70 replies to this topic

[jextract]

Really? So Darth is just J.E.Jones on Nitrox?! 
I'm all for the flirting..some people are having a prob with it though..with specific reference to this thread.  Darth, if I get in trouble...I'm blaming you!!!
now..back to the flirting....

OK, CT, try imagining this: Darth Vader on Heliox!


"Do or do not, Darlin', there is no 'try'."

Hey Jamie! How DARE you attribute a Yodaism to Darth???? Now, a sibulently hissed "Marvel, come to the dark side-try DIR" on the other hand....

I combined two different thoughts into one posting ... sorry, Marvel, should have delineated better.

[TheSassyRabbit]

Highly recommend the Peak Performance Buoyancy class (if PADI - or equivalent if not).

Great advice on use of formulas - they are definitely a great starting point. Ultimately, continuous diving will help you drop weight (well of the belt anyway - doesn't look like you need to lose any anywhere else) The more you dive, the more comforatble you are, and the more control you will have simply through good breathing techniques.

Practice makes perfect... or at least better.... baby!

[sunlover]

SassyRabbit sounds like "she's been there/done that". I always say to use enough weights but not too much. I like to impress the divemaster by quoting Archimede's Principle, then looking clueless about how much weight I need. Good Luck Tom (p.s. I bet you need about 4lbs if you wear a skin, about 8-10lbs for a 3mm. Of course we must take into account whether you're in fresh or salt water. I'm getting tired-head).

[mcm007]

I like Dr Bill's Rule of thumb.. 10 % of body weight plus an offset for extra gear..

Also , take into account the thickness of your wetsuit~ plus the buoyancy of your fins, mask, snorkel ..

I wouldnt think you'd need that much lead anyway, you seem to be in shape and not too much Floatation Assistance Tissue.

[zendiver]

The one I used to follow was 10% of body weight plus 7 pounds.

drbill, this is true for open water divers and most new divers as a starting point, but there are a LOT of factors and variables to consider and most of it would be the individuals body composition, comfort zone, experience, etc.... When I first started diving, I weighed almost 300 lbs. During my pool sessions, I was wearing almost 30lbs weight with a shorty. As I got a bit more comfortable, when I went to open waters, I was down to 24lbs (in fresh water) All of this was with 40+ % body fat. I now weigh right at 260 with 9% BF and I still dive with a shorty, but in salt water and only use 6lbs of weight. (as of this past weekend)

Walters FACTS below are some of the best instructions to date that I have ever seen. Just for fun, I am actually going to test this and see how well it pertains to me.

Well Amber dear, you're gonna love my answer because it is an exact science.

Step by step.

Take a tank with 500 PSI, suit up and get in the water. With no air in your BC and full lungs, you should float vertically at eye level. Add weight to float lower, take weight away to float higher. You will have to repeat this process for every different gear configuration you use. Different type of tank, you need to reweight. Change suits? Reweight. Write these configurations and numbers down so you aren't doing it every time you dive.

Common mistakes in this process are:

Not getting all the air out of the BC (some BC's trap air).

Not having full lungs. Breathe in deeply through your snorkel and hold your breath.

Kicking. Do not kick, float motionless.

Now, you just weighted yourself in the pool, you're set to dive the local lake, but you wanna dive salt water, how much weight do you add? Like Brian said, salinity varies, but it does not vary enough to affect your weighting. Your buoyancy will change much more every time you inhale or exhale than the difference in buoyancy caused by different salinity levels.

Take all your gear and let it dry. Once it is dry, put it on, including weights (hold your fins) and get on a scale. Take the total weight of you and your gear (including lead) and multiply it by .025. The result is the how much weight you need to add for salt water. Let's assume you and all your gear (tanks, lead, etc.) weighs in at 145. 145 x .025 = 3.625. If 6 lbs of that 145 was lead, then when you arrive in Bonaire, you'll add 3.625 to the 6 you are using in fresh water and use 9.625 or 10 lbs. You'll be set. I have an Excel file that does the math for you if you'd like it.

