 pounds. I am 5'10" and 240 pds. All of this is Saltwater.

Mike

 

[R2K2]

I had a similar question a few months ago when I was trying cold water diving.
The best advise as some have said is do a proper buoyancy check in a controlled environment with about 500 - 700 psi left in your tank. Bottom line it takes what it takes!

Iam 5'11 200lbs

With AL80, Salt water, 3/2 shorty, 17lbs
same as above No shorty 16lbs
Fresh Cold water
HP100, 7mm Pinnacle Merino, 22lbs
HP100, 7mm Pinnacle Merino, with 7mm Bare hooded Vest 29lbs. (nice and toasty)

Some guys swear by 19lbs for a full 7mm farmer john(14mm) with AL80s but it does not work for me. as you learn to relax you will start shaving weight of slowly. Do a buoyancy check with your gear and your dives will be more enjoyable.

 

[k ellis]

If your weight belt keeps wanting to slide off check in to the DUI Weight harness which is similiar to a weightbelt but with suspenders. I use one now when I dive with farmer Johns and drysuits that require more then about 18 pounds. this makes handling the BCD much easier since I dont put 30 pounds into an integrated BCD and require a forklift to lift.