To this, I would only add: flood the wetsuit first if not built like a manatee.
Overweighted at beginning of dive but underweighted at end in shallows
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6 pounds is entirely reasonable as well. Being weighted within 5 pounds is the goal. Most everyone should be able to deal with that.
I resemble that remark! The divers in the springs and caves I frequent often marvel that I only wear a t-shirt and swim trunks. If you're built like a manatee, you get to dive like one. Don't worry about it until the Save the Manatee peeps keep pushing you back in the water saying things like: "You can make it, big fella!".To this, I would only add: flood the wetsuit first if not built like a manatee.
@The Chairman has this exactly right.
In case this isn't intuitive...
Head awash with a full tank after adding incremental bits of weight means you're neutrally buoyant at the surface with a full tank and an empty bcd.
At the end of the dive, you're now 5-6 pounds lighter from the air you used up.
BUT... your wetsuit at 15 feet is slightly compressed, and is (approximately) 5-6 pounds less buoyant. So at the safety stop, you're still neutral with an empty tank and an empty bcd.
But since wetsuits (and drysuits) vary, your results may vary. So we argue about the "right way" year after year, and folks in Seattle do it differently from the folks in Bonaire.
As a caveat, I've lost 59 pounds since Christmas. It'll be interesting to see how my weighting will be affected and if I will need exposure protection.
Also, evaluate your needs at the end of the dive. I always remove all air during my safety stop to see if I'm heavy or not. Don't be so tied into your math and/or reasoning that you can't add or remove a few pounds. As a caveat, I dive silty-assed caves in North Central Florida, so being smack on the money is important to me in regards to being weighted. Some of my comrades will sweat things down to a half pound. I'm not that anal, hoping to be within a couple of pounds.
... because he knows he can control far more than that just with lung volume.
I've taught this to hundreds of students with great success. First thing we did in the pool with their BC on. We never added weight after this. If they were floaty, then they were anxious. We dealt with their anxiety rather than simply adding weight. There was one student I had to add another couple pounds to. Not a bad record for Dr Bob's Weight Titration. Dr Bob was one of my instructor Trainers in my IDC. I don't recall his last name anymore and he's probably no longer living. Almost everyone who was a part of that IDC is now deceased, but none by a diving accident.
During our time adding weight at depth to see how much more we can handle, I was able to add and then successfully remove 18 pounds. Males must be able to do 6 pounds to pass with 14 pounds being the male record and females need to be able to breathe at least a 4 pound addition, with the female record being 10 pounds. Our lungs are simply amazing in how elastic they are. Again, as has been repeated by me and one other: Don't hold your breath! Make sure your glottis is always open, open, open.
See pages 6 & 7...
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