weight placement?!?

[wunat]

Have been reading alot about DIR and is starting to adopt it's philosophy. Don't have the chance to do a DIR-F class but have got my DIR:The Fundamentals of Better Diving and start reading it. Have also starting to configure my gears to be DIR compliant so by the time my DIR-F arrives, I am familiar with it. Thanks to all of you on this board and special thanks to Vie (a SB member in Thailand), I am able to get the instructions and info I needed for my setup.

I have just replaced my DR TransPlate with a one piece continuous webbing. (Took me nearly 3 hours to get it right-for now.) Then I wonder, is there any specific instructions on where I should or shouldn't place extra weights at? Have been using two 2lbs weight blocks on my waist (one on each side in self-made pockets which are placed up-side-down so the weight can be dropped once I flip the cover open during emergency). Since my legs are more negative than my upper body and I was using the negative Rocket so I compensate it with two 1lb softweights in trim weight pockets on the upper tank cam straps. I get pretty good trim this way.

I couldn't find the answer in the DIR book and think you might help me.

Would it be better if I simply move the two 2lb weights to the lower tank cam straps also? Meaning I will be having all my weights on the cam straps so I can leave my waist straps free? Or should I simply leave them where they are?

Thank you all in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't wait to try these setup!

 

[DOXA]

Have been reading alot about DIR and is starting to adopt it's philosophy. Don't have the chance to do a DIR-F class but have got my DIR:The Fundamentals of Better Diving and start reading it. Have also starting to configure my gears to be DIR compliant so by the time my DIR-F arrives, I am familiar with it. Thanks to all of you on this board and special thanks to Vie (a SB member in Thailand), I am able to get the instructions and info I needed for my setup.

I started the same way, and I'm now also totaly hooked up.

I have just replaced my DR TransPlate with a one piece continuous webbing. (Took me nearly 3 hours to get it right-for now.) Then I wonder, is there any specific instructions on where I should or shouldn't place extra weights at? Have been using two 2lbs weight blocks on my waist (one on each side in self-made pockets which are placed up-side-down so the weight can be dropped once I flip the cover open during emergency). Since my legs are more negative than my upper body and I was using the negative Rocket so I compensate it with two 1lb softweights in trim weight pockets on the upper tank cam straps. I get pretty good trim this way.

Weight pockets are a point of failure, it is better to replace them with weight blocks.

I also had trouble with my trim. As a single tank diver (what you probably are too) I put a extra cam strap on my tank with all my weight. You can shift the strap up or down, depending on your position in the water. In case of an emergency, I can't drop my weight belt anymore (which you never want to do anyway). Instead I can inflate my wing or dry suit. Or in the worst case you can drop your canister :-(

D.

 

[PerroneFord]

...I can't drop my weight belt anymore (which you never want to do anyway). D.

Please excuse my ignorance and confusion. Why do you never want to drop your weight belt? I can see why it should be something of last resort perhaps, but "never" seems like a strong absolute for a piece of equipment that has a quick release buckle.

Thanks

 

[pants!]

Peronne... give us a scenario where dropping the weight belt would be the best course of action, and I will point out that the diver was doing something wrong before he even got in the water.

 

[PerroneFord]

You are asking me for hypothetical situations. I am a new diver and very inexperienced. I was simply asking for clarification on something given as an absoulte that was contrary to my instruction (PADI OW) and other instruction I have seen (SSI DIR).

Given what I have *read*, it seems that if one is perhaps caught in a downcurrent from which they cannot easily overcome, if one is diving wet and has a bladder failure early in the dive when the tank(s) are full or nearly full, etc., these might be good times to reduce ballast to assist with getting to the surface or at least maintaining a neutral buoyancy.

While the diver might well have done something wrong, this is not a rare occurance in our sport as even very experienced divers find opportunity to have to shed weight. Were this not true, it would seem silly to carry a weightbelt at all as an experienced diver.

Peronne... give us a scenario where dropping the weight belt would be the best course of action, and I will point out that the diver was doing something wrong before he even got in the water.

 

[JeffG]

Peronne... give us a scenario where dropping the weight belt would be the best course of action, and I will point out that the diver was doing something wrong before he even got in the water.

Drysuit - Double Al 80's - Weight Belt 12 lbs

Catastrophic BCD Bladder failure at the start of a dive.

Done on a deep wall (so assume bottomless)

What would you do?

 

[pants!]

Double 80s... 12 lbs negative at the start of the dive..... puff a little bit extra into the drysuit and start swimmin.

If you drop 12 lbs in that config, you will be positive by the time you get to 10 feet and have consumed a couple pounds worth of air........

 

[JeffG]

Double 80s... 12 lbs negative at the start of the dive..... puff a little bit extra into the drysuit and start swimmin.

Using your drysuit as a BCD...who taught you that. And what if was carrying some stages/deco bottles and was bit more negative than my first post. (getting farther away from being able to swim it up easily)

I could drop the stages...add air to my drysuit...launch an smb and ride it home. Each of these solutions/convolutions have strengths and weaknesses.

But dropping the right size weight belt is a solution that can be used.

If you drop 12 lbs in that config, you will be positive by the time you get to 10 feet and have consumed a couple pounds worth of air........

Well...I doubt you would consume that much gas, but even if you were positive...so what. Why would you need to stop at 10 feet? (Answer is: you don't have to)

 

[mrobinson]

Jeff, you're not helping me want to strap those twins on.... LOL!

I just started working with my weights so I have far less ditchable weight, as instructed by two GUE instructors.

Perroneford, IMHO, the idea is to have a little bit of ditchable weight. Enough so you can swim yourself up, but not out-of-control... pants does have a point of accident prevention. I was taught to have (very little) ditchable weight - I use an aluminum tank as well. The idea about less ditachable weights, rather than all of them, is to help with the bubbles coming out of solution. From what you were taught, it's better to deal with the problem on the surface, so ditch all of your weight - right? You can decide for yourself what you prefer...

Hope this helps.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

My goal is to be perfectly neutral at the end of a dive. I use steel low pressure tanks, a steel backplate, homemade V-weight and a canister light as weight. The only thing ditchable is the light, but at only two pounds negative it's not going to happen. If I was caught in a downcurrent I have three options besides swimming hard; inflating the wing a little more, adding air to my drysuit or as a last resort pulling my liftbag from my pocket. Ditching weight underwater is asking for an embolism. The only time weight should ever be ditched is if you find yourself far from shore/the boat and are having difficulty swimming, or when rescuing an unconscious diver. Weight should only be used to compensate for the natural buoyancy of you and your gear. You never want to wear so much weight that you have to add air to compensate for the weight.