ANy way to drop weights?

[oregondiver]

I seem to just have some heavy arse hips. Or sumptin. In a 7ml wetsuit, I used 44lbs of weights.

In my Whites TriLaminate drysuit (with rockboots) I think I use close to 40lbs still. Most divers I know use a around 25 or under. At least back when I used to know other divers!

I have one set of ankle weights. On each ankle! (2.5 lbs per foot I think) to help reduce some of the air that ends up in my feet.

I have 20lbs in my Oceanic Isla BCD, integrated.
I have 5lb tank weight.
And after restarting diving last month (after a 2 year hiatus) I needed an additional 5lbs in each BCD pocket. I can't remember what I used on a weightbelt (instead of loose weights in pockets) before my hiatus....

My thermal undergarment is new, much thicker than my old USIA garment. SO that might account for some of the extra weight.

I know I could switch to steel tanks and that would drop some weight (right?)....how much would that drop? I just don't know what else I can do to try to reduce some of the weight. Any other suggestions?
I already lost 40lbs so I dont' think literally losing weight on my body is a good suggestion (but I might try!) at this time.

[CaptnJack]

Do you know how to check to make sure you really need that much?? I would guess that unless you are >275lbs you are overweighted by at least 5 lbs. Only the largest of the large divers need 40+lbs. You need be weight checking at the end of the dive with a near empty tank. You should barely be able to descend with no gas in your BC. Make triple sure the BC + lungs are empty then see if you can sink. Still sinking? Remove weight until you can't, then add ~2lbs back on.

A steel tank would drop about 4 or 5 lbs
A backplate would move 5 up higher

[dsteding]

Do you know how to check to make sure you really need that much?? I would guess that unless you are >275lbs you are overweighted by at least 5 lbs. Only the largest of the large divers need 40+lbs. You need be weight checking at the end of the dive with a near empty tank. You should barely be able to descend with no gas in your BC. Make triple sure the BC + lungs are empty then see if you can sink. Still sinking? Remove weight until you can't, then add ~2lbs back on.

A steel tank would drop about 4 or 5 lbs
A backplate would move 5 up higher

Take your BC and see how much weight it takes to sink it by itself, my guess is 5-6 pounds. Moving away from that (to say, a stainless steel backplate, for instance, or a less bouyant BC such as a transpac) would probably be a 10 pound swing (less floatation and the plate itself is more negative).

Are you diving a new White's MK3 perchance? Those are incredibly buoyant, I had to add about 8 pounds over the weight used for my older 400 weight thinsulate (I dive ~32 pounds of total ballast including my backplate in a single steel tank with the MK3).

[Pez7378]

It sounds like you need to do a proper weight check with an empty (500psi or so) cylinder. Contact your instructor, or a good dive buddy or someone who can help you. Position yourself in about 10 fsw with your fins just touching the bottom. Remove all air from your drysuit and or BC. Breath normally, you should notice that as you inhale, and exhale you will rise and fall rythmically with each breath. If you breath in, and do not rise you are overweighted. If you remove all the air from your suit and bc and still feel like you are rising up you are underweighted. Think of it as doing push ups with your lungs.

If you have 5 lbs somewhere near your feet, you will need an additional 5 lbs somewhere near your head to counter balance that weight. If you don't counter that weight, then you may be in a slightly head up attitude in the water, which will mean that as you kick through the water, you will tend to go up. This will result in you feeling like you need more weight to maintain your position in the water. The more weight you have closer to your center, Near the mid to upper body (near the lungs), the easier it will be to manage. This results in "proper trim" which prevents the head up attitude. Most weight integrated BC's position most if not all the weight near the waistline which tends to cause this head up attitude already. If you are weighted properly and EVENLY, you will realize that you do not need nearly as much. Think of it as using weight to balance a teeter totter, with one end being your feet, and one end being your head.

I'm slightly overweighted using a steel 119 and just right using a steel 100. I use a backplate that is about 5-6 lbs. I have 8 lbs on a belt, and 8 lbs in my trim pockets attached to my cam straps. Thats about 21-22 lbs and I have to really exhale with a near empty BC to get under at the surface.

Switching to steel tanks will do two things for you, it will remove some weight from your BC. And more importantly it will re-distribute the weight evenly across your center of balance/buoyancy.

[Dusty2]

The important thing is not numbers it is what works for you. Too many people get fixated on what the other guy is carrying or what I "should" be carrying. An inexperienced or out of practice diver will need more weight than an experienced diver. Then too body fat content and muscle tone and bone size makes a big difference as does that undergarment and the type of suit.

