Will I drop lead when I switch to a Back-Inflate BC?

[Skinsfan1311]

I'll be purchasing my 1st BC,(Zeagle Stiletto), next week. I've only used rental jacket-style BC's, they've usually been different models of Scubapro. I've never rented the same BC twice.

I wear a 3/2mm shorty, (I think that means that the sleeves are 2mm and the parts that cover my chest is 3mm). In any case, I started with 13lbs of lead and, over the last few dives, I shed 1lb. I won't be diving, until late July, and I have nowhere to do a buoyancy check, prior to dive trip, in late July.

Are the rental jackets more buoyant, than the Stiletto? If so, do you think that it's safe to assume that I'll be able to shed more weight? Thanks!

Oh yeah.....I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY FIRST DIVE TRIP WITH MY OWN GEAR!!!

 

[D_O_H]

A pound or two is possible, but I doubt you'll be able to get rid of any significant lead. It will largely come down to whether one or the other displaces more water. When I went from rental jackets to a Zeagle Ranger, my weighting did not change, though the Ranger is a bit on the bulky side. When I went from a Ranger to a Deep Sea Supply backplate and wing, I did drop almost 10 lbs, though 6 of that is attributable to the steel backplate.

Enjoy your new gear! I hope the switch from jacket to back inflate is as enjoyable for you as it was for me.

--Scott

 

[ScottB]

I am sure someone more qualified than I will respond, but...


If you are flying to your destination, it is very likely that you will be able to rent weights there. If you are driving, take your weights with you...

Do a buoyancy check where you are diving if you need to..

And keep in mind that fresh water and salt water require different weightings, and that different exposure protection (going from say a 3 mm shorty to a 5 mm full), will require different weighting.

Take care,
Scott

 

[SteveFass]

You may be able to shed a few pounds. After a few dives using your own gear you will be more relaxed and confident, so going down will be easier.

BCDs have varying amounts of boyancy (usually 1-3 lbs positive). So you have to compare the unkown amount of boyancy in your rental to the unknown amount in your new BC. There was an article in Scubadiving a ways ago where they measured the buyancy of BCs. You may be able to find it on their website and perhaps they listed your BC.

 

[Divedoggie]

I doubt that you will drop any weight with the Stilletto.
It is a great BC though.

 

[SteveAD]

there will be little or no change in your weight requirement due to the change in bc, however, all new divers are able to whittle down their weight requirement as the get more comfortable with diving. having your qwn gear will accerate this process.

 

[divnamite]

Is your weight for fresh water or salt water? That makes a pretty big difference.

 

[Halthron]

You may make a small change but it's unlikely you'll make a significant one. The change people talk about with dropping lead only involves a BP/w. Most BCs have a significant amount of plastic in their build, which is positive underwater and requires weight to offset (2-3 lbs). While there are plastic plates, most BP/w BCs use stainless steel or aluminium so almost all of their weight is negative and there's not reason to add more to offset the effect of plastic.

 

[djanni]

I'll be purchasing my 1st BC,(Zeagle Stiletto), next week. I've only used rental jacket-style BC's, they've usually been different models of Scubapro. I've never rented the same BC twice.

I wear a 3/2mm shorty, (I think that means that the sleeves are 2mm and the parts that cover my chest is 3mm). In any case, I started with 13lbs of lead and, over the last few dives, I shed 1lb. I won't be diving, until late July, and I have nowhere to do a buoyancy check, prior to dive trip, in late July.

Are the rental jackets more buoyant, than the Stiletto? If so, do you think that it's safe to assume that I'll be able to shed more weight? Thanks!

Oh yeah.....I CAN'T WAIT FOR MY FIRST DIVE TRIP WITH MY OWN GEAR!!!

A Stilleto has an inherent positive buoyancy of less than 2 lbs. So if you've been using a vest style BC with a inherent positive buoyancy of say 4 lbs then obviously you could drop about 2 lbs of lead.

Earlier someone said they dropped 4 lbs switching from a Zeagle Ranger to a DSS rig; however, a Ranger is a full 2 lbs positive so only 2 lbs of the 4 could be attributed to the Ranger and the other 2 lbs would have come from somewhere else. Maybe just from some skill improvement in buoyancy control in general but not the BC.

 

[PARADISE HUNTER]

I recently switched from a vest style BC to a Zeagle Ranger back inflated BC. It took me about eight dives to get used to the differences. In the end, I am very happy and would not switch back to a vest style for anything. But be patient if on your first dive you are not in eutopia. I did not notice any decrease in my weight. However, going from a weight belt to weight integrated system was awesome. I also like the trim weight pockets for just a couple of pounds, but that is a personal prefrence, some people do not like them. Have a great time!!