Weight vs. Suit thickness

[Scott101]

Greetings,

I was wondering if there is a general rule on how much more weight would be needed per added mil of suit thickness. Example, if it need 10#'s with a 3 mil suit, where should I start with a 5 mil? or 7 mil?

 

[Charlie99]

First you have to figure out how much of that 10# is for the 3mm suit. If the 10# is with 3mm suit and a standard AL80 (4# buoyant when empty), then 6# is for the suit --- about 2#/mm.

Obviously a small wetsuit has less floatation than a XXXL.

Wearing XL suits, I find that 2-1/2# to 3# per mm of suit is about right.

Another very crude estimate is that most neoprene wetsuits have buoyancy about twice what they weigh.

Asking divers of about the same size and body type what they need is another crude check.

Of course, noting at the end of your dives how much air you have in your BCD, and recording your weighting in your logbook for various gear combinations is much, much better than rough estimates.

 

[Scubaguy62]

Righ on Charlie!


Here is a chart that might be of a little help...

http://dive.scubadiving.com/html/200105buoyancycalc_chart.html

If nothing else has changed, except the suit, weigh your 3 mm, then your 5mm or your 7mm. Take the difference in weight (dry) and multiply by 2.5. The result should be the amount of weight you'd need to add. Use even numbers..

Rick