The correct weighting for scuba diving depends on various factors, including buoyancy, dive experience, equipment, and water type. A free Scuba Diving Weight Calculator can help you determine the ideal diving weight by analyzing your weight, dive experience, suit specifications, and water type. This calculator takes into account personal information such as body weight, height, and diving experience to provide the most accurate weight needed before diving.
For an initial buoyancy check, consider calculating 10% of your body weight, subtracting 4-6 pounds for tropical waters with a thin wetsuit, and adding 4-6 pounds for cold water with high exposure protection. For average dives of 80ft maxing at about 110, it is recommended to wear 4-6 lbs depending on the water type. In freshwater, most divers need 6-8% of their body weight in added weight, while in saltwater, 6-8% is needed.
Weighting is individual and depends on size, body fat, and bone density. For a standard diver wearing a standard total dive system and one tank, the general rule of thumb is to add 5-10% of your body weight. Lead weights are commonly used by scuba divers, snorkellers, spearfishers, and freedivers, and are sized to easily fit all standard 2 inch (50 mm) tanks. Aluminum tanks can be anywhere from 2 to 4lbs positively buoyant at the end of a dive.
In general, scuba divers should aim for a weight that allows them to float at eye level with the water surface when fully inflated. This weight can vary depending on the type of water and equipment used.
📹 How Much Weight Do You Need For Scuba Diving?
How Much Weight Do You Need For Scuba Diving? There is nothing like exploring the wonders of the ocean. However, you must …
📹 Correct Weighting | Master Series
Diving correctly weighed is absolutely paramount. Regrettably, a substantial percentage of divers, including instructors, not only …
My OW course instructor never discussed weight checks or the proper procedures for performing them. Instead, everyone was significantly overweighted, which created a lot of issues with both descending and ascending. One student was caught so off guard by her rapid descent that she suffered a barotrauma when she couldn’t equalize her ears and then in a panic, inflated her BCD and bolted to the surface, the instructor in vain pursuit to bring her back down. Day One of OW. She quit on the spot. I was originally strapped with 8 kg (no exposure suit, just rash guard and trunks). By the end of the course, I had argued my way down to 4 kg and still felt slightly overweighted. I really appreciate the clarity and detailed explanations in your articles and agree with others here that instructors should share your content with their students.
I don’t what you said and it dramatically proved my trim and buoyancy! I’m a new diver, and on my tests I had too much weight. I kept sinking and using lots of air, now I can stay horizontal and move up and down by using my breath. Thanks for the tips. I just need to practice breathing now, and other things, but one step closer to improving.
My new favorite dive website, extraordinary Good content from you guy’s! Thank you for sharing this with us One problem the most recreational divers like me have, is that you checking in at the dive center for some dives and nobody will ever do a proper weight check with you. They just say “aahh you need XY kg you will be fine with that”
Excellent articles, I love that there is no fluff, content is rich and concise. I’ve watched the trim article as well as this correct weighting article. I have a question about the distribution of weight, in respect to having to jettison weight in an emergency, or is your approach to achieve correct weight instead?
Fantastic vedio as usual, I still have question though, it is the air weight in the beginning of the dive, if I have to be on eye level in the beginning of the dive then I need to add the extra weight of the air to reach a control ascend in the end of the dive with 50bar. Now if I add that weight from the beginning then I loss the ability to stay afloat eye level with 80% lung capacity. I dive with 15l steel tank and that is around 3kg of air. Any thoughts on that? Love what you are doing and I wish you can talk about weight position and trim soon.
Thanks for these amazing lesson. As I am starting diving. Can we make this weight checks in the pool? 2.5m deep. Also, can we hold the breath for 1 or 2 seconds to level up the buoyancy? As well as exale for level down? Note: I understand that holding breath is not recommended in any case. Thanks in advance
Your weight check at the end of the dive at 50 bars makes sense and is what is generally recommended. But it seems to me that if one day you finish your dive at 30 bars (that can happen), then you will have problem to stay neutral at your 3 m stop. Maybe it could be a better idea to make your check at 30 bars (less would be too much on the side of insecurity). You would then carry between 300 and 400 g more depending of the tank size. Is that enough to make you sink at the beginning of the dive with 80 % full lung ? It could be, then in this case to keep in mind the security aspect you were advocating in your article, we can remember it would be nice to have at least 1 kg ditchable. Your thoughts ?
Hello again, thank you for the latest article that brought me back to this one. I was thinking and testing the theory for the last 5 months now regarding the proper weight. I found that if I will be in the eye level in the beginning of the dive, I will be positive in the end of the dive (air weight in the cylinder of course). Now if I add the air weight in the beginning of the dive with everything is equal, I can’t hold eye level with 80% lung capacity. How you solve this since you will want to be naturally buoyant in the end of the dive. In simple math. I am at eye level with 10 kg lead with air around 2.7 kg. If I add 2.7 kg in the beginning. I dive with 13kg lead and sink more then slow but not fast. What is your recommendations? Best Regards
What undersuit does the drysuit diver use? What was the water temperature? I did some 40-45m dives in the Mediterranean a couple of weeks ago and felt I could’ve used less exposure protection than my 100gsm thinsulate. Related question: I guess for a drysuit diver you need to have the same amount of gas in the drysuit as what you can normally obtain at the end of the dive just by raising the shoulder. No point in doing a weight check with a fully empty and squeezed drysuit (as would happen when you first jump in the water).
Re-read your open water dive book about weighting. Practise in a pool. Wear exact same gear for next 3- 5 dives. Set a dive strictly on weighting. Use less weight and add as necessary. Good to practise at 5 or 6 foot depth. I don’t really understand the frustration as your Instructor should have helped in the initial course. Log it somewhere for reference!! ( Note your bodyweight too, if lost or gained (body) weight. for future dives )