I have to use 37lb of weight is 44lb BCD lift enough

[kamel007]

That sounds like a lot of lead. Did you do a buoyancy check at the end of your class, when you are more relaxed and able to do it the way the course manual said to do it?

I did not. Thanks for the idea.

 

[diver0008]

37 lbs! I've never heard of such a thing. Could you please inform us on your weight/height? Are you diving fresh or salt?

 

[kamel007]

I weight 200lb and I am 5'11
I dive salt water @ 54F

 

[DevonDiver]

What size is your wetsuit? The amount of neoprene (buoyancy) varies as much with size (XXS-XXXL) as it does thickness.

For comparison, when I wear an XXL 5mm wetsuit I need 12lbs. I use aluminium cylinders, so some of that weight also accounts for cylinder buoyancy (~3lbs). I've been diving a while though, so my lung buoyancy control/compensation is pretty dialled down.

The dive training industry is notorious for over-weighting students. It's a short-sighted solution that makes it easier for all concerned on the day, but leaves novice divers struggling thereafter.

It IS possible you might need that quantity of weight, but it'd be a very rare case.

First step is to be cognizant of any bad habits in your initial descent. Kicking the fins is very common. Novice divers, being a little stressed, are also likely to breath deeper, increasing buoyancy. It's also common that divers don't sufficiently dump air from their BCD, by not fully rising the LPI vertically above the water. Air pockets remain trapped in the BCD and fool you about your weighting needs.

A good common sense check is to see how much gas is in your BCD during the safety stop at the end of your dive. There should be little, if any, assuming that your gas supply is down near reserve levels.

If you are over-weighted, it'll be making your buoyancy control so much harder throughout the dive. That's most dramatic on ascent. Over-weighting can also make runaway ascents more likely.

 

[kamel007]

What size is your wetsuit? The amount of neoprene (buoyancy) varies as much with size (XXS-XXXL) as it does thickness.

For comparison, when I wear an XXL 5mm wetsuit I need 12lbs. I use aluminium cylinders, so some of that weight also accounts for cylinder buoyancy (~3lbs). I've been diving a while though, so my lung buoyancy control/compensation is pretty dialled down.

The dive training industry is notorious for over-weighting students. It's a short-sighted solution that makes it easier for all concerned on the day, but leaves novice divers struggling thereafter.

It IS possible you might need that quantity of weight, but it'd be a very rare case.

First step is to be cognizant of any bad habits in your initial descent. Kicking the fins is very common. Novice divers, being a little stressed, are also likely to breath deeper, increasing buoyancy. It's also common that divers don't sufficiently dump air from their BCD, by not fully rising the LPI vertically above the water. Air pockets remain trapped in the BCD and fool you about your weighting needs.

A good common sense check is to see how much gas is in your BCD during the safety stop at the end of your dive. There should be little, if any, assuming that your gas supply is down near reserve levels.

If you are over-weighted, it'll be making your buoyancy control so much harder throughout the dive. That's most dramatic on ascent. Over-weighting can also make runaway ascents more likely.

Thank you for all these details. MY wetsuit size is XL.

 

[kamel007]

In short yes it has enough lift.

Whether you are of a 'large' build or not it is likely you will reduce the amount of lead you use over time anyway. New divers almost always reduce their lead requirements as they gain experience and relax, and then lose bad habits (such as finning upwards).

When you are correctly weighted what the BC needs to compensate for is the extra weight you are carrying at the start of the dive that you use up during the dive, in other words the weight of the air in your tanks, and anything that compresses during the dive such as neoprene.

So even if you are significantly overweight because you are carrying too much lead it will not be by 37 lbs because you do need at least some of this weight to compensate for your positive buoyancy.

If for example you only really need half of the weight you are currently using (in other words at 37 lbs you are very overweighted) then that is still only 18lbs, plus the weight of the air in your tank, another couple of pounds, and neoprene compression at the depths you are doing will not add too much more, so you are nowhere near approaching the capacity of the Zeagle Ranger at 44 lbs.

Best - Phil.

This is very helpful. Thank you.

 

[Ongrade]

Kamel, I needed 36 lbs when I started open water. I'm 5'10'" 220lbs. 130 dives later I only need 22 lbs. Same 8mm semi dry and gear that I started with, same body weight. But I did convert a lot of fat to muscle over the last 2 years and experience has taught me a lot. I wouldn't sweat it, start dropping a couple lbs of lead every few dives as you get comfortable and more experienced.

 

[kamel007]

Kamel, I needed 36 lbs when I started open water. I'm 5'10'" 220lbs. 130 dives later I only need 22 lbs. Same 8mm semi dry and gear that I started with, same body weight. But I did convert a lot of fat to muscle over the last 2 years and experience has taught me a lot. I wouldn't sweat it, start dropping a couple lbs of lead every few dives as you get comfortable and more experienced.

Thank you Ongrade. It is great to be able to learn from so many experienced diver. Really appreciate it.

 

[Tug]

While 37lbs seems like a bit much to me, I won't pass any judgement on that since I don't know your situation. As to your question about the BC size, yes the Ranger would suit your needs. It's a popular BC at our shop and the 44lbs is more than adequate.

Kamel, I needed 36 lbs when I started open water. I'm 5'10'" 220lbs. 130 dives later I only need 22 lbs. Same 8mm semi dry and gear that I started with, same body weight. But I did convert a lot of fat to muscle over the last 2 years and experience has taught me a lot. I wouldn't sweat it, start dropping a couple lbs of lead every few dives as you get comfortable and more experienced.

My experience was very similar to Ongrade's, I started with over 30lbs and slowly dropped a bunch of that weight. I'd second his recommendation of dropping some weight every few dives until your comfortable. I'd also highly recommend doing a proper weight check on your next dive.

 

[VikingDives]

The dive training industry is notorious for over-weighting students. It's a short-sighted solution that makes it easier for all concerned on the day, but leaves novice divers struggling thereafter.

You should re-read everything that @DevonDiver said, because when he responds, it's always spot on and useful.

I've gone from 38 lbs in a 7mm XXXL beat up old wetsuit and boots (presumably less bouyant) in fresh water and an AL80 on my first dive to 14 lbs with a brand new kit of the same configuration.

In your OW pool sessions, if you were on your knees, you can pretty much assume you were way over-weighted. Buoyancy is critically important, and it is a shame that most instructors and dive agencies don't require it to be taught from the first dive.

I'd also suggest that you are probably going to have too much lift in that BC. Figure out your buoyancy and trim issues, and you can likely get a smaller more streamlined bc. 20 something pounds should be plenty.