Weights or No Weights

[Hallmac]

I dive with zero weights. Weighting my body became unnecessary as my skills improved over the years. In the case of ditching my dive system (never had the need yet except for one time when I was squeezing through a crack and that turned out to be a waste of time.) I have option plans in place depending upon the protection I am wearing.

In the drysuit (my most buoyant condition), I would flood and use foot position to control the ascent. Kicking up or down as needed. I found I can swim down with air in my drysuit, Fins are great tools and when the additional thrust of using your hands and arms you can pull a great deal of air to the bottom. The reverse is true as well, with the proper breathing I found I can swim up a good chunk of weight if necessary, it's just not any fun. I am a big fan of the less weight you take along the better.

The real thrill is identifying all the things you can do to solve the issue underwater. If you have to take off your gear flip over onto your back and put the rig on top of you. Of course you have to be horizontal and not kneeling on your knees for this to work. Take the ripped inflater hose mentioned above. Not a big deal, invert the rig, exhale into the bladder, place the rig on your stomach keeping the open end below everything else and you are back into business. (Think lift bag) Out of air during the dive, no problem, purge the inflater and "breath the bag" to the surface.

Coral reefs and fish who needs them I have fun just trying to solve imaginary emergencies in zero viz mud holes.

 

[Flightlead]

Wow. Just finished the novel on weighting for doubles. Interesting conversations there but I don't understand the contention about why being neutral in your suit would be bad. At most it should only add I'm guessing 4-8# which might be a bit of an extreme measure if you deflate your dry suit (Like I said, I'm 1)a young pup of a diver 2)in South Florida and so I haven't dove dry yet so forgive ignorance here). As for inadvertantly ditching weight; in my rescue course I even had a hard time ditching my own weight when I was the 'dead' diver, let alone them doing it for me. I have a tight buckle and aside from that it was a couple of good tugs to get it out from under my rig. If the concern is inadvertant ditching then that might be one I'll have to consider separately, but as far as the idea of being neutral aside from my rig, I still want to work with this one.

It sounds like I have a lot of 'test' dives coming up since I want to figure out my SAC rate (I'm sure its sky high), and how much weight at 20' offsets my different exposure protection. Luckily for the weighting, Blue Heron is ocean fed salt water at about 20', controlled circumstances (no deco+buddy+lifeguard), so that sounds like the perfect place to figure the weighting out for me.

my temperate dry suit undergarments require 22lbs to sink them. they are brand new and this will likely diminish some, but not an order of magnitude. also, there are limits to how much and how quickly you can vent a drysuit. further complicating the issue is dry suit squeeze which can restrict or prevent motion if the suit is not inflated enough.

regarding your comments about the difficulty of ditching weights even when trying...remember Murphy's Law, a corollary to Finagles First Law ie "The Universe Tends To The Perverse". IOW, any bad thing can and will happen, and when it does it is always at the worst possible time.

Murphy is a diver!

 

[gypsyjim]

This has been a really great thread to read. As a non tech diver who did his wreck cert just to face one of his greatest fears head on, it has still given me a lot to think about as problem solving in unexpected situations can apply to any diver at any time.

 

[El Cid]

Half of diving is what you do on the surface to prepare for or prevent the problems that may occur. I figure since I'm daydreaming about being under anyway, I might as well be problem solving while I'm at it. Thanks for all the info though folks.

 

[Flightlead]

Half of diving is what you do on the surface to prepare for or prevent the problems that may occur. I figure since I'm daydreaming about being under anyway, I might as well be problem solving while I'm at it. Thanks for all the info though folks.

great way to think about it. another way to say it....planning for and practicing what you will do in an emergency will help make many events that would otherwise be an emergency become a non-event

o btw, you handle.....GREAT movie!

 

[Jrock1062]

I dive with zero weights. Weighting my body became unnecessary as my skills improved over the years. In the case of ditching my dive system (never had the need yet except for one time when I was squeezing through a crack and that turned out to be a waste of time.) I have option plans in place depending upon the protection I am wearing.

In the drysuit (my most buoyant condition), I would flood and use foot position to control the ascent. Kicking up or down as needed. I found I can swim down with air in my drysuit, Fins are great tools and when the additional thrust of using your hands and arms you can pull a great deal of air to the bottom. The reverse is true as well, with the proper breathing I found I can swim up a good chunk of weight if necessary, it's just not any fun. I am a big fan of the less weight you take along the better.

The real thrill is identifying all the things you can do to solve the issue underwater. If you have to take off your gear flip over onto your back and put the rig on top of you. Of course you have to be horizontal and not kneeling on your knees for this to work. Take the ripped inflater hose mentioned above. Not a big deal, invert the rig, exhale into the bladder, place the rig on your stomach keeping the open end below everything else and you are back into business. (Think lift bag) Out of air during the dive, no problem, purge the inflater and "breath the bag" to the surface.

Coral reefs and fish who needs them I have fun just trying to solve imaginary emergencies in zero viz mud holes.

great way to think out of the box thanks it will help me look at problems in a different light