Are You Properly Weighted?

Posted on Jun, 2010 in Home/How To.../Are You Properly Weighted?

Diving is, at heart, about control. When you control your movement, air, and level of confidence, you enjoy a great dive and a unique experience. A big part of controlling your dive experience comes down to controlling your weight and buoyancy. When you are properly weighted, you will glide through the water naturally, like a marine creature. You will use the proper amount of air, allowing you to enjoy your dive easily and safely.

Buoyancy control is something that all new divers must learn. At first, of course, it may be a challenge. We don’t usually need to consider buoyancy when walking, driving a car, or doing any one of our regular activities. However, you probably instinctively know the importance of weight. Have you ever tried to go for a jog or a hike with a huge, heavy backpack? How did that go? Chances are, you sweated, gasped for air, got tired out sooner. It works the same way in the water – only you can’t just take another big gulp of air if you run out. When diving, weight isn’t just an issue of comfort; it’s all about safety.

A diver who is not properly weighted may have a hard time plowing through the water. If a diver is carrying too much weight, he or she may move slowly and more laboriously through the water, using up more air and decreasing dive time. He or she may also have to over-inflate the buoyancy compensator, pushing the torso up, and as depth changes, this excess air may need to be dumped. This causes an endless cycle, where the diver is constantly adjusting air in the buoyancy compensator to compensate for excess weight. You probably don’t want to dive to fiddle with a buoyancy compensator. Let’s face it: you want to dive to see the sights and enjoy yourself, and this is much harder to do if you are not properly weighted.

To avoid endless frustrations and adjustments, divers should do a weighting test. Yes, it takes a little extra time, but what time you lose will ensure that you get the maximum amount of time and enjoyment underwater, which is probably what you are after, anyway. The good news is that you do not need to do a weight test before every dive. You will want to do one during open-water training to get a general sense of your current weight needs. After that, you will need to perform the test again if your weight changes, if you choose different scuba gear (such as a different mask, accessories, regulator, fins, cylinder, hood, boots, and other diving equipment). You will also want to do different weighting tests for salt water and freshwater diving, since your weight needs will be different in the two environments.

properly weight 300x300 Are You Properly Weighted?

For your weighting test, it is best to use a cylinder with less than 1000 psi. This will prevent you from being underweighted at the end of the diving weighting test and will ensure accurate results. Testing with different cylinders will affect your results, so always using a tank with 1000 psi or less will give you more accurate results across the board. To do the weighting test, wear standard scuba gear and choose a site that is deep enough so that your fins do not touch the surface. Once you are ready to start the test:

  1. Enter the water and stand clear of any obstacles.
  2. Keep your regulator in your mouth and take a deep breath while releasing air from the buoyancy compensator.
  3. Relax your arms at your sides, let your legs dangle, and remain still while you bob. You should quickly stabilize and float at a specific depth. Make sure that you hold your breath until you stop moving and begin to float at a constant depth. For the weighting test to be accurate, you also have to remain relaxed and motionless.
  4. Note your position in the water. If you are correctly weighted, the water will be at the level of your eyes. The lower half of your mask window will be submerged and the top portion will be above water.
  5. If your head is too exposed in the water, you need more weight. If you are submerged too far during the weight test, you need to get rid of some lead. Emerge from the water, adjust the weight as necessary, and try the test again. Keep adjusting until you have the proper weight.
  6. Once you have achieved the proper weight, exhale completely and allow yourself to sink below the surface of the water. Once you have submerged a few feet, inhale, and start breathing naturally. Then, resurface and replace your nearly-empty or empty tank before continuing to dive. While replacing your tank, note the details of your weighting test on paper so that you will know your correct weight needs. Writing down the results and the conditions of each weighting test (such as your current weight, the diving equipment used, and the type of water) can cut down on the number of weighting tests you need.

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Tags: dive plan, diving planning, scuba diving training, weight, weighting test

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