Releasing Weight Belt/Weights

[R1Adam]

Can anyone explain to me why weights might be released underwater?
I'm trying to brush up on my theory and can't recall the reasons this might occur.

Thanks

 

[Bubbletrubble]

To make a diver less negatively buoyant (I realize this probably isn't the kind of answer you were looking for.)

In an emergency situation, it's one of several things a rescuer can do to help bring a problem diver to the surface (remove some or all of the problem diver's weights). Novice divers are often over-weighted. Potential rescuers should be aware of this.

I guess that another instance one might entertain ditching a weight belt is if the weight belt is caught on something or is causing some kind of entrapment.

 

[ajduplessis]

I will give you a clue..... buoyancy. I would really suggest a refresher before you get back in the water.

 

[R1Adam]

I understand that it's for buoyancy but surely if a divers weight belt were removed at depth, they would ascend at an unsafe rate. This is what I was trying to understand.

I did my refresher last week but I'm filling in on things I couldn't remember.

 

[Hatul]

I understand that it's for buoyancy but surely if a divers weight belt were removed at depth, they would ascend at an unsafe rate. This is what I was trying to understand.

I did my refresher last week but I'm filling in on things I couldn't remember.

Sometimes you need to ascend at an "unsafe rate" to keep from drowning.

 

[herman]

The only valid time I can see is if I am sure I am going to pass out, want to go the surface and I have no buddy to assist me, otherwise I can see no time it is a good idea but plenty of times its a very bad idea. If you are weighted properly you need almost every bit of weight you have to stay down, dropping your weights with a thick wetsuit or drysuit is a sure fire way to start an uncontrollable ride to the surface. Ditching them on the surface may at times be a good idea but at depth, IMO never. It’s also never a good idea to drop the weights of an unconscious diver at depth, you do and it’s unlikely you can control both your and his buoyancy, making a safe controlled accent for both of you impossible. Either both of you are going to rocket to the surface or you will have to release them. My weight belt stays on at depth.

 

[R1Adam]

The only valid time I can see is if I am sure I am going to pass out, want to go the surface and I have no buddy to assist me, otherwise I can see no time it is a good idea but plenty of times its a very bad idea. If you are weighted properly you need almost every bit of weight you have to stay down, dropping your weights with a thick wetsuit or drysuit is a sure fire way to start an uncontrollable ride to the surface. Ditching them on the surface may at times be a good idea but at depth, IMO never. It’s also never a good idea to drop the weights of an unconscious diver at depth, you do and it’s unlikely you can control both your and his buoyancy, making a safe controlled accent for both of you impossible. Either both of you are going to rocket to the surface or you will have to release them. My weight belt stays on at depth.

Thanks, this is exactly what I thought, removing the weights at depth would cause a dangerously fast ascent. I guess as has been said, the only reason it would ever happen is in case of drowning and an absolute necessity to get to the surface.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

What Herman said.

For single tank dives: If properly weighted, even with a BC failure at depth you should be able to swim yourself up. Releasing weights would be to manage a surface emergency.

I can envision some tech rigs (steel doubles, stages, cannister light, backup lights, reels, etc.) that could leave you quite negative if your wing failed, and in that case you could be too heavy to swim the rig up.... in that case I could see needing ditchable weight.... but even then I'd think it would be an absolute last resort.

Best wishes.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I understand that it's for buoyancy but surely if a divers weight belt were removed at depth, they would ascend at an unsafe rate. This is what I was trying to understand.

Not necessarily. In most cases, the amount of lead on my weight belt is less than or approx. equal to the weight of the gas in my tank. If I have an issue at the beginning of a dive with a nearly full tank, I can make a very comfortable, controlled ascent after ditching my weight belt completely. I typically end my dive with a third of my tank in reserve, so even if my weight belt were released near the end of the dive, I could still do a controlled ascent by minimizing the amount of air in my lungs (while still maintaining an open airway).

I completely disagree with your statement. You are assuming the diver has a weight belt that weighs more than 6-8 lbs. I see divers here in SoCal who have 18 lbs. of lead on a weight belt. IMHO, that's too much. It's uncomfortable for shore diving...and there are almost certainly better places to position some of that weight.

That being said, there's probably a tendency in a majority of divers to panic a little and revert to ditching weight in an emergency situation...even if that's not the best course of action. I want to reiterate that ditching a weight belt or weight pockets is one of several ways to affect buoyancy. In an emergency, you need to be calm enough to think rationally about the problem and select an action plan that minimizes risk to the problem diver and yourself.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I always tell students that dropping weights at depth is a bad idea unless you are so overweighted that you cannot swim the rig up. If that is the case then your instructor should be slapped for not teaching you proper weighting and how to do it. This one of the main reasons for distributing weights between different systems or having a way to just release some of your ballast. I advocate if needing more than 10 lbs to use some type of integrated system and a weight belt. My "integrated" system is my BPW w/ bolt on weight plates. My belt has 4 seperate velcro flapped pockets that are mounted upside down. They do not usually contain more than 2lbs in each. If my BC were to fail and I did need to dump any weight at all I could do it in 2lb increments. Enough to get positive yet still retain control of my ascent rate. One thing I really hate to see is divers practicing ditching both pockets if using an intergrated bc. There is no reason to do this EXCEPT and ONLY at the surface.

I see divers using their integrated bc's in 7 mils or drysuits and stuffing 10 lbs in each pocket and 4 or 5 in the trim pockets. Now they have a bc that is a biatch to pick up, is awkward, and if they drop one of those pockets they are on an express train to the surface. And usually they practice ditching both at the same time in the pool but fail to realize that even though they may be taking them out they are still holding on to them, in a pool, in a swim suit, with nowhere near the full capacity in em. Unless they are in a plant em on their knees class anyway.

My advice is if you do indeed need that much weight get a belt. Put 4 lbs in each trim pockets, 16 on the belt, and 3 in each ditchable pocket if that is what you plan on dumping at depth if you REALLY NEED TO! Or switch the amounts. If you are correctly weighted the most you should have to dump at depth is maybe 3-4 lbs to start to get positive. And even this might be too much if again correctly weighted. And even if you are overweighted it should be enough because once you get positive you'll just get more so on the way up. And unless you know for sure the diver is dead, never release his/her weight system at depth. Do so and if they are not dead and the airway happens to be closed, you most likely will kill them.