Your views on weighting systems?

[daz]

<font color='#000080'>Well I am sure this is going to open a hornets nest, &nbsp;but if I do have to wear a belt (on holiday for instance). &nbsp;I always do my crotch strap up last so it is on top of the belt or clip the belt to a D ring on the waist band of my harness using a double ended bolt snap.

If it had to be released it is either a pinch clip and the weight belt buckle or unclip the bolt snap and the belt release. &nbsp;Neither of which is particularly time consuming.

Daz (Sorry but I don't like the thought of losing my weights )

[darthmoll]

I am sure this is going to open a hornets nest, but you should get someone to show you how to put your belt on in such a way that you would be confedent that it would not fall off. Of course at the end of the day if you want to clip your weight belt to yourself, its your choice.

[daz]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (darthmoll @ June 26 2003,14:59)]I am sure this is going to open a hornets nest, but you should get someone to show you how to put your belt on in such a way that you would be confedent that it would not fall off. Of course at the end of the day if you want to clip your weight belt to yourself, its your choice.

<font color='#000080'>Of course that would solve the problem of my inability to use a belt correctly .

But it would not solve the problem of the buckle getting caught when squeezing through a hole or heaven forbid a student or my buddy throwing a wobbly and grabbing the wrong bit and releasing it by accident. &nbsp;

Of course I could put 2 buckles on but is that any worse than having to release the pinch clip on my crotch strap.

It's all degrees of what we are comfortable with. &nbsp;Standard unmodified belt, positive release buckle, 2 buckles, pinch clip release etc....

I'll try not to let my short comings keep me awake at night. &nbsp;

Daz

[MATTBIN]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]But it would not solve the problem of the buckle getting caught when squeezing through a hole or heaven forbid a student or my buddy throwing a wobbly and grabbing the wrong bit and releasing it by accident. &nbsp;

Then hide it under your BCD, that'll stop the buggers.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Of course I could put 2 buckles on &nbsp;but is that any worse than having to release the pinch clip on my crotch strap

Three might be safer still, plus a brass lock and key.

Matt

[daz]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (MATTBIN @ June 26 2003,17:02)]

Then hide it under your BCD, that'll stop the buggers.

Three might be safer still, plus a brass lock and key.

Matt

<font color='#000080'>

Great idea Matt. &nbsp;I think I'll try that but I'll also release their belt if they come near me just incase. &nbsp;(Get them before they get me &nbsp; )

Daz,

NB. &nbsp;Brass lock indeed - gotta be stainless steel &nbsp;and the key should be left on the front tyre of the car

[GUV..]

I had a scare with a weight belt on my first drysuit dive (gear from LDS who was doing course) and now like to spread out my weight .but i still have a belt and it is by Poseidon and it has a metal buckle which sort of locks the webbing and then from another part you can quick release with one hand .It's real hard to discribe but it is the most stable one i have seen and worn .I must admit i am from the don't fancy dropping any weight brigade.

On a side note Daz did you just sell me an undersuit?

Regards,

MAL...

[Driftwood]

<font color='#0000FF'>

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]One incident, down with all harnesses.

Not so. Let's just say my thoughts have been slightly more focused recently on nagging doubts over harnesses.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]belts are crap, and dangerous crap to boot.

Well, if you remember you said....

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Weight harnesses are new to the market and aren't really a part of basic training yet.

so I guess the 30-odd years of diving by the likes of Cousteau et al using belts was dangerously flawed? Seems to me they have worked fine for quite some time, can't be THAT dangerous or they'd not be used by virtually every BSAC club......

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Belts, if you're lucky, just hang on your hips, and if you're unlucky, they migrate around or fall off.

Point 1) Shouldn't you be pying attention to what's where on you and if it's okay during a dive?
Point 2) Haven't you been trained to deal with the above?

Sounds like you are getting old, fat and lazy Dommie!  

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Grab toggle, pull.

