Weighting based on body weight or am I getting better at breathing and entering the water?

[Altamira]

I had no problems with a safety stop at 16lbs. What I want to do is try 14lbs of lead. I did notice this though - with an Al80/LP95 I felt myself being floaty around 500-700psi in the shallows.

Why do you want to work harder holding your safety stop just to save carrying 2# of lead? If you dive with the absolute least amount of weight and find yourself floaty at 500-700# of air, what are you going to do if you arrive at the safety stop with less air than desired, say 250-300#? Sometimes I think some SB divers spend too much time trying to get rid of that last pound of lead that has minimal impact on real world fun dives.

 

[jellycatsdad]

Why do you want to work harder holding your safety stop just to save carrying 2# of lead? If you dive with the absolute least amount of weight and find yourself floaty at 500-700# of air, what are you going to do if you arrive at the safety stop with less air than desired, say 250-300#? Sometimes I think some SB divers spend too much time trying to get rid of that last pound of lead that has minimal impact on real world fun dives.

I’m trying to stop myself from being in seahorse pose. Compared to this point year. I’m not doing it as much.

With an HP100, I’m not floaty at the safety stop.

 

[jellycatsdad]

A factor that is usually not considered with weighting is the BCD. A few years ago I spent two weeks in Roatan, using a land-based operation for one week and a liveaboard for the second. When I packed for the trip, I mistakenly left the single tank adaptor for my BP/W home, and I quickly found that the only solution was to rent a BCD for each week. In both cases, that meant wearing a pretty popular jacket BCD. I had not worn such a style of BCD in the ocean since my very first weeks as a diver. I had started my diving career with (over time) two different back inflate BCDs before switching to a BP/W.

I felt I had an inner tube around my waist. That bulk made a huge difference. I needed much more weight than I have ever needed before.

Yea, I remember using a jacket-type BC in the pool once before going to back-inflate. My checkout dives were with an Atomic BC2, and I rented out the Hydros Pro until I decided to go BPW. I never looked back.

 

[inquis]

With an HP100, I’m not floaty at the safety stop.

As you've seen from the buoyancy calculator, you'll need about 4 more lbs with an AL80 than the HP100. Weight positioning (for better trim) may also change. Keep notes as you progress.

 

[BRT]

I’m trying to stop myself from being in seahorse pose. Compared to this point year. I’m not doing it as much.

With an HP100, I’m not floaty at the safety stop.

6 pounds buoyancy difference between the hp and the al tanks.