Suggestions needed for weights when doffing still in the water.

[Tina5269]

I'm searching for weight systems with some kind of carry strap or handle.

I have to don/doff my gear while in the water. At the end of my dive I want to take some weight off my BPW & pass my weights up to the boat. That way my gear will be much lighter for the boat guys to lift or for my dive buddy to carry up the ladder.

I'm trying to find a way to make it easier for the people helping me dive.

Due to a back injury I've had to have 3 back surgeries, and now I have the S1-L3 bones fused with metal rods and junk... So I can't flex at the waist anymore and I'm weaker than I used to be. My surgeon is also a diver and I brought my stuff to the office after my last surgery. He ok'd me to drive but said I must never wear my gear out of the water for any reason or I'll risk breaking a bone. It's just too much to carry.

So I now, my dive buddy (my BF) enters the water 1st, the boat crew throws my gear with with on it into the water. My BF cares it and then I jump in, swim to my stuff, soon the gear and remove the tether line, then I go diving. When done, i catch a tether line, doff the gear, get back on the boat. Then the crew either lifts the gear up or my boyfriend has to climb up himself, did his gear and then jump in and carry mine up.

If I could take 14 lbs off my rig and pass that up to the boat, it would make life easier and safer for everyone...right? So how can I do that without losing the weights?

 

[Tina5269]

Is the boat crew or your BF complaining about the present situation? I see lots of older divers taking their gear off in the water and the crew hauling it into the boat.

Your BF is already climbing the ladder with all his gear. Doesn't seem that hard to do it twice unless he has issues with lifting.

Remember men are only good at 2 things, lifting heavy objects and parallel parking.

Hi - no, he isn't complaining and neither is the crew - but on the last dive I felt so badly for the boat guy because as he brought my stuff onboard the boat the tank landed on his toe and cut the crap out of it, To be honest the man was a newbie on the boat and the guy who seemed to be training him ribbed him about it - "Now you know why I said do it my way." Even so - I felt so bad for him.

My boyfriend is strong now but he is older than I am and I don't want to make it harder on him than it needs to be. He is starting to get issues with his shoulders.
So far he lugged my junk up for me 2x - the other 2-3 times the boat guys lifted it in... and they did say OMG this is HEAVY stuff!

LOL on your last line.

 

[Tina5269]

I see that you're in Florida; are you diving in a drysuit? 14lbs is a LOT of lead!

Hi - I guess it is a lot but I don't even sink at all if I don't carry that much. That's with a 3 mil suit. When it's just my bathing suit I need 12 lbs to get under the water. I took a peak performance buoyancy class and my instructor was AMAZING - Ryan Custereri - he was surprised I needed that much too... but it is what it is.

 

[Tina5269]

I can help you out here. I have the same issue so I don and doff in the water. I have quick release weight pockets on my BP/W I have tried a LOT of them. You can use the OMS weight pockets on your waist strap when you want to remove them just tug hard and they slide out from the bottom. Or you can use the Zeagle pockets with the weights in a yellow mesh bag.

Zeagle 20 lb Zip Touch Weight System with​

Zeagle Contoured Weight Pouch (Each)​

These work the best because when you don your gear it is tossed in with your wing inflated of course. When you your weights solely on the waist band it is MUCH harder to don. The waist band goes all over the place. When the weight pocket is attached to your BP then it is much less of an issue and easier for you to find your waist webbing. Also use a SS BP and not aluminum I can double check but I think HOG BP line up perfectly with the zeagle pockets. I also have xDeep BC's and I have used xDeep weight integrated. The xDeep are a pain to put into the weight holders I have used DIve Rite weight integrated and I have used OMS which will work The downside for you is donning in the water...the zeagle works the best. Just unzip the pockets and pull out the yellow webbing with the weights and put those on the dive platform I hope all this makes sense to you. I have used almost every system

:-D Hi Shabaday yes what you said makes sense - I was looking at the Zeagles but it looked like it had to go with a Zeagle BC - they have zippers on them. How do I attach the system to the metal backplate?
My BP is a steel one, pretty much a generic pattern. It's from UTD & my setup was 100% tech when I got it. I do like it quite a bit - I just needed to change the harness setup because of the way I am shaped.

