When to drop weights

[JanR]

I just bought my BCD over the weekend and realized in the last few months as I was comparing one BCD over another, I was looking at one consideration without really understanding the actual importance...the ease ditching weights.

Several of the reviews on BCDs mentioned the relative ease (or lack of such) of being able to ditch weights in an emergency, thus I figured that that was enough of a reason to look for a integrated weight BCD which seemed to fit the bill (went with the Zeagle Escape, by the way).

Here's the question, how often and for what emergency would someone diving within recreational limits need to drop their weights?

The only emergency that I can think of is a catestrophic (sp) failure of your BCD to hold air. But if you are properly weighted, shouldn't you be able to fin yourself up to the surface like a slow CESA??

Thanks in advance for yet another chance to learn from the collective wisdom and knowledge of Scubaboard.

Jan

 

[Ed Marshall]

I think you pretty much nailed it there. Another consideration would be the ease with which your buddy could ditch your weights if you were somehow rendered unconscious and he/she needed to get you to the surface.

Ed

 

[Humuhumunukunukuapua'a]

The only situation I can think of is if you have BC (and drysuit) failure and need to try to stay positive at the surface. You'll always be able to swim a recreational rig to the surface...it's not as though you surface by filling your BC anyway. The problem would be when you were at the surface trying to keep your head out of water.

 

[H2Andy]

i'm with H

about the only reason to ditch weights would be to get more positive on the
surface.

also, though etremely unlikely, i could see myself dropping weights if i am in a
runaway negative descent into the abyss and my BC fails for some reason,
or my tank isn't on and i can't get any air (though in that case, i'd turn the
valve on, since i can easily reach it)

 

[CD_in_Chitown]

...the only reason to ditch weights ...to get more positive on the
surface.

<--Liberal with the point

 

[Lukiedukie]

The easy of ditching weights should also be looked at the security of those weights. On one of my check out dives I lost half of my weights. I could not figure out what was wrong for about two mintues. Finally (I was a 5 ft at this point) I just surfaced and assed the found out what my problem was. Another dive later that day I actullay caught the weight as it slid out of the pocket. Needless to say I was not happy with the BCD and replaced it the next weekend. As most of my dives right now around around 45ft max I am not really worried about ditching my weights as I can swim my rig up. I have actually practiced swimming up another diver that was not assisting in the assent. It sucked but it could be done.

 

[Al Mialkovsky]

Ditching weights happens very seldom. With several thousand dives under my belt I can count the times I've ditched my weights on, ummmm, don't need anything to count, never had to do it. If you're neutral just swim up

 

[Charlie99]

Here's the question, how often and for what emergency would someone diving within recreational limits need to drop their weights?

The only emergency that I can think of is a catestrophic (sp) failure of your BCD to hold air. But if you are properly weighted, shouldn't you be able to fin yourself up to the surface like a slow CESA??

Only once in 500 some odd dives has my BCD failed. Somehow, after I setup my gear, the pulldump was pulled so hard that it snapped the cable, and a bit of the cable lodged under the dump valve, keeping it open. That was in a 5mm suit, and I just did the dive normally, including an excursion down to 130' to look at some stuff. It wasn't as pleasant as doing it with proper neutral buoyancy, but it was still not all that hard. Now with a double 7mm it might start getting dicey, but you should still be able to swim it up.

Dropping weights at depth will most likely get you into an uncontrolled runaway ascent. NOT a good idea.

IMO, the ONLY place one would ever dump weights in a single tank dive is if you faced a long wait on the surface. But you would only be negative by the weight of air in your tank (plus any overweighting), and many people weight to be neutral at 10' or 15' rather than the surface, so most people would be buoyant on the surface.

 

[ScubyDoo]

Agree with most of the previous posts. Ditch weights at surface in emergency situations where positive buoyancy is or might be a problem. Also, you may need to ditch your buddies weights for the same reason. In a rescue situation, ditching a victims weights is the second you do after gaining control of them (first is adding air to BC). I can think of only one instance where you might ditch weights at depth, and it would a last resort only action. In an out of air emergency at depths where a CESA is improbable, and an emergency buoyant assent is necessary....you may drop wieghts and rocket up. You'll get bent to hell...but being bent is better than being dead.

 

[ShakaZulu]

I like to add more weights, and then walk out of the ocean after my dive........never, unless you are unconsious, then your buddy will drop it at the surface.