Weighting question.

[LuvWarmH2O]

Why do DM's always try to underweight me?

I am a new casual diver with fewer than 50 dives recorded. I know that I always require significantly more weight than others do with similar body types. I have had DM's that try to coerce me into using less weight and some that lie to me about the weight they are giving me.

If I miss another safety stop because of uncontrolled ascent, I am gonna go ballistic. It seems so much more dangerous on a drift dive to have a diver that cannot stay down with an emptying tank and may get hit by a boat than to add extra weight. I was taught how to use a BC and can maintain neutral bouncy with enough weight. WHAT IS THE OBSESSION WITH USING MINIMUM WEIGHTING?

I am new and would love input from you guys. Thanks in advance.

 

[Daryl Morse]

Why do DM's always try to underweight me?

I am a new casual diver with fewer than 50 dives recorded. I know that I always require significantly more weight than others do with similar body types. I have had DM's that try to coerce me into using less weight and some that lie to me about the weight they are giving me.

If I miss another safety stop because of uncontrolled ascent, I am gonna go ballistic. It seems so much more dangerous on a drift dive to have a diver that cannot stay down with an emptying tank and may get hit by a boat than to add extra weight. I was taught how to use a BC and can maintain neutral bouncy with enough weight. WHAT IS THE OBSESSION WITH USING MINIMUM WEIGHTING?

I am new and would love input from you guys. Thanks in advance.

Ultimately, you are responsible for your weighting, not the DM. Do you keep a log? If you do, you should know, or at least be able estimate how much weight you need. You should be telling the DM how much weight you need and then check to be sure you have what you asked for. If you're not sure, do a buoyancy check. Get neutral on the surface with a full tank and add 5-6 lbs. There's a saying: Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. If this is happening to you repeatedly, don't blame the DMs.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

When I learned to dive the idea was that you should about eyeball level on the surface with no air in the BC, a near empty tank, no fin or hand movements, and a normal volume of air in your lungs. This allwed you to sink by exhaling and also left you essentially neutral at about 10-15 ft with full lungs. I'd venture that if you are achieving this, you are properly weighted whatever amount was needed.

Many instructors and experienced divers would probably agree that one advantage of not being over weighted is that you have to add less air to establish neutral bouyancy and that smaller volume of air is then subject to less change as depth changes which makes bouyancy control a little easier to master.

 

[mxracer19]

Not a little...MUCH. I used 22 lbs total on my 1st dive of this season. Now im down to 12 lbs including my plate after only 6 dives with the intent of losing AMAP. Trim is 100% better and bouyancy control is like night and day. I had a huge problem where I couldnt get neutral and every time I dropped more weight, bouyancy got easier. What DA said is def true...less air makes for less change. Next dive, use a few clip on weights. At your 15' hang with 500 psi, empty your BC and then hand off weight slowly to your buddy until you start to rise breathing normally. You might be surprised to find you could be overweighted. I was. Trim is also much easier with less weight. The biggest goal I had for taking off weight was to keep my butt and feet from sinking and ending up like this / . Either had to weight down my head or lighten my legs - the latter worked much better.


-Matt

 

[CIBDiving]

This is a little off topic but....
DA if you look real careful at that pix you use for an avatar, y'll
find you're really "DA Mistral".

 

[TeddyDiver]

If you're not sure, do a buoyancy check. Get neutral on the surface with a full tank and add 5-6 lbs. There's a saying: Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. If this is happening to you repeatedly, don't blame the DMs.

In cold waters overweighting is a danger! With extra 6lbs you get negatively boyant 20' earlier vs neutrally weighted when diving in thick WS. Thats why the DM's are trying to weight him properly!
LuvWarm! How much you are having weights and whats the WS you using? Do you boyancy check? Can you dump all air from your BC and whats the volume of it?

 

[ScubaJorgen]

Why do DM's always try to underweight me?

I am a new casual diver with fewer than 50 dives recorded. I know that I always require significantly more weight than others do with similar body types. I have had DM's that try to coerce me into using less weight and some that lie to me about the weight they are giving me.

If you feel comforable taking 50 lbs of weight, you definitely should do so!

As diver with a bit of experience (350+) I prefer the least weight as possible. Actually I take to few lead. I have to hook-dive to get down under. :boings:

Every lbs extra over the absolute minimum you have to compensate by air in the BCD. This means:
- difficult trimming, since air expands/is compressed when going up/down. More air exands/is compressed more. The more you will overshoot when you do not compensate in time.
- you are less aqua-dynamic, making it more difficult to swim (hence you take more air). *)
- when you deflate your BCD you go down like a rocket and might hit the coral at high velocity
- you have to carry the lead to the dive spot. Every lbs less is less effort

*) In Egypt, where every breath down under is worth while, I experienced my air lasted longer after dropping a few unnecessary lbs, halfway a week of intensive diving. I compared to my buddy's air usage.

In the swimming pool (training) I use this small botte with no lead and no BCD (and no suit). Splendid!! No need for trimming. Every diving should be this way... :fish:

Anyway, take another 25 dives and become expert if it comes to trimming (with BCD AND LUNGS) taking down with you as much metal as you like. I bet sooner or later you are going to drop a few logs without missing safety stops....

 

[BabyDuck]

all good points. luv, you need what you need, and don't let others talk you out of it. otoh, weighting is dynamic, especially for newer divers, and it can/will change dramatically in the first 20 or so dives. do a weight check every dive. you may be surprised and be able to give up a little that you don't need anymore.

my personal experience is definitely a case in point - on my checkouts, i had about 47lb and the instructor had to grab me and pull me below about 15-20ft because i couldn't sink. the next dive trip a few weeks later, i ended with 32. a few more dives, 26, then 18, then 16 for a while. then i got a bp and am down to 5 extra besides the plate, with no issues at all. so from dive 1 to dive 25, huge differences just with more comfort and a little more experience. it is wonderful to not need to play with the inflator but just breathe differently to change depth!

 

[Charlie99]

WHAT IS THE OBSESSION WITH USING MINIMUM WEIGHTING?

The DMs have probably seen many uncontrolled ascents caused by TOO MUCH weight.

If you have too much lead, then you have to have excess air in the BCD to be neutral.

Too much air in the BCD + too slow dumping it during ascent = uncontrolled ascent.

There is no excuse though, for DMs giving you other than what you ask for.

 

[Daryl Morse]

In cold waters overweighting is a danger! With extra 6lbs you get negatively boyant 20' earlier vs neutrally weighted when diving in thick WS. Thats why the DM's are trying to weight him properly!

I do almost all of my dives in cold water wearing a drysuit. If you're neutral at the surface with a full tank, you need an additional 5 lbs or so (the weight of the air in the tank) in order to remain neutral on a low tank.