Weight Question

[medic5]

I am certified but I only have about 12 dives completed, all warm water in the carribean. I am a big guy, 6' 4", 275 so I bought my own BCD as the rental vests are too small. I dove once with the vest in Tobago and with about 22 pounds in the dumpable compartments it was impossible to remain vertical during the safety stop.

Is it OK to put some weight in the rear non dumpable compartments and would this fix my problem?? I am considering putting about 10 - 15 pounds in the back.

 

[Bretagne]

Use a harness for a part of your weight. It is a lot more comfortable.

 

[Steve50]

Try about a third of your weight in the back pockets.

 

[cdennyb]

also try to stay horizontal at your safety stop. It's the right way to deco. Vertical is a no-no in the more advanced stages of diving decompression. A stainless backplate would top the scales at 6-8 lbs. (A big one) and... Use a steel tank and it'll take less lead to load up.

 

[J.A.S.]

Hello Medic,
Although I'm no expert, a horizontal position is not a bad place to be at during your stop. It's actually preferred for "advanced" scuba techniques.

The one question you may want to answer to get better responses is; Are you wearing any type of exposure suit? what type of tank do you use?

On a side note, proper weighting involves getting in the water and adjusting your weights. Start with a tank almost empty (about 500spi) and about 8% of your body weight (for warm water - 10% in cold water)and adjust weights in 2# increments (increase/decrease) until you raise slightly with a deep breath and sink as you exhale. Do a bit of searching in the forum for added details.

You may also want to take a class in advance bouyancy techniques!

It should not take that much weight to maintain neutrality in warm water. it might be an overkill using 35lbs for warm water.but again it's impossible for anyone to say unless they have your exact body composition and equipment.
One thing you can do is try and lower the tank position and go from there.

hope that helps.

 

[medic5]

Thanks for the suggestions. I usually do not wear any wetsuit or if I do I use my 3mm shortie suit. As for the tank, I am at the mercy of the dive shop as to whether it is steel vs. aluminum. I use approximately 22 pounds of weight which seems to be sufficient.

 

[hudson]

You may be overweighted with 22lbs. If so, In your case it won't create any buoyancy problems, but will potentially make it more difficult to move fluidly underwater, maintain good trim and wll also increase your air consumption. I recommend you perform the weigh test spartandir mentioned - you'll see you can dive with a lot less weight. I think you may get by using ~17lbs with the shortie and ~13lbs without...maybe not, but it's worthwhile to try and find out.

 

[Hinalo]

I'm 6'5" and was about 260 lb when I did my first 2 checkout dives for my OW in tropical water. I also wore a 3 mm shorty with an al 80 tank. I was weighted with 16 lb. and it seemed about perfect. I was able to descend, hover at 40 fsw, and do my safety stop without difficulty.

 

[philmayer]

Yes, it's OK to put weight in the back pockets. It may help, but it may not. Give it a try. I keep weight in mine all the time.

I'm 5'10" and 230 lbs. I use 13 lbs in salt water wearing a shortie. I put 6 lbs in the back pockets and it makes it much easier to control my positioning.

If your concern about putting weight in the back pockets is being able to surface in an emergency, you will be fine. Put 6 or 8 lbs in the back and the rest in your dumpable pouches. Dropping 14-16 lbs of weight will still make you positively bouyant. Not dropping all of your weight may even help prevent a runaway ascent.

 

[MsParamedic]

Hi Medic...

The more you dive, the more comfortable you will be in the water--and you will notice the need to get rid of some of the lead weight you're using right now. I would suggest putting a 2lb or 3lb in each of the trim pockets.

Pat