Weight question?

[montyb]

Hi:
I dove Kona with Wanna Dive and with 2 piece 3mm, open heel fins and 3 mill booties, aluminum 80 had 17 lbs in my bc and it was perfect. I'm 6' and 180 lb
montyb

 

[DiveMaven]

My husband is 6'4", 215# and he carries 18# with a 3mil in salt water. Open heel fins, no booties in a jacket style BC.

 

[friscuba]

5'9" , 200lbs, broad shoulders and muscular upper body (not body builder type, just 2-3 days a week in the gym type) and lately I have been diving weekly.

This will be my third trip to Maui, but the first certified. I figured gloves were not necessary, other that for protection from sharp things.

Even if I do not dive Honolua Bay, I will be snorkeling there. As long as the snorkel boats from Lahaina are not packed in there it is great.

I doubt I will get much shore diving in since I am solo, the wife does not go below the surface.

Yep, 14-16 will do you fine. I usually start people on the heavy side and if they sink like a rock, drop a couple pounds the next dive. If you want to try 14, just let the air out of the BC and if you can do a feet first descent you'll be fine. If you have to turn over or use your arms to get down - don't - ask the crew to toss you a 2 pounder so you aren't light at the end of the dive. If you are good on your breathing you might do better at 12 (sort of depends on muscle mass) or less after a couple of dives.

Have fun,

 

[normantr]

If you have to turn over or use your arms to get down - don't -
Have fun,

This is actually a problem I am having locally. With no air in my BC and 24lbs integrated, I get about 6 inches below the surface and bob like a cork when I try to do a feet first descent. I have to do a swimming descent to get down some. Once I hit about 8 feet I seem to have no problem.

 

[bluemagoo]

This is actually a problem I am having locally. With no air in my BC and 24lbs integrated, I get about 6 inches below the surface and bob like a cork when I try to do a feet first descent. I have to do a swimming descent to get down some. Once I hit about 8 feet I seem to have no problem.

Sounds strange.... How're you doing at the end of a dive? I expect to be heavy at the start and at the end, being a touch heavy at the safety stop; heavier in surge conditions. I think an AL80 gains 3-4lbs of buoyancy by the end of a dive, with most of the lift levered from the tank's bottom.

 

[normantr]

Sounds strange.... How're you doing at the end of a dive? I expect to be heavy at the start and at the end, being a touch heavy at the safety stop; heavier in surge conditions. I think an AL80 gains 3-4lbs of buoyancy by the end of a dive, with most of the lift levered from the tank's bottom.

I have been ending my dives with more air than I would like (1500psi, my dive buddy goes through air like crazy, which means most of our dives are 30-40 mins). But once I get down I have not had any sensations of feeling light. In fact, once past about 8 feet, with no air in the BC I fall just fine. But with that much air in the tank I have not been able to get a good read on the results of an empty tank at the end of a dive.

 

[bluemagoo]

I have been ending my dives with more air than I would like (1500psi, my dive buddy goes through air like crazy, which means most of our dives are 30-40 mins). But once I get down I have not had any sensations of feeling light. In fact, once past about 8 feet, with no air in the BC I fall just fine. But with that much air in the tank I have not been able to get a good read on the results of an empty tank at the end of a dive.

I suppose the main thing is to be sure you're in control of buoyancy throughout the dive. While you don't ever want to be so heavy that on a deep wall or bluewater dive you'd be in danger of freefall, you also don't want to be setup so light that you're struggling to maintain water column position at the end of a dive. Maybe I'm reading this wrong. When you make these swimming descents because of being a cork above a fathom, is this in fairly calm conditions? Otherwise, in a surge or surface chop, because I'm trimmed tight on weight, it's normal for me to jacknife downward to get to out of the action. Once past the influence of the chop/surge and the suit starts compressing (about 15ft), it's a leisurely drift downward. If you're sinking fine below 8ft, then maybe you're ok -- I don't have experience with the kind of suit and weights you're using to be able to explain your Jekyll&Hyde buoyancy in the 6-8ft range.

 

[divenut2001]

In So Cal, diving in a 7mm suit with open heel fins and booties, I use 24lbs in my BC plus ankle weights. What can I expect to use in Maui wearing a 3mm full suit with full foot fins. I am estimating about 16lbs. Does this seem like to much? Help from those of you who dive regularly in Hawaii would be greatly appreciated.

Also, do any of you dive with gloves or bare handed?

Tim

That sounds like a pretty good guestimate for use with aluminum 80s. I use 14lbs with a 3mil full wet suit and 10lbs with steel tanks. You might want to bring along your booties and open heel fins just in case your feet get chaffed from the full foot fins...

 

[normantr]

That sounds like a pretty good guestimate for use with aluminum 80s. I use 14lbs with a 3mil full wet suit and 10lbs with steel tanks. You might want to bring along your booties and open heel fins just in case your feet get chaffed from the full foot fins...

I actually wear a pair of flipper socks with the full foot fins and do not have a problem at all with chafing, but I am still contemplating bringing both pair.

 

[divenut2001]

This is actually a problem I am having locally. With no air in my BC and 24lbs integrated, I get about 6 inches below the surface and bob like a cork when I try to do a feet first descent. I have to do a swimming descent to get down some. Once I hit about 8 feet I seem to have no problem.

I have to swim down a few feet to start descending also, after that, no problem. You might want to use a steel tank in Ca waters and try adjusting your tank lower in the strap to shift the weight. That might adjust your trim enough so you can lose the ankle weights.