 

[Tina5269]

These might work?

XDeep Weight Pockets - DirDirect

XDeep Weight Pockets with bolts. Attach to the waistband on either of the harnesses to provide safe releasable weight. Available in 3 sizes.

www.dirdirect.com

I was thinking of those - I can only go by the reviews so far & I was curious because many said they fall out easily. Do you know if they actually do?

 

[Tina5269]

Here is the Zeagle attached to the side of the HOG plate. Also get a "deluxe" harness with quick release shoulders. I normally never recommend that but with my back I can't rotate or twist so I need to release one shoulder to get out of the harness. A properly fitting regular stiff harness can be used since you don't tighten the shoulders (leave one fist width in-between chest and strap) down you use the waist and crotch strap to secure it.
First pic is the zeagle which works the best for me with the yellow weight pockets
Second pic is the HOG set up
Third is how many xDeep pockets I have and tried
Fourth is how many DiveRite I have tried
Fifth is the OMS with pocket that could work

WOW the pics REALLY help me a lot. OK so the one part I am confused about is how to attach the zeagle to the backplate. I Really like that it is not on the waistband so much - when I put the current pockets on the waistband they flopped all over the place. It made water donning rough - so I was thinking I'd just have to practice it.
Like you, I have neck/shoulder issues and that is why I swapped the single webbing to the diveright adjustable kind. I loosen the shoulder straps and when I don it put my reg in my mouth then I lie on my back, put arms in straps, tighten partway, then connect the chest strap, then get the waist on me, when connected I kick & "hitch myself up" on the BP then tighten the waist all the way connect the crotch strap tighten that one then roll on my belly and face in the water I tighten the shoulder straps and chest last. I deflate my wing slowly and descend on my belly. I have to go really slowly my ears ache if I don't.

 

[Tina5269]

Like this

I like this idea - I thought of it but thought it would be in the way of my reg & the neck of the tank. I dive a single tank.

I'll try making one like that.

 

[SlugLife]

I like this idea - I thought of it but thought it would be in the way of my reg & the neck of the tank. I dive a single tank.

I'll try making one like that.

Tuck the handle down a little, just above the top of your backplate, but below your hoses when doning your gear. When you hand up your gear, and someone grabs the handle, your hoses should be to the left and right of the handle and move out of the way naturally. Everything is flexible.

 

[Big Dan K]

Scubapro makes waist strap mounted QR weight pockets. Mine are the x-tek pockets. The newer s-tek look more comfortable. Dive Rite makes some too.

 

[saxman242]

I have the hollis weight pockets that get put on my bp/w when I'm diving in cold water and want the ditchable weight. Theyre easy to pop the pouches in and out of, etc. You could very easily gear up and then slide the weights in to avoid the floppy waste belt problem.

 

[Shabaday]

WOW the pics REALLY help me a lot. OK so the one part I am confused about is how to attach the zeagle to the backplate. I Really like that it is not on the waistband so much - when I put the current pockets on the waistband they flopped all over the place. It made water donning rough - so I was thinking I'd just have to practice it.
Like you, I have neck/shoulder issues and that is why I swapped the single webbing to the diveright adjustable kind. I loosen the shoulder straps and when I don it put my reg in my mouth then I lie on my back, put arms in straps, tighten partway, then connect the chest strap, then get the waist on me, when connected I kick & "hitch myself up" on the BP then tighten the waist all the way connect the crotch strap tighten that one then roll on my belly and face in the water I tighten the shoulder straps and chest last. I deflate my wing slowly and descend on my belly. I have to go really slowly my ears ache if I don't.

The zeagle pockets fasten to two holes in the backplate using plastic book screws. They come with them. The HOG holes line up perfectly The Zeagle has zippers for the weights. If you just got the yellow mesh inner pockets you put the weights in those and put them into your pockets. When you get to the boat just remove them and hand them up they have a black loop you grab Or leave them in place and the boat crew will lift everything up I had to jury rig it with my DiveRite back plate and the holes lines up with my xDeep zen as well. The xdeep ones you looked at suck. I have every model of them and could not get them to work well at all.