weights question

[jrdivagrl]

is there anyway of determining how much weight you need?

 

[cth6]

is there anyway of determining how much weight you need?

I have heard buy 10% of your weight, but I think that is just the way to sell extra weights.

The way that I do it is borrow some weights from a friend, the more the better. Put them in a weight belt with the lightest ones near the buckle end and heavier as you goto the free end. So you would have <Buckle - 1lb - 1lb - 2lb - 2lb - 3lb - 3lb > or something like that. The more little weights the better. I usually use all 1lb weights to figure out my gear.

Put this on the bottom of the pool with the belt laid out flat. Put all of your gear on that you plan on diving with, Including your wet suit if you wear one. Let all of the air out of your BC. With both hands grab the buckle end of the belt and hold it with you arms streatched out below you. INHALE. Record the weights that you lift off of the bottom. If you lift off a total of 10 lbs, put that amount of weight in you BC pockets for the next steps. Important note is to use the largest weights that you can. So in this example you would place 5lb weights in each pocket, not five 1lb weights in each (you will soon see why). If you lift the belt completely off, no worries just add all of that total weight to your BC.

Now perform the same test with the small weights again now that you have some weight in your pockets. INHALE and record what you have lifted. Continue to do this process until you can't lift any weights off of the pool bottom.

Now to test to make sure that you are not too heavy. Sit crossed legs on the bottom of the pool with all of the weights that you have added to your pockets. If you inhale and you come off the bottom and exhale and settle back on the bottom you are perfectly weighed for most diving.

Remember that this weight is for the gear that you are using. Adding 1mm of wet suit or changing tanks will throw this completely off.

If you plan on diving salt water you can do this simple calculation.

Let all of your gear dry off completely. Now don all of your gear like you were getting ready to hit the water. Instead of jumping off of the boat, step on the scale. Record that weight.

If you weigh 250lbs with all of your gear, including the fresh water weights that you added. Take that number and multiply it by 1.025. So if you weighted 250lbs x 1.025 = 256 so subtract 250 (Your original weight) from 256 and you will get the amount of weight that you should add. So in this example it would be 6 lbs or so.

Hope this helps. Sorry so long.

Chad

 

[Charlie99]

Super description of the procedure, Chad!

One more step is compensation for the amount of air in your tank since you want to be neutral with a near empty tank.

The air in an AL80 weighs about 6 pounds, so ADD 1 pound of lead for every 500psi in your tank.

 

[jrdivagrl]

the only prblm is that i am a jr. ooen water diver nd no1 in my family dives so i cant rent a tank or anything. i guess i should just got to the dive shop. thanks a lot though

 

[cth6]

When you book your next trip with your dive shop, see if you can stop in on one of their dive classes in the pool. A good dive shop should let you get your boyancy right. If your dive is in a 0 current area you can do it just before the first dive, but call ahead first to make sure the charter will help out.

 

[pescador775]

diva, if normal body weight and with an aluminum tank and wet suit you can probably get by with about 14 pounds. I wouldn't go heavier unless piddling around in the shallow end. Fine tune your weight after the first dive to 30 feet or below. Remember when they taught you to dump the air from the vest and submerge feet down? Forget that, if you are a little bit buoyant after purging on the surface just kick those fins up and submerge face down. Don't forget to equalize. When you are down a few feet you will feel heavier and further decent will be easy. Try to come back up on the anchor line. Hold on and don't 'pop' to the surface. Dump air in the vest, if any. Just come up slowly and watch your gauges.Fresh water, two pounds less.

 

[Charlie99]

Fresh water, two pounds less.

Ummm. 2 pounds isn't much of an adustment. My experience has been more like the first reply in this thread:

If you weigh 250lbs with all of your gear, including the fresh water weights that you added. Take that number and multiply it by 1.025. So if you weighted 250lbs x 1.025 = 256 so subtract 250 (Your original weight) from 256 and you will get the amount of weight that you should add. So in this example it would be 6 lbs or so.

Obviously if going from salt to fresh water, it is 6 pounds removed.

This calculation is also described in the equivalent calculation: "1 pound of adjustment for every 40 pounds of total dive weight"

 

[O2BBubbleFree]

I've posted this elsewhere, and it has worked for some people. Of course, this just gives general starting points, and a bouyancy check must then be done. # = US pounds.

In saltwater

Swimsuit or dive skin: 1-4#
1/16" (3mm) one-piece or shorty: 5% of bodyweight
3/16" (4.5mm) 2-piece (john and jacket): 10% of bodyweight
1/4" (6mm) 2-piece w/ hood, gloves, boots: 10% + 3-5#
Neoprene drysuit: 10% + 7-10#
Shell dry suit: 10% + 7-14#

For fresh water, subtract weight according the following:

If you weigh between 100 and 125#, subtract 4# of lead
If you weigh between 126 and 155#, subtract 5# of lead
If you weigh between 156 and 186#, subtract 6# of lead
If you weigh between 187 and 217#, subtract 7# of lead

Use the above to get your starting point, then adjust from there during your bouyancy check. This is just a rough generalization, but hope it helps.

 

[geraldp]

saltwater:

Swimsuit or dive skin: 1-4#
1/16" (3mm) one-piece or shorty: 5% of bodyweight
3/16" (4.5mm) 2-piece (john and jacket): 10% of bodyweight
1/4" (6mm) 2-piece w/ hood, gloves, boots: 10% + 3-5#
Neoprene drysuit: 10% + 7-10#
Shell dry suit: 10% + 7-14#
.
.
Use the above to get your starting point, then adjust from there during your bouyancy check. This is just a rough generalization, but hope it helps.

That's pretty darn close for me... a tad heavy for my 3/16" wetsuit (actually a 3-5-3 one-piece), but a tad light for my shell drysuit. But I have a very thick undergarment.

Jerry