In a dilemna...

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nivla80:
I'm mainly using Al 80's... I need 16 lbs when wearing a 7 mm F/J with a 5/3 hooded vest...

In summer however, I'll also be diving AL 80's, but this time in a 3mm, with the same 5/3 hooded vest, so I'm still figuring out my weight configurations

So you have a 6 pound SS plate and 10lbs on the cam bands? That is alot of weight up high on your back and none of it is ditchable.

I'd have the 10lbs on a weight belt.
 
rjack321:
So you have a 6 pound SS plate and 10lbs on the cam bands? That is alot of weight up high on your back and none of it is ditchable.

I'd have the 10lbs on a weight belt.

Kind of agree but since he dives an Al80, the weight on his back is going to net out to about 2lbs when the tank gets empty. 10lbs on his waist might make trim difficult.

Maybe he could split the weight up, put some on cam bands and some on a weight belt. Or maybe ditch the Al80, go with a steel tank and drop roughly 4 of the 10lbs on the weight belt.
 
I just know if you put me in the setup (pretty average for a skinny guy, 5'9" 145#) My feet would be straight up and I'd be doing pirouettes on my head.

I don't think there's a need to immediately change to a steel tank. Just weight check and move what's there around. I am also confident that a regular ~6# SS plate is not really responsible.
 
rjack321:
I just know if you put me in the setup (pretty average for a skinny guy, 5'9" 145#) My feet would be straight up and I'd be doing pirouettes on my head.
I'm same size (height and weight) as you and I have no headstand issues using no weight belt. Different strokes I guess (no pun intended :D ).
 
Are you using one camband or two? If you are using two, are the weights on the top or bottom? Try lowering your tank. Also, I dive a DSS rig with weightplates ( I have zero ditchable weight and it is all on my back), so my guess is you need more practice. I rolled head first a lot when I switched to BP, but now there is no problem. Are you arching your back?
 
Jason B:
I'm same size (height and weight) as you and I have no headstand issues using no weight belt. Different strokes I guess (no pun intended :D ).

LOL that was good :)
 
With lots of floatation down low, and all of the weight up high as weights on a tankband, it's to be expected that the most stable position will be supine (back down, face up). That's the position where the lead is below the floaty body and wetsuit. With all the weight on your back and on the tank cambands, a normal horizontal (in roll direction, not pitch) orientation will be an unstable equilibrium. OK if you stay perfectly horizontal, but as soon as you roll a small amount either right or left, then you'll tend to keep rolling until face up.

Does this describe your problem?


If so, then you need to take weight off of the cambands and move it to a weight belt or some other method of getting it more towards your belly side.

If this doesn't solve it, you may need to go to an aluminum plate so that you will have more lead that you can move to your belly, but that's not likely. When you go to saltwater, you'll need about 6 pounds more weight, If you put that on your belly side, the problem may go away.

Once you fix the roll problem, then you'll be able to work on any head up/head down pitch problem.

BTW, the worst case condition for turtling like this will be when you have a near empty tank, are shallow, and you have no air in the wing. If you are at depth, or if you are overweighted to the point that you have to add air to the wing, then this will add stability.
 
Charlie99:
With lots of floatation down low, and all of the weight up high as weights on a tankband, it's to be expected that the most stable position will be supine (back down, face up). That's the position where the lead is below the floaty body and wetsuit. With all the weight on your back and on the tank cambands, a normal horizontal (in roll direction, not pitch) orientation will be an unstable equilibrium. OK if you stay perfectly horizontal, but as soon as you roll a small amount either right or left, then you'll tend to keep rolling until face up.

Does this describe your problem?

TOTALLY!!!

I'm 5,9, and 132 lbs. (yeah, kinda underweight).. It's nice to hear that all i need is to get used to it and practise, instead of moving on to an AL BP...

Guess I'm gonna go with my SS BP, and 4 lbs on my waist, while in a 3mm FS, and in tropical waters. Hope the rolling's gonna stop...
 

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