Weight placement on a Balance BC with CF200 Drysuit

[AT Grimaldi]

Hello all.

by way of backgound, I have 31 dives and just purchased a DUI CF200 with 400g undergarmets, rock boots and dive with steel 120s on Nitrox. I have a Seaquest Balance BC and feel I am a tad, I do mean tad, underweighted with 30 pounds of lead distributed as follows:

6# on the left and right rear pockets
9# on the left and right front tear away pockets

I am not interested in ankle weights as it seems to me, I will have to learn to dive without them so why start with them?

Here is my fundimental issues:

1. I totally over heat putting on my 400g undergarmets and my CF200. Once in the water, I thank my personal sea goddess that I have 400g on as I have genetically poor circutlation and need every once of warmth. I do bring a cooler filled with ice and Gatorade and drink as much as possible to avoid dehydration.

2. Once CF200 donned, I have a very difficult time putting on my fins. Is this a flexibility issue? any thoughts? I am not proud, but do want to get better.

3. I let out all the air from my suit, none there already, and my BC to start the descent, and I just float there with my eyes fully out of the water. I have read of some, breathing down their tank to 500 psi then hovering at 15' and that is the amount of lead they use as a benchmark. Any thoughts? comments?

4. Once the descent starts, I tolerate all the suit squeeze I get to avoid having to monitor and manage two separate buoyancy chambers, my BC and CF200. I am mostly lobstering, and thus almost always slightly or mostly inverted to catch those little critters.

5. Upon, ascent, I try to vent from my BC. However, I notice, within about 15 or so feet of the surface, I begin an uncontrolled ascent and start to freak out. This is obviously not the desired result. In 50' of water is is bad, but not at bad as if I were doing much deeper dives. My goal is the U853 in 140'. I cannot accept any uncontrolled ascent if I am to continue diving. Please help with any and all suggestions. Even though this is my second year diving, I feel like I am still in OW 101 with these buoyancy issues.

Any thoughts on these issues:

1. the uncontrolled ascent at the end of my dives?
2. the difficulty donning the CF200?
3. the difficultiy donning my fins?

Am I just plain out of shape?
Am I just plain not flexible enough?
Do I just need more dives to work on this? I am concerned that practicing my current dive will only perfect this pattern. Perfect practice makes perfect. Flawed practice makes for a dangerous diver and I don't want that to be me.

Any and all help encouraged.

- AT

 

[bill harvey]

ok a few things to try here, put 10lbs in each of your ditchable pockets the 2 lbs may be enough to get you down a bit easier, also at the surface are you breathing out all the way to start to sink? while you dive what is the dump valve on the suit set to? i would set it to full open to vent before you start to asend, also make sure you totally vent your bc before you start up aswell as vent both while you go up. also you should have to swim up if you are weighted right and your bc and suit are empty. you will get better at putting your fins on with time, remeber how hard it was to put your gear together that first night at the pool? for practicing you may want to dive where there is a ascent line to hold onto on your way up. but to be safe i would try a bit more weight until you get the hang of it, i would rather dive a bit heavy than have a runaway ascent. and pay attention to how you are breathing and wha that is doing. have fun

 

[LUBOLD8431]

hey AT,

I think you should try a few more # of lead. You can always take some off when you get more comfortable. But, it sounds like you need MORE right now.

The CF_200 does have some inherent buoyancy, and you need to counteract that. The Thinsulate 400g is pretty buoyant too. Maybe you should try a 300g Polartec UG for the summer time. I'm sure there are some good LDS near you that could rent you one to try. (East Coast Divers, in Framingham)...

Also, one more hint... You might want to try diving without the pony bottle for right now!!!! Especially just after your surgery!!!

Dive Safe, Dive Often...

 

[RichLockyer]

All good advice.

Keep in mind that your 120 carries nearly TEN pounds of air with it... if you are barely neutral with the tank full, then you will be 10 pounds UNDERWEIGHT when the tank is empty... hopelessly buoyant and no amount of dumping air from anything will keep you down.

