Weighting

[easyrider003]

I am leaving on a cruise to the bahamas this coming up saturday. I don't dive salt water that often. I was diving a seaquest pro qd bcd and finally got my weighting perfect. Well I sold it and bought the Zeagle Brigade. The closest I can get my weight is like it was with the seaquest bcd. Ok so my question is how much more weight should I be addding for salt water?

Thanks,
Michael

 

[stangd1909]

It depends....If I have on a wet suit I take 4 extra pounds in salt water. I am not sure if that is normal...but thats what works best for now.

 

[jamiep3]

Going to depend on several factors. Are you using the same wetsuit? About what is your body weight?

I'm about 185lb.. Freshwater I use 10 lb. with my 3mm and an AL80, saltwater 14 lb.

PADI suggests

Body Weight / Add going to Saltwater
100-125 lb. / 4 lb.
126-155 lb. / 5 lb.
156-186 lb. / 6 lb.
187-217 lb. / 7 lb.

If nothing else, ask the divemaster where you are going, they will probably be able to give you good advice, be prepared for them to suggest a little more weight than you will actually need. Then just play with it on different dives till you get dialed in.

 

[salth2owannabe]

With a thin warm water shorty and an al80 I need about 2lbs more in salt water.

 

[perdidochas]

I am leaving on a cruise to the bahamas this coming up saturday. I don't dive salt water that often. I was diving a seaquest pro qd bcd and finally got my weighting perfect. Well I sold it and bought the Zeagle Brigade. The closest I can get my weight is like it was with the seaquest bcd. Ok so my question is how much more weight should I be addding for salt water?

Thanks,
Michael

General rule of thumb is to add 2-4 lbs for no wetsuit. Add more, depending on how much of a wetsuit you are wearing. Is that a liveaboard cruise, or a stop on the cruise ship?

 

[easyrider003]

Its a stop on a cruise ship. Not sure if they are already booked up or not though. I was just gonna book it when I got on the ship. The only wetsuit I have is a 3 mil. Not sure if one will be needed in the bahamas though. Also I dive mostly places like vortex where the water is really cold. Not sure, but does temp. have any effect on weight?

Thanks,
Michael

I am the same weight and everything else is the same as freshwater, as far as equiptment I will be using.

 

[spectrum]

It's purely a function of weight, displacement and specific gravity of the water.

A cylinder change is predictable from specifications. Changes in exposure protection are educated guesses at best.

If the gear is essentially the same then take your total dry diver weight including all of your freshwater gear and add 1 pound for every 40. This amounts to the approximately .026 difference in specific gravity and the fact that even the added weight displaces some water diluting it's effect.

If you dress out at 280 then add 7 etc....

Pete

 

[Rick Murchison]

... my question is how much more weight should I be addding for salt water?

2½% of your total weight. That is, you, your gear, your wetsuit, your tank, your camera and your weights. Add it all up, figure 2½% of that, and that's how much you need to add.
Or... as Spectrum says, 1 pound per 40; 1 kilo per 40 kilos... etc.

Rick