How much weight

[Kjs998]

I'm wondering about weighting a scuba pro nighthawk. I went back 25 pages and couldn't find anything relevant. I'm 5' 8" 165 lbs will be using a 5 mm suit and boots. Steel tank. When I got my scuba diver cert I was using 15 lbs of weight in a scuba pro jacket bc. Salt water diving primarily. When I read the previous posts it seemed that I would drop quite a bit of weight. I'm not looking for the perfect weight, just a place to start.

 

[luscioman]

Did you wear the 5 mil with the 15lbs? Also I assume you had an aluminum 80 before. When you switch to the 100 you can roughly drop 6 lbs.

 

[Kjs998]

Sorry about missed info. I was using a 3 mil suit and a steel rental tank

 

[Tony387]

Subtract 2.5% of body weight plus gear, to go from salt to fresh.

 

[halocline]

I'm sure you realize that nobody can tell you how much weight you need with a different wetsuit, BC, cylinder, etc...that's what weight checks are for. You'll need to do one.

But, if you are asking about the change in weight requirement when switching from a SP jacket BC to a SP back-inflate BC, with all other things equal, the answer is probably not much change. Neither provide any ballast on their own, and they are probably both a few pounds positive.

You can drop 6-8 lbs if you switch from a jacket BC to a steel backplate/wing system, but unless I'm misinformed, the SP knighthawk is just another soft BC, no steel plate.

 

[ZzzKing]

Seems the real question is between 3mm rental and 5mm new wetsuit. You will probably need to add 4-6lbs depending on how old and raggedy the rental suit was. There won't be much difference due to BC selection.

 

[sea_ledford]

I'm wondering about weighting a scuba pro nighthawk. I went back 25 pages and couldn't find anything relevant. I'm 5' 8" 165 lbs will be using a 5 mm suit and boots. Steel tank. When I got my scuba diver cert I was using 15 lbs of weight in a scuba pro jacket bc. Salt water diving primarily. When I read the previous posts it seemed that I would drop quite a bit of weight. I'm not looking for the perfect weight, just a place to start.

If you were diving in a rental 3mm with a steel tank, at 5'8" and 165 lbs, and 15lbs of lead, I'd say you were pretty massively over weighted to begin with. It does depend on what size tank it was though... an old LP72 is completely different than a new HP100.

You will have to do a weight check, as was mentioned. Go to the deep end of the pool (or dock) and start with no weight. Add in 2 lb increments until you have enough ("enough" being you sink with a full exhale, and float with a full inhale). I'm guessing with a brand new suit and a full steel 100, 4 lbs will be plenty. Then you'll have to do that math to figure out what you'll need with a low/empty tank.

Then you'll have to resist the urge to add more weight until you get used to diving neutral. And after a few dozen dives on the suit you can re-do the weight check and drop even more weight.

Last time I used a non backplate rig, which was a scubapro classic (probably similar displacement to a knight-hawk), I used 4 lbs and I was 5'10, 190lbs in a 3mm farmer john and jacket with a 3mm hooded vest. I could get away with 2 pretty easily, and 0 was doable but uncomfortable on the breathing cycle.

-Chris

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Last time I wore a 5 mil full and steel 120 and 4 lbs of lead (which I think I reduced to 2 at one point).

I weigh 200 lbs and so there's a lot more of me to float. I support the idea that you might have been very over weighted.


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