Sounds easy huh? But underwater fights with velcro are not..... An djust to factor in another little anti-harness comment - velcro wears out (quicly if you get it mucky) and if that is the sole method of securing your weight pouches aren't you going to still face the weight-loss potential threat? I actually know more divers that have lost pouches than belts!

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]&quot;Weightbelt is one finger and half a second&quot; - IF, and ONLY IF, the weight belt is where you expect it to be - by NO means gauranteed.

See Point 1 above.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]by being well-equipped and not panicking.

Sorry, forgot all divers were hideously rich and on prozac.... That's the point thought, it's easy when your not panicking.

[Gavin Yates]

<font color='#000F22'>I think you've all got some valid points.

Number one cause of diver fatalities according to the HSE is loss of boyancy on the surface. Being able to ditch weight is useful to many divers.

Personally all my weight is part of my rig when diving twins and is not ditchable. My reasoning being that an unintentional loss of weight would cause me more harm than not being able to ditch. I have three sources of boyancy to get me to the surface in an emergency. (Suit, wing and blob(s))

When diving singles (not that often these days) I use a belt but as I only use about 6kgs it's not a problem.

When overseas I use 2kgs usually on a belt as I only have the BCD and blob(s) as a way to the surface.

In all cases with the belt it is underneath the harness of my wing so if it did become undone then it wouldn't go anywhere.

I'd say you either need to be able to ditch weight easily OR having mutiple and redundant forms of boyancy that you can use effectively - that means being able to fly the suit, use the wing effectively or come up just using a blob (well worth a practice btw in 15m of water sometime.)

Whatever you do - do it safely!

[Jetsam]

The Scenario:

You are down at 25m somebody else is there,maybe your buddy,maybe you have bumped into someone else,whatever its you and them.They look at you then start to flail around,then bolt for the surface,you start to follow,whats wrong? Then they go limp and their reg falls from their mouth,you're in a rescue situation.You get them to the surface air is dumping from their drysuit on the way up.On the surface you shout for help.....people react.....so far so good,now to establish positive bouyancy for the casualty,you try to put air into their BCD.....nothing, no air despite the gauge saying 60bar.Release their weights(if they are not permanently attached),you can't get them to drop......the casualtys head goes under....you try again but they seem to be held by a harness......the casualtys head goes under.....they are overweight and sink down,you dump all air and catch them at 7m and bring them back up......you can't ditch your weights incase they go down again as they are not positively bouyant,you could not follow.....the water is boiling around you as the dumps on your BCD/wing/drysuit protest at the amount of air you are having to add to keep them up,worse you are like Michelin man now with restricted movements......the casualtys head goes under again....you SCREAM for help......their head goes under.You try both hands to get that cats cradle nightmare harness off. This rescue is not going to plan,you're still stuck on the first paragraph...their head goes under. After what seems like an eternity( but more like 1-2 minutes) somebody arrives and keeps the casualtys head above water,you release,rip,claw and cut that b***ard harness off and it drops to the bottom.Now you start the tow to shore and begin rescue breaths,you are exhausted,somebody takes over CPR on land......in vain....their head went under too much.



If you are correctly weighted a weightbelt with good stainless steel buckle does the job,if it's under the cummerbund these are never so tight to prevent fingers getting to the buckle and the belt will just fall away.Do not have lots of spare webbing flapping around as well.

At least two of the fast ascent deaths last year still had there belts on,an SMB entanglement at 50m and a feet first ascent from 66m.You can still have a fast ascent without losing your weights.

Most victims are recovered dead from the bottom.

And while we are on statistics,we are the second most obese nation in the world( guess who's first!) recognise the problem before it gets out of hand and is difficult to change,then a good quality weightbelt will fit correctly....simple...nuff said.

[hideo]

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] (Jetsam @ June 27 2003,14:21)]they are overweight and sink down,you dump all air and catch them at 7m and bring them back up

why did you let them go?  if you were holding them firmly all the time then your buoyancy should hold you both up.  plus i believe most (all?) bcs have an oral inflate valve for just this reason.