If weight belt fell off?

[Riger]

....(but it's amazing how light rocks are underwater, she says, having tried this).....
.

Pffftt, that's just because you are a SuperDiveHero in disguise .....

Best Regards
Richard

 

[TSandM]

Pffftt, that's just because you are a SuperDiveHero in disguise .....

You wouldn't have said that if you had seen me early in my dive career, underweighted, desperately trying to stay underwater by stuffing my pockets with rocks . . .

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

One question that might be posed is why are we wearing so much weight that it is an issue? Developing good buoyancy techniques and being comfortable in the water should reduce your weight requirements, ideally to single digits or less, so the difference in having or not having your weight belt/pouch/whatever would be not such a potentially dangerous thing.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

One question that might be posed is why are we wearing so much weight that it is an issue? Developing good buoyancy techniques and being comfortable in the water should reduce your weight requirements, ideally to single digits or less, so the difference in having or not having your weight belt/pouch/whatever would be not such a potentially dangerous thing.

agreed, although this isn't always possible. when I started diving I was using like 34lbs of lead and now I'm down to about 10 but I dive a ss backplate.

In reality I cut down my ballast (with the same tanks on) down by about 10lbs depending on what undergarments I'm using. I always carry the same amount of lead now when I dive single tanks no matter what thickness of garments are just because its simple.

When diving cold water people use copious amounts of lead to sink them and often times there is little a person can do to change that besides get heavier tanks and a backplate which isn't an option for everyone.

 

[Missdirected]

If you are where you can pick up rocks, they can help a little (but it's amazing how light rocks are underwater, she says, having tried this).

I think they are actually fake rocks filled with air. I'm sure of it! :winky:

Personally for the majority of diving I do, I don't use much weight. However, a couple of times, I too, have needed it and tried the rock thing... Serioulsy, you would not believe how many it took to weight me. :shocked2: Finding a heavy rock seems to be like finding a needle in a haystack. Since I don't have my BC inflated while I am under, I wouldn't have air to dump. So the best would be to find what I can to weight myself, be sure my lungs have expelled all "extra" air, and swim in a downward fashion to control the ascent. Be sure to stay calm and not get yourself "worked up".

 

[Indian Valley Scuba]

While I won't argue with you about the copious amounts of lead worn by many, the bottom line is that the physics don't lie. Being able to sink is being able to sink, and you don't get any extra points for sinking faster. Sadly, many divers are grossly overweighted, for whatever reason that may be, and that only leads to more challenges and difficulties in the water, both at depth and at the surface. Being overweighted means needing to put more air into the BCD or drysuit to achieve neutrality at a given depth, but that inevitably leads to a larger "bubble" to manage. And of course as soon as you change that depth, that larger bubble is affected even more than a smaller one, so more air must be added or released, relative to a BCD that only has a puff or two of air in it. Bubble management is one of the most important skills to manage as a diver, and step one is without a doubt, make the bubble as small as possible. And that is achieved by eliminating the excess weight.

 

[vladimir]

One question that might be posed is why are we wearing so much weight that it is an issue? Developing good buoyancy techniques and being comfortable in the water should reduce your weight requirements, ideally to single digits or less, so the difference in having or not having your weight belt/pouch/whatever would be not such a potentially dangerous thing.

You need what you need. If you're 300 pounds of buoyant fat in a 7mm wetsuit, you're going to need some lead, notwithstanding the benefits of comfort and good technique. But it doesn't all have to be on your weightbelt. A backplate, heavier tank, or a weight-integrated bc allows you to divide your weight into ditchable and non-ditchable components. So you can still have ditchable weight in case of an emergency on the surface, but not have so much that losing it at depth is catastrophic.

 

[RonFrank]

My suggestion is to NOT take off/loose your weight belt. This should not be that difficult. Make sure it is secure around your waist when you enter, and once you are at depth, tighten the belt to ensure it remains on your waist!

If you feel loosing your weight belt is a real issue, my suggestion is to NOT wear much weight on the belt. Loosing a 30lbs weight belt at depth is going to result in a huge out of control ascent, unless you dive 25libs overweight!

I've been diving a weight belt for years, and have never been remotely close to loosing it. This SHOULD not be difficult. If you feel it is, then look into a DUI weight belt system, or something similar that will stay put.

 

[AndyDragon]

As others have mentioned here, dump all the air from our BCD and/or dry suit, flare out to create as much drag as possible, get help from a buddy and I'll add two suggestions...

1. Reach up. This can prevent a "sudden stop" when your head finds the bottom of the dive boat by using your hands as a bumper.

2. Look up. This helps to keep your airway open. Don't believe me, look up and try to swallow...tough, isn't it? Keep your reg in and keep your airway open to avoid LOI.

I personally use a weight belt AND integrated so if I happen to loose one, I still have the other for partial weighting. Rare to loose a weight belt AND integrated at the same time. This also is a bonus if I have to dump weight...I can decide just how much I want to dump, some of it or all of it.

 

[AzAtty]

An ounce of prevention is worth a whole mess o' cure. Four words: weights under crotch strap. Problem solved. Or as others have said, minimize your ditchable weight by putting it someplace other than your belt.

Or rope your buddy with a loop from your reel. He'll get a kite, and you'll get an anchor out of the arrangement. Fun for everyone.