How much weight do YOU use?

[Moogyboy]

2) Mild water set-up, 3mm SHORTY, single tank. 9-11 lbs freshwater; 18 lbs salt water.

3) Cool water set-up. 7mm suit, hood and gloves. Again, single tank. 24 lb.

cheers

Billy S.

 

[Hoyden]

1) Salt water with swimsuit or neutrally buoyant diveskin - 6lb ss bp
2) Salt water with 3mm shorty - 6lb bp + 4lb wt belt
3) freshwater with 3/2mm full wetsuit - 6lb bp + 4lb wt belt
4) freshwater with 7/5mm full wetsuit + gloves and hood - 6lb bp + 8lb wt belt and 2lb on tank

All with single AL80.

Have drysuit, but haven't worked out the weighting yet.

Jackie

 

[JimC]

1) Tropical/warm water set-up, skin suit or no suit, single tank.
None

2) Mild water set-up, 3mm full suit, single tank.
SS Backplate

3) Cool water set-up. 5mm-7mm suit, hood and gloves. Again, single tank
SS Backplate, Steel tank or ~6# channel weight

4) Cold Water. Dry suit, hood and gloves. Single tank.
SS Backplate, Steel tank and ~6# channel weight

5) Tech set-up. Dry suit (or wet), bp/w, doubles, hood and gloves and stage bottles.
None - Overweighted with just a plate

 

[ZAquaman]

The boyancy of a 80cf steel or aluminum tank changes about 5-8 pounds, full vs empty. Your boyancy changes between 5-10 pounds (a guess) depending on lungs full vs lungs empty. An exposure suit's (including fat cells when diving naked) boyancy changes depending on depth.

There are a lot of variables at play here. You will be lightest at the end of the dive in shallow waters. Who wants to float off of a 15 ft. saftey stop because they miscalculated the amount of weight they needed? BC's allow the freedom of being overweighted and still acheiving neutral trim (30lbs of lift, that's huge!). The only major drawback to having lots of air in the BC is drag (unless you're dealing with down currents) and possibly uncomfortable trim.

I say over weight yourself until you've figured out what weight works best with what setup (tank, exposure suit, etc.). Too much weight isn't the cause of "bottom dragging". That comes from not understanding the basic skills of trim and neutral boyancy. The first time you dive a new set up, just drop weight at the end of the dive until you are close to neutral with no air in the BC

By the way, yes fat floats but it's not the sole reason for requireing more weight than another diver.

Overweighting is not a crime! It's smart until you have your individual variables figured out.

My humble opinion...

 

[Goose75]

4) 34#. I have new gear so it will change. I thought it was way too much weight since physically I'm only about 10# overweight, but when I tried 31#, I couldn't sink. Now I have my own gear, I can figure out what it really should be.

 

[simbrooks]

I havent got my logbook with me, so cant check all that easily, but these numbers sound about right.

1) Tropical/warm water set-up, skin suit or no suit, single tank AL80 - no weight, SS BP (6#) is just about right - 6# total

2) Mild water set-up, 3mm full suit, single tank AL80 - SS BP & 4# - 10# total

3) Cool water set-up. 5mm suit, hood and gloves. Again, single tank AL80 - SS BP & 8# - 14# total

4) Cold Water. Dry suit, hood and gloves. Single tank - havent weighted out yet, guessing somewhere around SS BP & 12-18# - 18-22# total?

5) Tech set-up. Dry suit, AL bp/w, doubles, hood and stage bottles - no weight, have you tried lifting this stuff, its heavy out of the water and pretty negative in it as well

For fresh water in any of those i either swap out my SS BP to my AL BP or drop 4-6#, however i dont really dive fresh without my DS and doubles anymore

 

[ScubaFreak]

Pretty much all my diving is drysuit - membrane

Fresh water - 12lbs
Salt water - 15lbs

 

[simbrooks]

You will be lightest at the end of the dive in shallow waters. Who wants to float off of a 15 ft. saftey stop because they miscalculated the amount of weight they needed? BC's allow the freedom of being overweighted and still acheiving neutral trim (30lbs of lift, that's huge!). The only major drawback to having lots of air in the BC is drag (unless you're dealing with down currents) and possibly uncomfortable trim.

I say over weight yourself until you've figured out what weight works best with what setup (tank, exposure suit, etc.). Too much weight isn't the cause of "bottom dragging". That comes from not understanding the basic skills of trim and neutral boyancy. The first time you dive a new set up, just drop weight at the end of the dive until you are close to neutral with no air in the BC

This is fine while you are dialing in a new piece of equipment, but shouldnt be a rule to dive every dive with. Check your weighting at the end of the dive, at the safety stop, if you still have much air in you BC try the next dive 2# lighter, recheck at the end of that dive and see where you are. Anyone who thinks a 2# change might make them rocket to the surface really should control their breathing better as you can swing it so much with a simple breath and where your average lung volume is.

I once donated 4# to a buddy as she had forgotten to fill her trim pockets up, she was at least 8# underweighted and couldnt go down - we just didnt breath so deep at the end for the final ascent - it wasnt a deep dive, maybe 30ft max, but it was a really long swim back to shore. Whilst i dont advocate doing this every dive it worked for us that time as we could make up that difference by our breathing pattern for that one dive.

By the way, yes fat floats but it's not the sole reason for requireing more weight than another diver.

Many require more weight due to trapped air in BC's or poor breathing patterns - holding too much air in their lungs or putting too much in the DS's, so they put on more weight than needed to compensate. Some divers are just more buoyant than others, due to fat or other physical issues.

 

[matt_unique]

Just an informal question. Given below the different basic set-ups, how much weight do you dive with?

I know there are many variables, just give rough numbers. Add or leave out what you don't know.

1) Tropical/warm water set-up, skin suit or no suit, single tank.

2) Mild water set-up, 3mm full suit, single tank.

3) Cool water set-up. 5mm-7mm suit, hood and gloves. Again, single tank

4) Cold Water. Dry suit, hood and gloves. Single tank.

5) Tech set-up. Dry suit (or wet), bp/w, doubles, hood and gloves and stage bottles.

Yes, yes, I know, "Yeah, but I dive with ____." Don't worry. Choose which catagory it could fit in and lets hear it!

Thanks!

Darin

1-3: Would need to check my log book, it has been too damn long since I have experienced it!

4. Alum tank, 7mm neoprene dry, neoprene dry gloves, winter (thick) thermals, BC, 43lbs
5. double alum 80's, ss bp, 1 deco bottle (80 or 30 cf alum), 2 reels, 2 lift bags, 2 lights, 2 cutting tools, signal sausage, whistle, 2 computers, 2 slates, 3 regs, 7mm neorpene dry, winter thermals, neoprene dry gloves, and a partridge in a pear tree - 28lbs.

--Matt

 

[limeyx]

Just an informal question. Given below the different basic set-ups, how much weight do you dive with?


3) Cool water set-up. 5mm-7mm suit, hood and gloves. Again, single tank

Darin

Option (3) with a Faber steel 85 tank. Stainless steel backplate (-6), STA (-1?), 8 pounds on belt, canister light (slightly negative)