Weight Belt - Wear it over or under crotch strap?

[PaulNZ]

I've just started using a harness and wondering whether or not I should wear my weight belt under or over the crotch strap.

If I wear it over the crotch strap then I can ditch it quickly. On the other hand, it's easier to lose and that won't do me much good if I need to do 30 minutes of deco.

If I wear the weight belt under the crotch strap then it removes any danger of losing it but it makes it more difficult, though not impossible, to ditch.

I can't find many recommendations on the web about this subject. I started off with the GUE/DIR sites but it seems to be about the only thing they don't have an opinion on.

Interested in any opinions/information.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[Hallmac]

Ditching should be a last option and done intentionally. under the strap it is a little more secure but still removable if necessary.

Hallmac

 

[PaulNZ]

Thanks Hallmac,

That's my gut feeling on the issue. I just want to make sure that it's not a dumb idea.

Paul

 

[Hallmac]

Keep asking

Hallmac

 

[bwerb]

Weight belt goes under...if the buckle gets opened accidentally, you don't lose your weights but they are still easy to ditch with one more step.

 

[Dryglove]

Here is what i was told

If you wear a wetsuit place it over the crotch strap so it is easily ditchable at the surface in case of a bc failure.

If using a drysuit wear it under the crotch strap as you have the drysuit for use in case of bc failure.

My opinion is that ditching a weightbelt at depth should be a last ditch option. If you are properly weighted with a single tank you should be able to easily swim up your rig and ditch your weightbelt at the surface.

 

[Genesis]

is that you should dive with it under the strap ALWAYS, wet or dry.

You can ditch a belt under the strap. Yes, it is a bit more difficult. But that's a good thing, not a bad thing. An ACCIDENTAL ditch is disasterous, particularly when diving dry or with a heavy wetsuit.

You have to balance the risks when making this choice. It is very unlikely you will need to ditch intentionally, and in my way of thinking, you should basically NEVER need to do so at depth. At the surface, you can ditch the KIT (if its negative - say, due to a BC failure), not just the belt - after all, you have AIR at the surface to breathe!

I have seen several accidental ditches at depth, some of which could have turned out VERY badly. I have personally had my buckle come loose and nearly lost my belt. It was at that point that I switched to diving with it under my harness.

I have yet to see a need to ditch intentionally. Oh sure, there are plenty of such cases, but you have to go with the highest probability event here, IMHO.

Wear it under the strap and make sure your kit is balanced, or you have redundancy, so there is no reason to have to ditch at depth.

 

[DeepScuba]

I THINK, "George's" opinion on it is over the crotch strap in open water, for ditching purposes, and under for caves/overhead for the "accidental" ditch reason.

But I'm a stroke in his opinion too

He's probably right.

 

[Greg Barlow]

I wear my weight belt under my harness at all times, irregardless of whether I am diving dry or wet.

A few years back, I had a buckle instantly fail. The belt was under my harness, but was still lost. I had an elevator ride that ended only when I was able to reach the descent line. The real scary part was that I had more than 30 minutes of deco ahead of me. Had I not had that descent line, it could have been a very bad situation. I literally locked onto the line, and completed the deco. That is one dive that I will never forget.

I now wear two ScubaPro stainless steel buckles on the belt. It remains under the harness and will continue to do so.

When your life literally hinges on a piece of gear, then take TWO.

Greg Barlow

 

[Karl_in_Calif]

Two buckles is fairly common among experienced tech divers.

Wearing your belt under your crotch strap is fairly common as well.