Integrated Weight Systems

[WaterBaby]

Hi!

I have one of the above in my Diva BC and was wondering if there are any reasons why it is not a good idea to have all of your necessary weight in the pockets rather than distributed between the BC and a belt? I find a belt a bit uncomfortable and last night managed to get all of my shot weight pouches in my jacket.

Any comments would be appreciated!

 

[Warren_L]

It would depend on how you are with the weights where they are positioned as you are diving - if your trim is fine and it feels comfortable, then I would say no problem. In addition, with any weight system, you want to consider what you can ditch in an emergency and how much. Having all your weight in one place (eg. only on a belt) generally only gives you the option to ditch all your weight at once, which is not necessarily a good thing. But having it distributed in a few different places gives you the abilitiy to ditch what you require. On the downside, this may present more failure points, but each failure (i.e. accidental dropping of weights) would be less of a problem to deal with in that the unexpected change in buoyancy would be less than if you were to lose all your weight at once. What you need to be careful of with WI BC pockets is to make sure to inspect them regularly to make sure they will function properly (ie. if they are held on by velcro or whatever that it is clean, etc).

 

[diverlady]

You might also consider what the max. weight per pocket is as per the maufacturer's manual related to how much weight you need to wear. If you need a lot of weight, you might have to still use a weight belt after maxing out your BC's pockets. Or you might find having weight in rear pockets throws off your balance so you wind up not using those but need to put the weight somewhere.

Also consider where you will be diving. When I dive "at home" I climb back onto the diveboat with all my gear on (minus fins) so having weight in pockets was no big deal. However, when recently in Coz, I was required to hand up my weight belt and bc before getting out of the water. It was easier to remove a weight belt than to pull open several pockets.

Diverlady

 

[Diver0001]

You might also consider what the max. weight per pocket is as per the maufacturer's manual <snip>

And then 1/2 that number.

R..

 

[CelticRavenVA]

I have a sequest BC that has trim pockets in the back (non-removable weight) as well as an integrated weight system. I do not use a weight belt, but then again I need a mere 6 lbs fresh water, 10-12 in saltwater, and I border on over weighted with 12. I put 1lb, in each of the trim pockets, and simply divide the weight up between the other 2. To me to use a weight belt to carry 10lbs doesn't make much sense but I am gathering that you are carrying alot more weight?

 

[WaterBaby]

I have a sequest BC that has trim pockets in the back (non-removable weight) as well as an integrated weight system. I do not use a weight belt, but then again I need a mere 6 lbs fresh water, 10-12 in saltwater, and I border on over weighted with 12. I put 1lb, in each of the trim pockets, and simply divide the weight up between the other 2. To me to use a weight belt to carry 10lbs doesn't make much sense but I am gathering that you are carrying alot more weight?

I am doing my first open water dive tommorow so I'm not too sure what my total weighting will be but I have been told to take 20lbs with me so it can be assessed on the day!

 

[Warren_L]

The type of exposure protection you wear will also greatly influence the amount of weight you will wear. For full 7mm farmer john type wetsuits, we usually advise new divers to bring 28 lbs - that's not to say that they will need it all. Most come pretty close, though.

 

[voop]

When diving recreationally, I use a SeaQuest BC w. integrated weight. As with all weight, there are basically three considerations: (i) getting the right amount of weighting, (ii) getting the weight distributed such that your trim is right and (iii) getting the weight secured such that you can ditch a part of it if you need it, but such that you don't ditch it accidentially.

(i) and (ii) comes with experience in the water. If I was to give advice, I'd say that once certified and with your own gear, dedicate an entire dive (preferably with an experienced buddy) to get that right. Me, I use 6 kg in a neoprene drysuit w. underwear in salt water, which amounts to three in each side of my SeaQuest's integrated pockets. The amount of weight needed, though, is easier to achieve on a weightbelt than integrated. Basically, you want to add and remove weight until you've got it "right". Once you know the amount, you can worry about the distribution of weight in integrated pockets and work on your trim.

(iii) is something to consider up front. If your integrated pockets are of the velcro-type, then don't rely on them being able to retain your weight. The velcro fasteners tend to wear out quickly -- and you're better off with a belt.

 

[voop]

btw., 20 lb is about 10 kg, or thereabout, no? That's a LOT of weight. If you're a woman (and in a Diva BC, I suspect that you are), chances are that you are substantially smaller than I (and I'm a fairly big guy.....no use hiding that, although I have been loosing weight lately *grin*) Unless you'll be in a heavy suit or a drysuit with lots of underwear, I'll guess that you should need much less weight.

If I strapped on 10 kg of lead, I would sink and sink *fast*, even in my drysuit.

 

[hantzu701]

Hi!

I have one of the above in my Diva BC and was wondering if there are any reasons why it is not a good idea to have all of your necessary weight in the pockets rather than distributed between the BC and a belt? I find a belt a bit uncomfortable and last night managed to get all of my shot weight pouches in my jacket.

Any comments would be appreciated!

I am not an instructor, so take my comments with a grain of salt.

I am a bit confused of why you would want to wear a weight belt IN ADDITION to using your integrated weight system. Your Seaquest BC has two trim pockets (non-ditchable) in the back in addition to the two weight pouches in front (ditchable).

In an emergency, you do not want to dump all of your weight. Once you jump into the water with just your wetsuit, you'll understand what I mean. Try as you might, your wetsuit will provide a LOT of buoyancy. If you put all of your weight in your front pouches, and ditch the weight, then you're looking at an uncontrolled ascent. This is pretty dangerous. In an emergency, you should be able to drop just one weight pouch and make a controlled ascent .. . or at least that's the theory.