How much weight?

[Hawk]

This can vary wildly. What gear a person uses can drastically change the amount of weight needed. Body composition is a big issue (no pun intended) and some people just float or sink for no obvious reason compared to someone of almost the exact same body.

A lot of people forget that a new wetsuit can cause a person to need more weight than an old one. A jacket style BC can be quite buoyant compared to a BPW in some cases. Some fins are very negative.

For an example, I am 5'9" and about 175 lbs. I used to use a jacket style BC and with a 3 mil wetsuit in saltwater I would use about 12 lbs of lead. Now I use a BPW that is about 5.5 lbs negative and the same wetsuit, and only add about 2 lbs of weight. The BC made a quite a bit of difference in how much weight I needed.

To try to figure out how much any one person would need is almost impossible to get correct. Put on the gear and see how much is needed. It really is the only way to get it right.

 

[Arizona]

Let the DM work it out on the boat. You may want to forewarn them so they are not light on weight. You want to be able to dump weight in case of an emergency so the bulk of the weight should be on a weight belt. Considering the amount of weight needed, you may want to stash a few plates in each pocket and on the tank strap. This should make things a little for easier for dad.

At the end of dive one, when his tank is lighter have dad do a buoyancy check. He should note the kit used and weight in his log book. Dad may want to record his body weight so that if he does lose weight he has an additional positive motivator

No bad intent meant, but if he likes scuba maybe you can get him into losing some weight for better air consumption, buoyancy and better health in general. I know it can be a battle as I have some belugas in the family as well.

Good luck,

AZ