weights?

[easttngirl33]

Hi,
I’m new to diving and got my ow last fall, im leaving in 2 weeks to dive in costa rica and I’m very worried. we had a hard time getting my weight right the first day while I was wearing a 7mm wetsuit so the 2nd day I shed the suit and just wore a bathing suit, and done better. my concern is I had a hard time with my weights and im not sure what weight to use in the sw with just a skin on. any suggestions on how I can figure this out? i’m very nervous about my 1st time diving in the ocean. i’m worried i’m going to do something stupid and ruin it for everyone on the boat.

 

[cannon fodder]

Sounds like me last December. I did my OW in the fall in a cold quarry and headed for the Caribbean. The first dive the DM suggested taking 10 pounds off what I did in a thick wetsuit. At the next stop I started with what I had previously and the second dive the guide suggested I lose two more pounds. The third destination saw me taking 2 more pounds off and then adding it back on. At the end of the dive I was floating to the surface with an empty BC. The moral of my story is that it takes a couple of dives, but let the DMs guide you and adjust your weight slowly. A good operator will want everyone, including you to have a good time and tell all your friends back home that they have to dive with them.

 

[TravisD]

The conversion factor for Salt to Fresh is roughly an additional 2.5% weight, based on your TOTAL weight (as diving, so you + suit + FW weight + gear + tank + air...). Salt water is definitely a shock for me since I dive mainly fresh. Combine FW -> SW, and also switch from the steel tanks I normally use at home to the Aluminum floats that they use in warm places, and I was aghast at how much lead I added, but in the end it seemed right (I cut back a little after getting comfortable, and cut back some more to determine that yes, I did in fact have just enough).

Are you going to be someplace where you could do a weight check someplace easy? Like a house reef?

Don't overlook the fact as well that if you're nervous about diving in a new environment, with new gear, that you're going to take more weight. Also, a 7mm is VERY different from diving with just a skin - it's going to change buoyancy at depth (unlike your body).

Weight, unfortunately, is warmth in most cases. I'd rather carry more lead than be cold (and when I'm cold, I use more air, so I don't get to spend at much time underwater).

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Do you know what your weighting was like when you wore just a bathing suit? A dive skin doesn't add any buoyancy to speak of, so it'll be the same as your bathing suit. If your checkout dives were in fresh water, you will have to add a few pounds to compensate for the higher density of salt water. If you have the opportunity before your first dive, do a buoyancy check. You should have been taught how in your OW class, but it's really very simple. With an "empty" tank and BCD you ought to float at eye level. If you exhale fully you should be able to sink slowly. And relax, you're not going to ruin anything. The dive shop operators will likely be able to get you pretty close before you even get in the water. And if your dives are guided, the guides are usually willing to carry a couple extra pounds, just in case. Or, worst case, you can do what I did once when I had to donate 4lbs to a new diver so they could stay under. I stuffed a rock in my pocket.

 

[TMHeimer]

Yeah, do the weight check. If done in fresh water add 5-6 pounds for salt. You have to have a starting point. I was advised to use 10 pounds before going to Panama (for using a skin suit only), but took 12. I needed 12. But I need 41 in a farmer john 7 mil with AL80 tank, and that's really a lot. Everyone is different.

 

[spectrum]

Being this unprepared and going to the ocean for the first time I suggest hiring a dive master for an orientation dive. He/she can walk you through the process and get you off to a good, safe start. Any weights suggested are wild a$$ guesses.

 

[cannon fodder]

I suggest hiring a dive master for an orientation dive

thats what I did for the first dive

 

[Force-E Divers]

easttngirl33,

First off, you are not the first person to be anxious about your weighting...or more correctly, you are worried about "doing something stupid". My first piece of advice would be to not worry. Even I like to do a weight check once in a while, especially if I am using a new piece of equipment. That is not stupid, it's just smart diving.

On your first dive of your trip, inform the dive master that you would like to do a weight check. Simple as that. If you are worried about other divers on the boat, don't. You are doing the smart thing and it's their problem if they get upset.

On a different matter... Your buoyancy issue might be less about the weight you have in your pockets and more about the anxiety you are carrying. When you are tense, you don't exhale completely making it harder to sink. At least, that's what I've noticed from my own experience. So, when you jump in the water and you are about to descend, relax. I mean, feel yourself melting into a completely relaxed blob. The more relax you are, the better you sink.

Most of all, remember that you are awesome and diving is fun...don't worry so much, especially about what the other divers on board might think. Even if you do something "stupid", let it go. I have never met a diver that hasn't done something stupid, and I've had the pleasure of knowing and diving with some of the diving's legends.

 

[Frosty]

Eastingirl -First thing Just relax about ruining anyone elses dive. You won't
At your stage of diving you are shedding weights and decreasing your dive time pretty darn fast as you gain confidence/competence.So don't get stressed about your weighting so much
Im not saying that correct weighting isn't of importance (because it is)
but being relaxed and enjoying yourself is much more important. It will improve your diveing/bottom times a lot faster than a kg or couple of kg in weight and you'll have more fun.
So IMO Let the DM know whats happening For your first dive on your belt put the same weight as you dove with during training and put 1kg in each pocket of your BC.
At the end of the first dive do a weight check.If it feels about right put the extra 2kg on the belt when you get back on board. If you sink then hand off 1kg to the boat and see how you go.


On a side note--thats the great thing about log books-you note how much weight you are using so you have a good baseline for next time diving

OOPS--just read the post above almost the same as mine

 

[fnfalman]

Skin suit/bathing suit + Aluminum 80 for tropical saltwater dive? I'd suggest 5% of your body weight to start out. However, I have a feeling that you'd need much less than that.