I use a set of LP104's, usually an AL80 Stage and AL50 O2 Bottle for weight....
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Every sinew twists when I hear of people placing weight further back than the plate and the suggestion of dumping from a cam band makes my head fall off.
Who cares. Why would you be trying to dump them? If you are properly weighted you should be able to (1) swim up the few pounds past neutral or (2) if you are diving really negative gear, have a secondary buoyancy system.
If your are losing that much bouyancy to compression then (1) buy a drysuit or
If your are losing that much bouyancy to compression then (2) carry a lift bag or another alternate buoyancy device
You would have to be pretty deep to have the suit that compressed...
...that is no place to be dropping weight and starting a rocket ride to a DCS hit. This will be much safer than dropping a bunch of weight and shooting to the surface like a cork.
"snip"
If I am negative by #22 and drop #10, I can swim up at negative #12, hit neutral, and then really slow down by flaring or by swimming down when I get near the surface. You might initially think that near the surface I will be positive #10, but in reality a cold neoprene suit expands slowly, so I will likely be positive by #5 in a worst-case scenario. Also, if I have stayed within my NDL I can risk a direct ascent to the surface. Dive tables were created for direct-to-surface ascents.
"snip"
I did. I love diving dry.
I always carry my DSMB with a finger spool.
Do you have any experience diving a 7 mm two-piece wetsuit? Based on your posts I seriously doubt it. What is the thickest wetsuit you have ever worn? Just ask Tobin (cool_hardware52) or any other seasoned diver on SB how much suit compression is possible.
If I am negative by #22 and drop #10, I can swim up at negative #12, hit neutral, and then really slow down by flaring or by swimming down when I get near the surface. You might initially think that near the surface I will be positive #10, but in reality a cold neoprene suit expands slowly, so I will likely be positive by #5 in a worst-case scenario. Also, if I have stayed within my NDL I can risk a direct ascent to the surface. Dive tables were created for direct-to-surface ascents.
I am curious what your experience is diving cold water in a wetsuit. By cold, I mean below 40F.
Who cares. Why would you be trying to dump them? If you are properly weighted you should be able to (1) swim up the few pounds past neutral or (2) if you are diving really negative gear, have a secondary buoyancy system.
This is an absolutely ridiculous statement. The thermocline at our local quarry is about 15 feet in the spring and only about 30 to 35 feet when the water is warmest. Depth compression of my 13mm worth of neoprene makes a huge difference in my buoyancy well above even 60 ffw depths. Even as a newb (or perhaps especially because I'm a newb) I can tell a dramatic difference in my buoyancy simply based upon my suit. I only wear 14-16 pounds (still haven't dialed it in) with that much neoprene so I could swim it up if I had to, but I'm one of the lucky ones. Temps range from the high 30s to the 70s depending upon depth and time of year. Do you dive dry when the temps are above 50? What about temps above 60?I agree, i dont see the point in ditchable weight for most dives. I know wetsuits do compress but if your diving that deep you should probably be diving dry or its warm enough so that 3mm is sufficient, Most of my dives are 50-80 ft and in a 5mm and i can easily swim my rig up and on the surface and i'm just barely negative. I feel ditchable weight is kind of a compromise for being overweighted in the first place.
Do you dive dry when the temps are above 50? What about temps above 60?