Weight harness and BCD

[Horndog]

I wonder if anyone can give me a bit if advice,

I am diving with a Buddy Explorer, a trilaminate dry suit and a standard weight belt with 2x4kg and 2x1kg solid blocks. When I did my first divesin the sea at St abbs, on my accent and 5m stop my belt sliped down my body and nearly ended up coming off completely which I found a little nerve wracking. (never had this problem with 2x4kg at inland water sites - which were not as deep)

So I was wondering about a weight harness under my BCD. Will this cover up the quick release to dump the weights or can they be arranged to be slightly lower than the BC?

If i cant use a Harness are the shot belts any better? or does anyone have a better suggestion for weighting.

Thanks
Marc

[Finless]

I sympathize, I have had similar problems all my diving life, in my case I've no hips to hold the belt. How I envy those women with their lovely curvaceous .....

If you are able to tighten up your weightbelt again once the water pressure has put on some squeeze you might find you are OK.

TBH, in my case, the weight belt or harness has always been partially obscured under my BCD/wing but I was always able to get at the weight release pulls.

I'd recommend borrowing a harness and trying it out. I've used one and I think they are great but, even better, IMO are integrated weights. Of course integrated weights can cause a problem if you need to get out of you kit to resolve an entanglement because all the weight is on your kit with none on you.

[ianfirmin]

Strap a couple of 2kg weights to your tank and retighten your weight belt when you have a bit of depth. I had the same problem due to lack of a waist and tried a harness but didn't like the extra webbing all over the place.

Don't worry about the tank weights being non-ditchable. You shouldn't need to ditch all your weight to remain suitably buoyant.

Can you fit weight pockets to you rig? These seem more secure than a belt.

[endoman]

I use a Bowstone harness with a BC. No problem getting to the releases if you want to, very comfy and highly recommended. Buddy has an Oceanic pouch belt type thing which he is also pleased with. Both of us are should we say well equiped in the waist dept so a normal belt wasn't even considered.

[Snash]

Originally Posted by endoman

I use a Bowstone harness with a BC.

wot he said. I use mine with an old buddy commando with no probs - the pull emergency rip cord thingy is visible.

incredibly comfortable - and very good for those with bad backs.

Simon

[jim oldham]

After one dive with a weight belt, I ditched it a bought a harness. Had to faff about to get the positioning correct, so that I could dump the weight if needed, but it has stayed that way after six years, and is very comfortable. I even take it abroad. (sans weights of course), to wet suit dive. Bowstone's come highly recommended, but mine is the much derided ND version.
Cheers,
Jim.

[endoman]

As a slight diversion from this, has anyone here ever had to ditch their weights? I can't remember reading of an occsaion when it's been done.

[Finless]

Originally Posted by endoman

As a slight diversion from this, has anyone here ever had to ditch their weights? I can't remember reading of an occsaion when it's been done.

Not personally but I have read of fatalaties after surfacing and people NOT ditching weights in response to a situation.

Personally I am more worried about them coming off accidentally - have once caught a belt on my legs (in crack cave on Gozo) and once had a pouch fall out of my integrated weights.

I did a poll on the subject and thanks to the combination of the ingorers and the can't be bothered there wasn't exactly enough of a response to make any assumptions.

The great weightbelt poll.

[Richard Mason]

Originally Posted by Horndog

I wonder if anyone can give me a bit if advice,

I am diving with a Buddy Explorer, a trilaminate dry suit and a standard weight belt with 2x4kg and 2x1kg solid blocks. When I did my first divesin the sea at St abbs, on my accent and 5m stop my belt sliped down my body and nearly ended up coming off completely which I found a little nerve wracking. (never had this problem with 2x4kg at inland water sites - which were not as deep)

So I was wondering about a weight harness under my BCD. Will this cover up the quick release to dump the weights or can they be arranged to be slightly lower than the BC?

If i cant use a Harness are the shot belts any better? or does anyone have a better suggestion for weighting.

Thanks
Marc

Harness is the best thing I ever bought. (apart from the wife of course)

Here's a thread I prepared earlier.

You won't go wrong with it, the one I use is very well "webbed",. so it's extremely comfortable across the shoulders when standing and across the small of the back when horizontal. You adjust the height iof the pockets by tightening or lengthening the shoulder strtaps, same as with your bcd.

I've found lead sheeting to be better than ingot weights though, see instructions in referenced post for cutting the stuff.



Ralf Tech - Pro Diving Equipment

[yazzyfooty]

Originally Posted by endoman

I use a Bowstone harness with a BC. No problem getting to the releases if you want to, very comfy and highly recommended. Buddy has an Oceanic pouch belt type thing which he is also pleased with. Both of us are should we say well equiped in the waist dept so a normal belt wasn't even considered.

I used the same before I went onto a wing and still use my Bowstone Harness on a single. Hopefully once on twins things might change.