Release or not to Release?

[Brass Monkey]

Originally Posted by nigelH

2.7Kg of lead blocks behind my head in the usual YBOD trim pocket.
2Kgs shot back thrown on top of the scrubber.
6Kgs in zipped up pockets on the waist.
I used to carry less but when I got the Otter Britanic and its nice undersuit I had a rather scary dive holding a final stop with everything squeezed up. I guess the new undersuit was just a lot fluffier. I might get it down a bit as the suit beds in. 3Kgs comes off in fresh water.
I guess I could unzip the pockets and ditch 6Kgs but I think it would be slow unless I practiced it a few times. I use a weight belt on a RIB or they'd leave it for me to drag out of the water.

nigelH

2Kgs on top of the scrubber? is that not a bit hard to breath through

Know what you mean about the weight belt, I thought this way was going to lighten the load.

Same set up as Nigel but nothing on top of the box just the bag on top of the scrubber.

Dave

[Mark Chase]

My OC rig had 4KG of lead permanently fixed to the waste belt so ditching was possible but a slow process. I couldn’t see the point in having such a small amount of lead as ditch able and it meant I could never forget my weight belt. The wing could more than cope with it on the surface so it would only be an issue in an emergency when I had lost wing inflation. If was that dodgy I would ditch the whole rig.

I also carry three SMB's two self inflating with independent gas supplies.
Ditching lead at depth was so rarely and option due to depth and deco
commitment that again this was never an issue.

Ironically my new CCR rig has two weight pouches with quick release flaps. I now worry about catching the big release loops on the wreck and accidentally loosing my weights. The zips have a nasty habit of coming undone and on Wednesday I put the rig on to be told by Paul that one of the weight blocks had fallen out.

Not good

I feel some fettling a coming

ATB

Mark Chase

[Gareth Burrows]

I guess I have plenty of redundant bouyancy - wing, dry suit, 2 smbs. I guess I have redundant air - Twin 12's and stages, etc. I have 3 kg in a p weight, and need another two for sea diving, which just goes on the waist belt


I am currently diving with a weight belt purely cos i twisted my back pickin up the rig a few weeks back and taking the p weight out makes it just that little bit more manageable.

[MattS]

My intermediate set is twin 7 x 300s which don't need any additional weight to sink. My deep rig is twin 12 x 232s which need about 4Kg to sink. I sometimes use a single and that needs 8Kg to sink. I use a weight belt mainly because it is very easy to adjust for whatever kit I happen to be using.
I would not use integrated weights ever. I have seen far too many people lose them.

[alunbidmead]

Redundant everything!!

[TonyG]

I dive with Drysuit, SMB, BCD with intigrated weights, and a weight harness that is dumpable. I take a pony on deep dives.

[Steve Summers]

Drysuit, wing, smb, spare smb, Lift bag[sometimes ] no ditchable weight unless sea diving and I don't think that 4kg would make that much difference if I was up the swannie

Safe diving,
Steve.

[jlwarlow]

I have a scubapro weight belt with pockets that is quick release. The pockets make it easy to adjust weights between salt & fresh and different kit config. The buckle makes it very easy to ditch, which I hope I never have to do.

A friend had a Mares Vector Hub, every time he bent over to put his fins on the quick release weights would release and drop on his toes! He has lost confidence in them not ditching inadvertantly underwater so has gone back to a weight belt.

[Kate R]

something that i think often gets missed in the whole ditchable weights debate is the value of being able to ditch lead at the surface. especially, as mentioned above, if you've been lost by your boat and face a long wait in perhaps choppy seas.

i once met someone who later died through not being able to maintain positive buoyancy at the surface (panicked, didn't drop weights or orally inflate her BC). and she's not the only person to die that way. i think the value of ditchable weights in that situation should be reinforced - i sometimes worry that so many people going around slating ditchable weights might send the wrong message to some people...

just a thought.

kate

[Dominic]

On the other hand, it's very easy to practice orally inflating a BCD, but it'd work out expensive to regularly practice dropping weights

So maybe less emphasis from agencies etc about dropping weights and more on alternatives would lead to less incidents?