HTH,

Walter

[glendivesalot]

One of the more useful things you can do to determine proper weighting is take a section in your dive log and right down the proper weight you determine for each type of gear configuration you have. For instance, I dive with four different thinknesses of wetsuits and three different type of cylinders. The weight I need is different depending on what combination of wetsuit and cylinder I am using on a particular dive. I don't depend on memory, I have written them down. I refer to the chart and come up with the proper weighting I need for that particular dive.

[mostlysingle]

I can tell you that I constantly have weighting problems. It changes with the tank I use and its the best advocate for buying your own tank!!! I need to do that soon because its getting to be a hassle! I have settled for simply overweighting myself to not worry about it but I know that's not the right way to fix the problem!

[Sophia]

How can one be mostly single? Isn't that like being a little pregnant?
Just curious.

[mostlysingle]

I just saw a commercial that said you COULD be a little pregnant! I don't agree with it, but so the commercial said!

I had actually explained it before, but CAN be mostly single because I am my own person whether I'm seeing someone or not. I dont' become co-dependent in relationships, therefore I'm mostly single.

[ryvor]

Well Amber dear, you're gonna love my answer because it is an exact science.

Step by step.

Take a tank with 500 PSI, suit up and get in the water. With no air in your BC and full lungs, you should float vertically at eye level. Add weight to float lower, take weight away to float higher. You will have to repeat this process for every different gear configuration you use. Different type of tank, you need to reweight. Change suits? Reweight. Write these configurations and numbers down so you aren't doing it every time you dive.

Common mistakes in this process are:

Not getting all the air out of the BC (some BC's trap air).

Not having full lungs. Breathe in deeply through your snorkel and hold your breath.

Kicking. Do not kick, float motionless.

Now, you just weighted yourself in the pool, you're set to dive the local lake, but you wanna dive salt water, how much weight do you add? Like Brian said, salinity varies, but it does not vary enough to affect your weighting. Your buoyancy will change much more every time you inhale or exhale than the difference in buoyancy caused by different salinity levels.

Take all your gear and let it dry. Once it is dry, put it on, including weights (hold your fins) and get on a scale. Take the total weight of you and your gear (including lead) and multiply it by .025. The result is the how much weight you need to add for salt water. Let's assume you and all your gear (tanks, lead, etc.) weighs in at 145. 145 x .025 = 3.625. If 6 lbs of that 145 was lead, then when you arrive in Bonaire, you'll add 3.625 to the 6 you are using in fresh water and use 9.625 or 10 lbs. You'll be set. I have an Excel file that does the math for you if you'd like it.

HTH,

Walter

Probably the best answer I've seen on this subject. Very nice Walter, Kudos to you.

This works because you actually know what you're going to need at the end of your dive. Everyone is different, muscle mass, fat composition, etc, etc. With an Al80 a 3 mil jumpsuit in the ocean, I need no weight. Go figure. You have to figure out what works for you and this is probably one of the best ways to do it.

[Bubble2Bubble]

I use the KISS method -Keep it simple saints

Over weight yourself with removable weights. find a place on the lake, ocean, pond, quarry floor.deflate your BC completely. Then take a DEEP breath if you rise 6 in then come down you should remove alittle weight. take another DEEP breath and if you riase 10 in then back down remove a little more. get to the point where you are at the floor and take a DEEP breath you begin to rise and continue as if you where going to surface. this is neutral bouyancy. just remember to have a few lbs extra for when your tank gets empty. collect your discarded weights before you return to shore and remember what you had in lbs. But the next time you go somewhere you might wear a differant suit or have things on you that add weight or maybe float so repeat step one for each dive location. this has done wonders for me ! Happy Diving Everyone.

B2B

Edited by Bubble2Bubble, 22 October 2004 - 11:38 AM.