Are you diving with an excessive amount of weight? Many divers are.
Perhaps your physique mass has modified, or perhaps you most continuously dive in chilly water and don’t cut back your weight sufficient once you change to heat water. However the commonest purpose is: you’ve all the time used an excessive amount of weight.
Once I was a newbie diver, divemasters would all the time have a look at me humorous after I requested for eight kilograms (18 lbs) of weight whereas carrying a three-millimeter wetsuit (I weigh about 52kg/115 lbs.). “That is how a lot weight I all the time use,” I’d say with a shrug.
I felt assured asking for that a lot weight, as a result of that’s how a lot weight I utilized in my PADI Open Water Diver class. When the teacher had us do a buoyancy test on the floor, there I used to be, floating at eye degree like a champ. Once I exhaled, I descended. Ergo, I used to be completely weighted.
I didn’t notice I used to be unconsciously holding my breath (just a bit) all through the dive. I didn’t do it on objective. As each licensed diver is aware of, the primary rule of scuba diving is to breathe repeatedly and by no means maintain your breath. However my anxiousness round scuba diving stored me from totally enjoyable.
Because of this, I carried three-and-a-half kilograms (eight kilos) extra weight than I wanted. That quantity of weight is equal to about 4 liters (one gallon) of water.
Think about carrying 4 liters (one gallon) of one thing round for 30 to 60 minutes. Except you’re extraordinarily match, you’ll be respiratory heavy earlier than lengthy — which leads me to the primary drawback of diving overweighted.
#1 You Burn up the Air in Your Tank Quicker
As described above, the additional kilograms/kilos you’re carrying pressure your physique to work tougher than mandatory. Additional exertion requires extra oxygen, so that you breathe heavier and drain your tank (cylinder) quicker.
If you wish to spend extra time underwater, ask your PADI Teacher a couple of Peak Efficiency Buoyancy course. It’s an effective way to drop a number of kilograms/kilos and one of many best methods to enhance your air consumption whereas scuba diving.
#2 An Overweighted Diver Is a “Catastrophe Diver”
Divers who put on an excessive amount of weight usually plunge straight to the underside. I’ve seen overweighted divers crash onto the reef and drop onto divers who entered the water a number of moments earlier than.
All through the dive, divers carrying an excessive amount of weight usually have buoyancy issues. They swim alongside, not realizing they’ve descended – till they kick one thing. By then, the harm is already executed.
Once I was a brand new diver, I knew my buoyancy wasn’t superb, so I stayed about 4 meters (15 toes) above the reef. Divemasters would sign me to take a look at issues, however I’d wave them off as a result of I knew I’d wrestle to carry my place within the water. Wish to see a seahorse? No, thanks. Harlequin shrimp? Not . I’m kidding, after all. I wished to see these issues greater than something.
#3 Additional Weight = Elevated Threat
Along with being a hazard to marine life and different divers, individuals who put on an excessive amount of weight put themselves in danger. Divers Alert Community (DAN) tracks diving incidents from around the globe. Almost 90% are attributable to diver error.
As talked about above, carrying an excessive amount of weight means your physique has to work tougher. For those who’re not as match as you was, kicking right into a present can flip a difficult swim right into a medical emergency.
If you’re diving with an excessive amount of weight, an gear failure, reminiscent of a BCD that fails to inflate or a dropped weight pocket can grow to be hazardous in a rush. I just lately had a weight pocket fall out throughout a dive, however I used to be capable of ascend slowly and safely. If the identical factor had occurred after I was diving overweighted, I might have ended up with Decompression Illness (DCS) or one other diving harm attributable to a speedy ascent.
Are You Diving With Too A lot Weight?
Listed below are a number of indicators chances are you’ll be diving with an excessive amount of weight.
- In the beginning of the dive, you descend quicker than everybody else.
- Scuba diving makes you’re feeling exhausted .
- You add/dump air to your BCD continuously all through the dive (a dozen instances or extra).
Frequent buoyancy changes are a pink flag that you simply’re diving overweighted. If you dive with an excessive amount of weight, it’s important to put extra air in your BCD, about one pint per half kilo/pound. Extra air in your BCD means better buoyancy fluctuations all through the dive as a result of the air expands and contracts as you ascend and descend.
Easy methods to Know If You’re Correctly Weighted
The quantity of weight you want for scuba diving is considerably private. Two individuals who weigh the identical might have totally different quantities of weight relying on their:
- Physique Composition – Individuals with the next proportion of physique fats want extra weight.
- Publicity Safety – Thick wetsuits and dry fits require extra weight than a shorty.
- Tank (Cylinder) – Metal tanks (formally referred to as cylinders) are usually negatively buoyant all through the dive; aluminum tanks can begin destructive and grow to be optimistic.
Scuba Diving Weight Calculator
Each DAN and Scuba Diving journal have useful articles about how a lot weight divers want with totally different scuba configurations. For those who’re diving with the commonest scuba cylinder (an 11-liter aluminum 80) in saltwater, right here’s a fast strategy to estimate how a lot weight to make use of.
Begin with:
- 10% of your physique weight if carrying a full wetsuit (5-7mm).
- For a 3mm wetsuit, chances are you’ll solely want 5%
- For those who’re carrying a dry swimsuit, chances are you’ll want 15% (or extra)
Subsequent, add two kilograms (4 to 5 kilos) to offset the buoyancy of the tank on the finish of the dive.
Then, do a buoyancy test.
On the floor, you must float at eye degree whereas holding a full breath. If you exhale, you must descend slowly – not drop to the underside like a rock.
To test your buoyancy on the finish of a dive, hand off weights to your buddy and see should you can nonetheless descend once you exhale. Watch out to not go deeper than six meters (20 toes).
Take pleasure in Longer, Safer Dives
If you wish to get pleasure from longer, extra relaxed dives, the Peak Efficiency Buoyancy course is effectively price it. You’ll be able to full the course in only one or two days. Most divers are pleasantly shocked by how a lot their diving abilities and confidence enhance in a brief time period.
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