Yes... do a buoyancy check with the tank at 500 or below, but I do not do my check at 15ft... I do it at the surface and make sure that I can descend BACK to 15ft if something caused me to rise too high (plus during a lot of my lobster dives the surge will carry me as shallow as 5-10ft).

I also use the PST120, but use a DUI TLS-350 with Bare extreme, which is a 200g Thinsulate with a 200g Polarfleece. I carry a total of about 34 pounds when lobstering, and drop to 30 if the entire dive will be deep.


Ya... you will be hot on the surface in the Thinsulate, and you will not be as flexible in the DS as you would be in a wetsuit, especially the CF which is a little heavier than the TLS.
I try to find a spot on the boat with very good airflow and suit up there, then get into the water as quickly as possible.
Remember... you're gearing up for an environment with temperatures between 40 and 65 degrees, but doing it in 70-90 degree air. It's no different from getting ready to go into a walk-in freezer... you don't get into your protection until the last possible minute.

 

[reefseal]

This is my first year w/ DUI dry suit.

yes, I too overheat getting into my drysuit. (even in winter!) And putting fins on are not as easy as when wearing a wetsuit. (what buddies are for!) Worth having fins big enough to get on easy and tighten.

This may help as a guide for weight. I'm about 210 lbs. With my Bergalene skiwear, and DUI 400G divewear, thinsulate booties, it takes me a good 36 lbs get neutral bouyant. I max out what I can in my BC (34 lbs) and use 2 two lb ankle weights. I've heard ankle weights are training wheels for dry suit divers but I haven't experienced getting tired kicking w/ them on but eventually, I want to work at removing them.

I have yet to use my BC w/ dry suit. I only use on Surface. I definately pump enough air in suit to eliminate suit squeeze to get circulation in my body going.

What you're experiencing on ascent is what I experiencing at shallow depth. It's hard to vent all air at shallow depth in time to stop the ascent. For deep dives, definately key to have a line to hold onto. I definately vent air much deeper and try not to above 15 feet. Make sure you have your Valve all the way open.

Worse case if you experience uncontrolled ascent and haven't done safety stop is to stick finger in neck or wrist to let air out. (crude but works in emergencies)

 

[LUBOLD8431]

One more thought...

your weight check should be done when you are at the surface with 500 psi in your cylinder.

You should be able to get down when you exhale, and no air in BC or drysuit. It should not be a fight to get down, nor should it be sinking like a rock. You should just be able to drop down when you exhale...

Now, obviously, when you change equipment, or configurations, your weighting needs may change...

Myself, with a DUI CLX-450, PST HP-100, and Polartec 300 series jumpsuit, I need 32 # in salt water.

You really need to be able to stay down even when tanks are near empty if you are doing deco dives, and that last stop is at 10 or 15 ft. Mucho importante...

 

[MSilvia]

Have you considered Do It Yourself spring straps for your fins? I put a pair on mine and have found it MUCH easier to deal with them since.

 

[rscalzo]

I tried several pairs of fins with my CF200 with the rock boots. BEST type for use with the Rock Boots are the Turtle Fins and the Manta Spring Straps. EZ on and off.

Best money I ever spent.

A have 300 weight underwear and I have to add eight pounds with a al80 to compensate for trapped air over a single layer polartech.

 

[AT Grimaldi]

thank you all so much for all your feedback. This has really been great for me. I guess it reiterated what my LDS has been telling me all along - dive...dive...dive

One question, why are the spring straps so easy to don and get off? It seems to me, there is no "tab" to grab hold of, and thus would actually be harder to get on?

- AT

 

[RichLockyer]

AT Grimaldi once bubbled...
One question, why are the spring straps so easy to don and get off? It seems to me, there is no "tab" to grab hold of, and thus would actually be harder to get on?

They can't get twisted around, they're thicker so there's more "meat" to get a gloved finger under, and they stretch WAY easier than the rubber straps while still holding securely.