"proper" weighting vs Rock bottom

[jepuskar]

I agree...a couple pounds overweighted is not the end of the world. Its better to start this way and then taper off as you see fit over the course of many dives.

 

[chewie]

proper weighting is gauged at the surface with full gear & tanks. generally, you should float at eye level while your BCD is completely deflated when you have the proper weights

 

[in_cavediver]

proper weighting is gauged at the surface with full gear & tanks. generally, you should float at eye level while your BCD is completely deflated when you have the proper weights

Don't forget to compensate for the air you breathe!!

 

[nolatom]

Don't forget to compensate for the air you breathe!!

Agree. Add "and with a full breath in" to the above, and it should work.

 

[1_T_Submariner]

As many others have said Slightly negative on the surface with an empty (read 500psi or your plan) tank. Just my $.02

 

[roakey]

proper weighting is gauged at the surface with full gear & tanks. generally, you should float at eye level while your BCD is completely deflated when you have the proper weights

You can't get much more improper than this. This means that when the cylinder is full (most negative) you're still several pounds buoyant to float a couple pounds of head above the surface of the water. When the cylinder is empty, you'll be even more positive.

Yes, I know that this is what's taught in recreational SCUBA classes today. The fact that instructors can tell you this without realizing just how wrong it is shows you just how poor recreational instruction has become.

Roak

 

[Charlie99]

As many others have said Slightly negative on the surface with an empty (read 500psi or your plan) tank. Just my $.02

With full, empty, or mid-way on the lungs? It DOES make a difference, you know.

(Your post just happened to be the most convenient example of the many that ignore this.)

I choose to be slightly negative on the surface with an empty tank .......... and partially exhaled.

I choose to be neutral at 15' and a near empty tank ........ and full lungs.

As the result of the above two choices, and wearing a wetsuit, I will be significantly positive on the surface with an empty tank........ and full lungs.

 

[scuba-doc]

In general I agree with your thoughts, but do remember that weighting isn't a completely black and white sort of thing. Your breathing changes your buoyancy by several pounds.

You can be a couple pounds light and still stay down by breathing towards the bottom of your lung capacity. So another possible strategy is to be neutral at 15', 500psi, full lungs; and neutral at 3 or 4', 0psi, and breathing shallow. With a 5mm full wetsuit, these are about the same for me.

IMO, if you can make a controlled ascent to the surface with a near empty tank, then you have enough weight, even if you need to change your breathing pattern a bit for the last 5' of the ascent. With this weighting, you should also be able to redescend by simply exhaling hard, even with a near empty tank.

I agree with this. When I dive, I try to use as little / no air in my BCD (depending on depth) so that I can use my breathing to assist my buoyancy to be neutral. The more air in your BCD means the more difficult it will be to control buoyancy when changing depth. So being overweighted translates to less buoyancy control since you would need to balance it with more air in your BCD.

Having said that, newer divers should be overweighted until they learn to control their buoyancy. But experienced divers should strive to shed the weights and use the air in their lungs, rather than the air in their BCD, as buoyancy control (to a degree).

Just my 2 cents.

 

[fabasard]

The way weighting was explained to me is this..."you completely DEflate your BCD. and you should have enough weight to make you float at eye level in the water". You do that, and the weight should be perfect. I use this method and have never had a problem with over or underweight.

 

[chewie]

that is what is being taught in the classes. but it's not the hard & fast rule. it's really trail & error. some people can get their proper weighting just after a couple of dives, others longer. a fat person may require less wieghts than a thin person & vice versa. it also depends on your body mass. if you are a floater, then you need more weights than a sinker. there is no right or wrong way on how to gauge it. the buoyancy check is an excercise to show you the displacement & help you decide how much you should carry by adding & subtracting at the surface.

if you feel that you are sinking like a rock from the surface, then go ahead & lessen your load. if you feel like you're not going down, then add a couple of pounds. it's better to be overweight than to be underweight, risking a runaway ascent when you empty your tank. if you feel that you're tired in dragging all those excess weights, then ditch them or pass them to a buddy or someone who has difficulty with thier buoyancy. this is also true for those who don't have their own gear & have to rent. it would differ each situation as you try on different gear.

it is also taught in recreational diving that as you ascend, you should purge or release air from your bcd, since the air compresses as you go deeper. again, to avoid shooting up the surface & risking DCS. ascending slowly & properly should be strictly observed as well as looking where you ascend.