Weighting for Neutral Buoyancy

[halocline]

What is a good quick practical way to make sure I am perfectly weighted?

I've read through this entire thread and have seen the usual replies about calculating buoyancy and weighting requirements, and many of those are absolutely correct. But the answer to your specific question is, the best way to get near-perfectly weighted is to do a weight check at the end of a dive, when you can blow your tank(s) down to near empty in very shallow water, your wetsuit is fully saturated, and you have someone with you to hand lead to. Then you can actually experiment to see how much lead you need to stay neutral just under the surface.

I said 'near-perfectly' because perfection is a concept, not a reality. First, you have to determine what you consider to be ideal; do you want to be exactly neutral on the surface, or at safety stop depth, and do you want a bit of extra weight so you don't lose control at your stop if you inhale more than normal while doing something, or maybe get a little out of trim, maybe kick inadvertently, etc. And this changes all the time. Maybe you started that workout regime you planned on doing for years and you're newly buff, or maybe you developed a new-found love of milkshakes and french fries. Maybe the water you're in has a higher salinity or mineral content than the last time you went diving. Maybe your dive technique is better, or maybe you've gotten rusty. All these things conspire to make 'perfect' weighting a myth. You just need to get close.

For me, it's fairly simple; I want the least amount of weight I can carry and still comfortably stay neutral just under the surface with near empty tanks and a saturated wetsuit. On a new trip, it starts with an educated guess on the first dive (based on past experience) and then I dial it in at the end of the first dive. That's the best I have found I can do, and that's after many years of diving in lots of different gear configurations.

 

[Blackcrusader]

For me, it's fairly simple; I want the least amount of weight I can carry and still comfortably stay neutral just under the surface with near empty tanks and a saturated wetsuit. On a new trip, it starts with an educated guess on the first dive (based on past experience) and then I dial it in at the end of the first dive. That's the best I have found I can do, and that's after many years of diving in lots of different gear configurations.

For me I like to be a couple of kilos over weighted at 3m stop so when the ocean swells I don't get pushed up to the surface. Also sometimes on a very shallow reef I can be in horizontal trim and not get bounced into any corals. Also I can share a weight to under weighted divers which I do come across as many vacation divers are not really sure how much weight they need and some are under weighted by the time they get to 40 bar for a safety stop. It is easy to use your BDC and add some air if required than have to swim down into the water if under weighted. We recently had a diver who became a dive master enter a cavern area and get stuck on an overhead as he was underweighted at shallow depth and gave himself a fright. He knew he was underweighted and still dove that way. He won't do that anymore though.

 

[Khrissi]

Whilst weighting so yr correct, dont ignore where yr weights go. Unbelievably better weighting when i put a half weight on my cylinder strap, much better attitude on dive, easier swimming. K