Weights and Weightbelts

Plenty has been said regarding the number of weights you require on the Weightbelt…You should have 1kg for every 10kg of weight…THIS IS NONSENSE.

The average person is neutrally buoyant in a costume in a swimming pool. We need to add weights when we dive because we have put on a wetsuit…this is ultimately the same as wrapping yourself in bubble wrap and trying to swim! The wetsuit is what makes us incredibly buoyant. The number of weights required on the weight belt is the number of weights it takes to sink your own personal wetsuit – thats it.

Of course a larger person, will have a larger wetsuit and so will require more weights to pull the wetsuit down – however this is NOT determined by how much the person weighs.

The biggest issue with diving today is that the average diver is diving with FAR TOO MANY WEIGHTS! This leads to countless more issues on the dive itself.

1) You have too many weights, so once you get passed 5m and the wetsuit compresses – you start to sink like a stone. Now you need to add more air to the BC in order to achieve Neutral Buoyancy.

2) By adding more air to the BC, you have just increased your “drag” factor in the water. It now means you have to work much harder and extend more energy to move in the water.

3) Because you are using more energy trying to move in the water – You USE MORE AIR.

4) The worst possible solution now becomes…”Let’s give you a Bigger Cylinder too last longer”

You’ve now added the additional weight of a larger cylinder and increased your Drag and the vicious cycle continues…