Weight belt location

[mlloyd]

Sanity check. I had someone query me on the location of my weightbelt the other day. My response is below. Is my understanding correct, did I miss anything?

The location of the weight belt in regards to a backplate and harness system depends on what you consider is your greater risk.

If you are diving with the weight belt under the strap, the risk is that your weight belt is not as easy to remove as it would be if it were over the strap. The risk with the weight belt over the strap is that the belt may come loose and you therefore shoot to the surface from whatever depth you may be at.

So now that the risks are identified, what are some of the reasons for wanting to release the belt? Trouble at the surface and you need to release the belt to ensure that you don’t sink. Your wing for some reason is not providing bouyancy at depth and you need to release some weight to ascend.

If you are at the surface then you should be able to take the few extra seconds it may take to release the harness and get rid of the belt. This extra time should not be so life threatening as to make it a major risk factor over losing your belt although there are always situations with exceptions.

If you are under the water at depth and are considering dumping your weights then the possibility of an uncontrolled ascent is real. If your wing has been damaged and you are sinking then the first option for you is to swim up. If you are so deep that you can not ascend even when finning up then you need to be able to dump some weight. If you dump all your weight, at some point you will most likely go into an uncontrolled ascent. In a decompression situation this is a critical fact to consider.

The option to dumping all your weight is to dump some of it using a weight belt with pouches so that you can open the pouch and dump 1 or 2 blocks at a time. The requirement to dump the weight belt no longer exists as access to the weight is easy and more control is given to the diver.

My choice is to take the route of the least risk, which in this case is to wear the belt under the strap. When a diver is using a drysuit the risk is further eliminated as he has an alternate bouyancy device in case the wing gets damaged.

 

[Campana]

it is better to have the weight belt secured under the harness for the reasons you mentioned. The risk of an accidental loss of the weight belt is more likely than needing to be able to dump weight and having to take a couple of extra seconds to do it. I have never witnessed anyone having to dump their weights in an emergency but have witnessed many, many accidental drops of weight belts (and integrated weight pouches).

 

[Lost Yooper]

I agree with both of you. If I wear a belt, it's under the crotch strap. The risk of accidental loss is greater than taking an extra second or two to ditch it.

Mike

 

[tombiowami]

I have researched and inquired a good bit about this subject and came to the same conclusions. My initial questions stemmed from OW training in which the weight belt release is taught as something to do when you need to get to the surface.

But after any real thinking on the issue it is easy to see that dropping the belt is a really bad option in all but the most dire circumstances as the fast ascent puts you in good running for an embolism.

After thinking more I realized the overall importanced of correct weighting to begin with and possibly having a lift bag or other device as a backup buoyancy device.

Tommy

 

[Rick Murchison]

I disagree strongly with putting the weightbelt under the crotch strap.
(1) You only need carry ditchable weight in the weight belt. Put the rest somewhere else. You should be able to handle the positive buoyancy of an accidentally dropped weight belt; In over three decades diving with a weight belt, I have never - never - had one accidentally come off.
(2) If you are concerned about accidental loss of your weight belt, by all means use two buckles, and occasionally check their security. Two buckles are adequate security while still retaining the simplicity and the industry-wide accepted convention of the right-hand release. [Standardization, guys]
(3) By far the most likely need to ditch a weight belt is on the surface, with the ditching being done by someone else. If you're in enough trouble that you or someone else needs to ditch your weight belt, you don't need to be looking for the crotch strap release.
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I'll say this again - in over three decades of diving with a weight belt, I have never accidentally dropped one.
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In overhead environments I don't wear a weight belt at all, so it's a moot point there.
Rick

 

[Campana]

if you wear two buckles. I have never personally dropped a weight belt either, and I have never had my weight pockets fall out of my integrated systems, either, but I have seen lots of others drop em, usually at the most inopportune times. I almost got beaned by a 4# weight in the Flower Gardens once.

The issue is to not "accidentally" drop the weights. Probably most serious, practiced divers wouldn't do that.

Also, no ditchable in overheads! Can't disagree with that. I'm kinda curious about how many people have ever had to ditch weights other than in their ow or rescue training. Maybe I'll start a poll.

I use Halcyon Pockets when I use ditchable weights, because they are secure without much chance of an accidental drop. I was happy to see the same type pockets on the new Scubapro BC's too, though I'll not be wearing a "regular" BC in this life.

 

[Lost Yooper]

The only time I have dropped a belt was on an ascent line during deco, and the crotch strap caught it as advertised. I have seen several people lose their belts and fly to the surface though. Given that virtually all I do is overhead stuff, I don't want to lose a belt. It's a habit I carry over to rec diving. My weight belt has two buckles on it, and I still route under the critch strap, but I don't use it anymore either.

Mike

 

[Uncle Pug]

Rick... sorry to disagree with you here:

the extra belt buckle is adding a problem to solve a problem that doesn't exit. The belt comes off readily when you want it too if worn under the waist/crotch strap. Two buckles released and it is gone... one buckle released and it is still there protecting you from a UBA.

Rick... glad to agree with you here:

for decompression diving the weight belt is a non-issue... you don't need one with doubles and you shouldn't be diving deco with a single.

 

[Rick Murchison]

Well, Uncle Pug, we aren't gonna solve this one, are we. I'm convinced that safety is served better with nothing outside the weight belt.
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Integrated weights - had one drop out on me a couple weeks ago - release handle got caught in new [read "invisible"] monofilament and pulled that rascal right out of there. A momentary discomfort and a few finkicks to retrieve it and then put it back in. Never had that happen with a belt.
See you 'round the campus!
Rick

 

[aquanut]

If you are using a crotch strap, you are mos likely wearing doubles and are involved in deco diving. Therefore, under no circumstances do you want to lose your belt.
KEEP IT UNDER YOUR CROTCH STRAP.
If you do encounter a problem, either under water or above, you should not be wearing so much weight that you cannot swim above or below the water. The point here is that you should be trying to achieve near neutral bouyancy, (with close to empty tanks of course!).
If you are concerned about being in a negative bouyant situation, you should have some type of redundant bouyancy, i.e. drysuit, liftbag, redundant bladder.

If you are concerned about your buckle coming undone, go ahead and wear two buckles. However, having said that, of all the people that I have seen lose their belts, not one of them has ever come unbuckled. They have all slipped down their hips.

Hmmm, I wonder if a crotch strap would have helped!

Remember, do what you think is right.