Your Diving and Weights

[GreenDiverDown]

Actually, I do believe you. You're right, I always feel or think I've emptied the bladder but it is quite possible I haven't and don't know it.

BTW, I wasn't looking for anyone on the board to advise how much weight I need. Many of the posts dealt with sheding weight and "getting down". I can shed a lot of weight and "get down" but I won't be able to stay there with an empty tank - that was my point.

Joe

I'm not sure that I understand where you're going with this.

Are you making a point about how one should correctly weight themselves or are you asking why this happens?

 

[joe rock]

I'm not sure that I understand where you're going with this.

Are you making a point about how one should correctly weight themselves or are you asking why this happens?

I guess it was how someone should correctly weight themselves. My comments were to those posts that focused on the weight needed to descend. My point was that one needs to have the proper weight to safely ascend.

 

[piikki]

J...most new divers are overweighted...and there are a number of reasons why. Probably the biggest reason is air in their BC. The diver thinks, or more often "knows", that they have emptied the bladder completely when in actuality there is a lot still there. I see this all the time and it can take some real effort and sometimes some creative thinking to convince the diver otherwise.
I know...you don't believe me. eyebrow

I am new, and I always doubt if I got all air out of my BC. When doing shallower dives I am particularly suspicious which is directly reflected in the amount of water I have inside the bladder in the end of the dive... I think my wing empties nice (Oxy SS 45lbs) but for some reason, especially when diving in a group, I find out that the moment I have to do something completely different, and I thought it might be empty, I start floating… I think this is a function of several things like my holding breath when I need to perform, and my not having emptied the bladder as effectively as I usually do (hurrying through it when I have to keep eye on more things than usual).

Thus, when I go on a charter I am very tempted to add 1-2 ‘peer’ pounds onto my belt. I generally have less problems towards the end of the dive though, so I have concluded this is not a weighing issue as much as problem in the head section?? I sure feel like I can’t lose much more weight – I already crossed over SS BP because I would not have anything to ditch (7mm plus 4-6lbs). I can’t compare to local newbies because none of them is on steel tanks.

I found the size of the lungs comment very interesting, is there some more info on that somewhere? I am pretty tall for a woman, and I have male-sized lungs (5l). It sure isn’t going to help when holding breath! (No, I am trying to make sure I am not ‘holding breath’ while diving, I just have a bad habit from childhood of inhaling and holding when concentrating on tasks). Sure would be more economical learning not to do that than carrying extra pounds to counteract it… I had a couple of true runaway ascents before I switched to steel, and a couple of half-runaways since and I bet if you get those thrillers you are kind of tempted to lug a few extra pounds until you learn (and forever if you don’t wanna bother).

 

[NJ Wreck Diver]

I was just curious how weight ranges for all you scuba divers.


I wiegh 225lbs I dive with 24 lbs when wearing my 7mm suit with 120 steel tank, when diving with a aluminum 80 I wear 28 lbs with the 7mm suit, thats all in fresh I will add another 4lbs when in salt. I wear 12 lbs with a 3mm suit freshwater with the 120 tank 16lbs in salt.
hopefully that helps, or I just totally confused you even more

 

[Scubadelic]

3 ml everflex wetsuit and nighthawk BC (integrated weights)

14 lbs for freshwater
18 lbs for saltwater (sometimes 20)

 

[Tol]

cold, fresh water
2 piece suit, hood, gloves, booties: all 7mm
Al 80

I use 12 lbs.
I put 3 lbs in each trim pocket and 4 lbs in each ditchable weight pocket on my BC.
Hope to drop that some with a bpw. Still shopping

 

[Blackwood]

SS HP80, 7mm, 6 pounds on my belt (DSS SS BP).

er... that should read LP80.