Don't think numbers think comfort. Try hovering at 10 to 15 feet with your tank down to 5 to 6 hundred pounds. If you can then you can take a little out until you start to head for the surface. Then put some back. If you are to light at 15 feet when you head up to your safety stop from depth you will just keep going and that is not good. You need to be comfortably in control at that depth to be a safe diver.

[Pez7378]

The important thing is not numbers it is what works for you. Too many people get fixated on what the other guy is carrying or what I "should" be carrying. An inexperienced or out of practice diver will need more weight than an experienced diver.

Good point Dusty, I should mention that it took me several dives to get my weighting down to what it is today. Eventually you will find that sweet spot and be totally comfortable at any depth.

[spatman]

I'm slightly overweighted using a steel 119 and just right using a steel 100. I use a backplate that is about 5-6 lbs. I have 8 lbs on a belt, and 8 lbs in my trim pockets attached to my cam straps. Thats about 21-22 lbs and I have to really exhale with a near empty BC to get under at the surface.

don't forget the -2lbs buoyancy from your can light...

[Pez7378]

I'm slightly overweighted using a steel 119 and just right using a steel 100. I use a backplate that is about 5-6 lbs. I have 8 lbs on a belt, and 8 lbs in my trim pockets attached to my cam straps. Thats about 21-22 lbs and I have to really exhale with a near empty BC to get under at the surface.

don't forget the -2lbs buoyancy from your can light...

I'm really not that precise. With or without it, I wouldn't change a thing.

[oregondiver]

Some really great points. I will try to address them (and add more questions).

Yes, my new undergarment is the MK3. You had to add 8 LBS? Hmm...that might account for some of the extra weight.

Although I use ankle weights, my feet still float above my arse (bent at knee for comfort diving, feet usually remain higher than my head). But I will have a buddy check out my trim/level this weekend.

I did a dive last Saturday. Came up with 1400 lbs after a 40 minute dive (diving alum 80's with 2900 to start, max depth 77ft). I did fine there. So we decided to do a quickie second dive in 30 feet of water so I could show my buddies the octo's that I saw (and they missed). I emerged after a 29 minute dive with 300psi. I was unable to do a safety stop at 15 feet because I was too bouyant.

With that being said, I am willing to do a bouyancy check this weekend once my tanks get low and try it again.

Anyone else going to be at Redondo beach this weekend and want to offer guidance on my weighting? Yes, I am willing to consider a backplate system, but will start a new post for that one because you could fit all my knowledge about those on a juvenile octopus head.
Shell :hello2:

[dsteding]

Some really great points. I will try to address them (and add more questions).

Yes, my new undergarment is the MK3. You had to add 8 LBS? Hmm...that might account for some of the extra weight.

Yes, from a relatively compressed 400 weight thinsulate undergarment. It is all relative to your old undergarment, but the MK3 is buoyant as all hell. Warm too, however, which is nice.

You got some good guidance here, my guess (and it is just that, a weight check is needed) is that your 40 pounds in your current setup may not be too much weight with an AL80, all things considered.

Switching to the BP will be a ten pound swing or so, as I mentioned before. Steel tank will be another 4-5 pounds. That gets you in the high 20s which is close to where I am in a similar setup in terms of undergarment (I'm 6'1" and 190).

[spatman]

here's one of the backplate threads:
http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4289

[spatman]

here's one of the backplate threads:
http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4289

Thanks spatman! That's the one I was thinking of..........how do you do that?

there's search link in the header: FAQ, Search, Members, Logout


here's another older thread:

http://www.nwdiveclub.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1758

[CaptnJack]

I'm 5'8" and 145lbs diving a shell suit with 400gm undies and if I used an AL80 I'd need about 36-38lbs total. From the sounds of it you are close. I wouldn't worry about what the "other guy" does.

Are you using your BC or suit for bouyancy? (loaded question I know). Using you suit is fine for bouyancy, but if that is causing you major floaty feet and adding 2.5lbs of dynamic weight to each leg I think you might want to change. It takes bucho energy to swing that lead back and forth. So maybe try not using so much gas in the suit and more in the BC. With Jet fins and a single tank I can basically use my suit for bouyancy without causing trim issues. Its not an instant process but something you could work towards.

A bunch of us dive on Tuesday evenings after work (7pm) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nwuebuddygroup/. Tonight (8/12/08) is at Edmonds. We have several instructors and other folks that would be happy to try and get some of these issues squared away for you. From the sounds of it, there are lots of variables here, both total weight and its distribution. If you can't make tonight there will be another next week.

Richard