Whatever. Donning a weight belt at the surface while in a BCD was not part of my skills training or testing when I was certified. The hardest part for me was treading fresh water in a pool for I don't remember how many minutes.PDIC was a founding member of the RSTC, and those requirements have been part of the RSTC standards for longer than 25 years--I am pretty sure from the beginning.
I checked my cert card; it was in May of 1994.