How much weight this Saturday (16/4/05)?

[Pussowl]

I'm still very new to diving, so I don't own my own kit. I've done 12 dives in Tenerife, all in a wetsuit (well TBH, a 5mm wetsuit, 3mm shortie & pyjamasuit - I was cold!!) for which I needed 10Kg while using a 12L tank [not sure if it was al or steel].

On Tuesday I did my first drysuit dives at Capenwray, using gear provided by my diveschool. Both dives were in a membrane drysuit, a WI BCD & with a 10L steel tank. Undersuit & weight as follows:

First dive: 100g thinsulate(newish - nice & thick) + damart thermals. I started with 20lbs (cos that's what worked in the pool with just the thinsulate), but needed another 3lbs clipped on a D-ring to get underwater. Incidentally, the drysuit leaked a lot so I needed a fresh set of underclothing for second dive.

Second dive: 100g thinsulate (old & thin, borrowed from Capenwray) + tracksuit bottoms + fleecy top& waistcoat. I needed 26lbs weight to get underwater (2 x 3lbs clipped onto D-rings).

On Saturday I will be diving with rented Otter gear, including a 200g thinsulate undersuit and a 12L tank. I will have a weight belt, quick-release pockets on the BCD and a maximum of 30lbs hired weight available to me. I will be diving with another new diver (8 dives). I am wondering how to manage the neccesary weight checks we will need to do, as there will be no handy instructors/PADI Divemasters etc to give advice & provide small amounts of weight as required!

All suggestions as to how much weight to start with & where to put it gratefully received. Also, is it safe/secure to leave any unrequired weight near the water edge, or will we have to return it to our car and then return to the water?

I look forward to your help in this!

Thanks

[tom]

When I do weight checks, I like to do it with my buddy kitted up and ready to jump in, but still on the waters edge and able to pass weights to me.

Then if the buddy is doing one too, we swap over and I get out and pass them weights as required.

Personally I wouldn't leave weights by the water's edge, depends how trusting a person you are - I've heard of them getting nicked. Especially with rental gear, probably worth putting it back in the car.

I'm sure you know this, but make sure you account for the weight of gas in your cylinder when you do your weight check (you want to be able to hold a shallow safety stop with a virtually empty cylinder). The weight of gas in a full 12l cylinder of air is just under 3.5K - so if you do your weight check with a full tank, remember to add around that amount to whatever figure you end up with.

Hope that helps - and enjoy the dive!

[dry suit diver]

I would go with what tom says but with one exception ,use a tank with about 50 bar in it for the weight check and then get out and swap to a full tank ,enjoy your first dive while the near empty one is being filled.

[onthetrain]

IMVHO there is only one way to do a weight check and thats to do it properly in the gear you are going to dive in.

If you are using a dry suit my advice is to don all your kit, suck the air completely out of your BC. Close your dump valve and put some air in your suit.

Get in the water and float around for a few minutes until you are comfortable and relaxed. Open your dump valve and see if you sink. Have someone hand you weight until you sink comfortably to just below eye level with a full lungful of air. Breathe out and you should sink gently.

To be really correct you should do this with about 30 bar in your cylinder to ensure you have enough weight to hold your safety stop at the end of the dive. If you cant manage this get your weight right and add 2 - 3 kilos to compensate for what you breathe during the dive.

It takes time but it's worth it.

Incidentally overweighting is probably the biggest problem for drysuit divers. As an example over easter weekend I dived with a novice ocean diver at Plymouth. It was his first time in the ocean in a dry suit. On his first dive he had problems getting down whilst carrying 15kg of lead. He added some more and still struggled to get down. His problem was anxiety and over breathing on the surface. At the end of a very short dive he had a nightmare controlling his bouyancy because ofthe huge volume of air in his suit. As a result his solution was to suggest upping his lead to 22kg!!!

The next day we did a proper check with him as per above and he had a really excellent dive carrying just 14KG.

Hope that helps. Enjoy your dives

[Balders]

A rough guide to start with is to divide your body weight by 10 and to add 5lbs to compansate for your dry suit. Position them equally around the sides of your belt. Do your weight check and if you need more then shove the extra in your BCD pockets.

Remember your 12ltr will be around 4k lighter at the end of the dive so be aware.

I have left my twins (should have took them in with me really) and allsorts at the side of the entrance at Crappers and never had anything nicked yet, should be ok.

Balders

[Pussowl]

Thanks for all the replies so far - very useful. You all seem to be answering with weight in kilos, which I'm familiar with from my first 12 dives. However, the weights I'll have are in pounds. I think the guy at the hire shop said he would put 2 x 10lbs on the weight belt, 2 x 4lbs in the BCD pockets and provide 2 x 1lb to be put on the belt if required.

Any comments on this?

[dry suit diver]

Originally Posted by Pussowl

Thanks for all the replies so far - very useful. You all seem to be answering with weight in kilos, which I'm familiar with from my first 12 dives. However, the weights I'll have are in pounds. I think the guy at the hire shop said he would put 2 x 10lbs on the weight belt, 2 x 4lbs in the BCD pockets and provide 2 x 1lb to be put on the belt if required.

Any comments on this?

1 kilo is 2.2 lbs

[Gavin Smith]

Originally Posted by Balders

I have left my twins (should have took them in with me really) and allsorts at the side of the entrance at Crappers and never had anything nicked yet, should be ok.

Balders

RichW had an emergency medical kit and O2 stage nicked from Capers. Take care.

Gavin

[Pussowl]

Originally Posted by dry suit diver

1 kilo is 2.2 lbs

Does this sound right then:

20lbs = 9Kg on weight belt

8lbs = 3.6Kg to put in BCD pockets, after weight check, to balance empty tank

That leaves me 2lbs (0.9Kg) to add if needed when doing my weight check. Is this likely to be enough, given my previous weighting on Tuesday? Should I ask for some more small weights when I collect my hire gear tomorrow?

Sorry if I'm being pedantic here, but I want to have the option of getting it right on Saturday.

[tom]

Originally Posted by Pussowl

Should I ask for some more small weights when I collect my hire gear tomorrow?

Can't hurt - better to have too much available than too little, so if you're at all worried you might not have enough then it's not a bad idea. Also not a bad idea to talk to the guys you are hiring from and see what they suggest.

Having smaller weights you can slip in and out of BCD pockets might make fine-tuning easier than great big lumps of lead.

(btw - it's hard to say whether it will be 'enough' because everyone varies in how much they need, and the type of undersuit can make a big difference etc - the only way to know for sure is to do a proper weight check, as you are doing)