Weight location - weight integrated BC?

[Andrew Richardson]

I am a newly certified diver. I noticed during my certification dives that my feet were more bouyant than I would like.

I have heard the suggestion of shifting the tank lower in the BC - I will try that.

My question is how much weight in the trim pockets vs removable pockets.

I need 18lbs (fresh water). I am thinking of 6 lbs in each of my removable pockets & 3lbs in each of my trim pockets. so that is 2/3 up front, & 1/3 in the back.

Andrew

 

[GlazierB]

The usual reply... What type of suit are you using? What type of fins are you using?

IMO it's just as easy to throw on a 1-2lb ankle weight per boot

 

[terrasmak]

Any way to post a pic of how the tan sits on your BCD while its on your back . BTW the other questions need to be answered too.

 

[Andrew Richardson]

Picture - I'll see about posting one.

suit - Bare Arctic Velocity 7/6mm, Bare arctic vest 7mm, jet fins, 5mm boots, 5mm gloves, sherwood turtoga vest. Tried ankle weights down south. Had lots of advice up here that I would not need them once I figured out weighting & at $C40 I wasn't anxious to buy something I would not use long term.

 

[diver_sam_851027]

I go around a third of my weight in the trim weights. I dive a zeagle in a drysuit and I do 16 pounds in the front and 6 pounds in the trim. Its a little more than a third I guess....but it works .

 

[m3830431]

I do a little less than a third in the back trim pockets of my Cressi. It all depends on what it takes to get you horizontal. If you can hover that way without working you should be trimmed

 

[Charlie99]

If you are going feet up, you want to move weight downward on your body.

You want the tank in a position such that you can turn the valve on during the dive. In addition, you don't want to put the tank too far away from your center of mass and center or buoyancy. If you do, then your trim will change as the tank empties.

The simplest solution is to move weight from your trim pockets down to your main pockets or to a weightbelt. For foot up/foot down trim, what's important about the trim pockets is not front vs. back, but that the trim pockets are higher up on the body than the main pockets or a weight belt.

Generally, I've found that setting up weight distribution that works with a near empty tank automatically results in something that works with a full tank, because with a full tank the air bubble in your BCD moves around in such a way that it tends to hold you in position.

 

[herman]

It varies from diver to diver but I find a 60 front/40 rear ratio works for me. Forget the ankle weights.

 

[Andrew Richardson]

Great advice - I bit the bullet & bought weights - 6 lbs for the front pockets & some 2 & 3s for the trim. Sure adds up at $2.50 per pound!

 

[spectrum]

I'd just put the 18 pounds on a belt and be done with it. That will move the weight down towards your feet and get your feet down. Having it all on you vbelt will be nice if you need to get out of your rig underwater, you will not go up like a cork. If you dive an AL80 keep 4 in the BC ditchables and 14 on your belt. If you are committed to diving integrrated move it all down to the ditchable pockets.

The trim pockets are there for folks like me with heavy feet and floaty lungs. You have the opposite need and there is no need to have any weight in them.

Cylinder pisition is also a good tool for you to use. In any event make it a constant.

The need for ankle weights is highly unlikely diving wet though that's not an absolute. In any event avoid having that mass in motion if possible.

Pete