Weighting issue

[paulyray114]

I currently dive 30 pounds of soft lead in a integrated bcd. I am considering moving some of the weight to a belt to help with my trim. My question is ... would I move the larger amount to the belt or keep the larger amount in the bcd? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jtivat]

I currently dive 30 pounds of soft lead in a integrated bcd. I am considering moving some of the weight to a belt to help with my trim. My question is ... would I move the larger amount to the belt or keep the larger amount in the bcd? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

What is wrong with your trim? Head up? Head down? What BCD where is the weight in it? What is your suit?

 

[spectrum]

I would keep most of the weight on the belt if possible.

First this will make the BC much less of a beast to handle.

Second, should you need to get out of your rig while underwater you will be less inclined to go soaring to the surface.

Pete

 

[truck1]

Are you in a wet or a dry suit?

 

[truck1]

double post.Sorry

 

[paulyray114]

I dive a 7 mil farmer john wet suit ( just purchased with only 5 dives in it), hood, & gloves. The bcd is an mares frontier. Im finding recently that my feet drift a bit upward which didn't happen in a rental suit .I know that a newer suit still has a lot of bouyancy . Moving the tank lower in the bcds help but i really dont like having the tank hang that low .

 

[jtivat]

I dive a 7 mil farmer john wet suit ( just purchased with only 5 dives in it), hood, & gloves. The bcd is an mares frontier. Im finding recently that my feet drift a bit upward which didn't happen in a rental suit .I know that a newer suit still has a lot of bouyancy . Moving the tank lower in the bcds help but i really dont like having the tank hang that low .

I would start with 10LBS on the belt this will move a little weight lower and should bring your feet down. If you are still a little light in the feet put more on the belt and go from there.

 

[emttim]

I dive a 7 mil farmer john wet suit ( just purchased with only 5 dives in it), hood, & gloves. The bcd is an mares frontier. Im finding recently that my feet drift a bit upward which didn't happen in a rental suit .I know that a newer suit still has a lot of bouyancy . Moving the tank lower in the bcds help but i really dont like having the tank hang that low .

What kind of tank are you using? I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of your problems would be fixed simply by switching to a steel tank from an aluminum if you are indeed using an aluminum. However, if you do that, keep in mind that if you switch from say an AL 80 to a steel 80, you'll need to drop roughly 4-5 pounds to compensate for the steel being less buoyant than aluminum. If that problem didn't happen in the rental suit, was it a one-piece wetsuit? That may also be a contributing factor. You could also consider ankle weights (although I would strongly recommend against them)...I would think using both integrated weight on a BCD and a weight belt would be a PITA, but whatever works, however like I said the tank swap may be a big help if you're using aluminum.

 

[JohnnyH]

For cold water diving (i.e. - buoyant thermal protection and greater weight to offset this buoyancy) I am a huge proponent of getting enough weight out of the BC to be able to manage a situation of when you have to get out of your rig. Nothing scarier than your gas supply pulling in one direction and your body pulling in the opposite...

If your weighting is spot on (and I suspect you'll find you drop some weight as you gain experience with your setup) then you are talking about some 60lbs differential. If you want to keep all that in your BC then you may want to practice carrying a 60lb weight around by your teeth... :dropmouth

 

[Slaveeye]

30lbs!! Seems like a lot of weight???