Weight harness and water exit

[Rimp]

I have a weight harness (vest) and planning to do a boat dive next weekend.

The usual action is to hand up the weight belt prior to the BC, then climb into the boat, but with a weight harness this isn't so easy since it requires removing the BC before removing the harness.

Do i need to clip my harness to the boat prior to removing the BC? It seems dangerous otherwise. Or is there another trick to exiting? I would hate to climb the ladder with 34 lbs on and taking off the BC first seems crazy.

Any thoughts?

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Transfer enough weight to the to BC to make it about six pounds negative with an
empty tank. Then you'll be positive after you take the BC off and inflate it. This is the
effect of what I've done (I dive an SS backplate and steel tank). I leave the weight
belt on to climb the ladder, take it off if I have to pop over the gunwale.

 

[Dyno Bill]

I like Chucks idea, when I dove my boat I used several clipped lines at the stern cleats to hang everything on and then pulled it on board after I was in the boat. But I used a weight integrated BC so it was a simple task.
Bill

 

[miketsp]

I feel there is something fundamentally wrong with a system that does not let you take off weight before the BC.
What do you do in rough seas?
Or in an emergency where you need to jettison weight quickly?

 

[Dive-aholic]

miketsp makes a good point. What kind of harness do you have? You should be able to pull the weight pockets out and hand them to the crew without removing the vest, just as in an integrated bc.

 

[matt_unique]

I have a weight harness (vest) and planning to do a boat dive next weekend.

The usual action is to hand up the weight belt prior to the BC, then climb into the boat, but with a weight harness this isn't so easy since it requires removing the BC before removing the harness.

Do i need to clip my harness to the boat prior to removing the BC? It seems dangerous otherwise. Or is there another trick to exiting? I would hate to climb the ladder with 34 lbs on and taking off the BC first seems crazy.

Any thoughts?

It would be vital to be able to drop your weight at any point if neccesary above or below the water. I hand my weight pouches, deco bottles, etc. up first, tie off rig to a trail line, hand over the fins when on the ladder, then climb up. I pull the gear in from the swim platform once I am aboard.

If you do not have a system that allows this it is dangerous. If this is indeed the case you need to be able to muscle into the boat fully suited (though you should hand in every piece of gear possible to reduce the load). I would definitely suggest you solve the weight release problem.

--Matt

 

[Tom Winters]

Hmmm...some rocky shoals of thought here. First is - if the boat has a decent ladder, why not just climb it with your gear on? If it's a small boat with one of those junky clip-on ladders, I guess that's not an option.
I hate taking gear off in the water, even in calm seas. If it gets dropped or slips, it's history. Tying off gear is ok, but then you have to haul the stuff over the gunwales, and my tanks weigh about 2,000,000 pounds when I have to pull them into the boat that way.
Even if it's a small boat, and the ladder is remotely climbable, taking off that 36-pound weight harness seems kinda iffy. You don't want to see that thing go flying down to the depths if you drop it. For starters, it would probably trigger another tsunami, and we don't need another one of those for a while.
The other touchy issue is the weight belt jettisoning issue. I know that we're all taught to put the weight belt on last - I'm both NAUI and PADI so I know the drill.
But if I was diving in some cold water with a thick drysuit on, the last thing I want is for my weight belt to come off easily. If I have to wear a weight belt, I wear it under my tek harness. I don't trust the weight belt buckle alone, and I sure can't afford to inadvertently lose my weights at depth. Which can happen if you're wreck crawling or lobster scrounging.
Now this has evolved over years, and I can ALWAYS get my weight belt off in a hurry if I ever had to. But that's only if I want to. If it does slip, like when you have to borrow a buckle and it's cheap plastic and not a nice metal buckle, my crotch strap is there to catch it.
So have fun and stay warm.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Back when I used a 32-34 pound belt (aluminum tank, three 7mm
layers, no backplate), I put a loop of 1/2" nylon webbing in the
middle of the back of the belt. I could reach back, clip it to the
boat, unbuckle, and lower the belt to the end of the line. It was
just too hard to put the belt in the boat, it would just shove me
under.

If you want to make sure your belt doesn't come undone, you
can use two buckles in tandem.

 

[Dyno Bill]

I was going to propose clips of some nature that you could snap your rig to prior to taking any of it off, that way the worst thing that can happen is it falls below you and not to the bottom. I have dove a small boat many times and climbing back aboard with tanks and weights can be anything from a serious chore to dangerous. The ladders on smaller boats arn't designed for hand holds and secure footing with noteable weight and a rolling boat. As I mentioned previously or at least ment to I havnt used a dry suit where I dive so I dont face things that others might.
Bill

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Tag lines with clips are a given on a small boat. The tag lines should
be spliced, not tied. Mine double as my dock lines.