A Better Way to
Check Proper Weighting

Ultimately, the best way to determine whether a diver is properly weighted is at the end of the dive, during his or her safety stop, with 500-1,000 psi remaining. This is the shallowest a diver is likely to be spending any significant amount of time and, thus, the point during the dive at which the greatest amount of weight will be required to offset a wetsuit’s natural buoyancy. It is also the point at which a diver’s tank will be most buoyant. Thus, a diver will tend to need more weight to maintain neutral buoyancy during his or her safety stop than at any other point.

If properly weighted, a diver should be able to hover at safety-stop depth with no air in his or her BC. If the diver needs to add air to his or her BC at this point to maintain neutral buoyancy, it suggests that he or she needs to remove weight; conversely, if the diver is fighting to stay down at this point, he or she needs to add weight.

This end-of-dive weight check tends to provide a more accurate indication of a diver’s weight requirements than any sort of check done at the beginning of a dive. This is not to say that pre-dive checks aren’t a good starting point; just that, ultimately, an end-of-dive check provides the best confirmation that a diver is, indeed, wearing the right amount of weight. As an added benefit, the end-of-dive check works regardless of the type of exposure suit being worn or cylinder being used.

As the handout summarizes, you can’t build a lasting structure without a solid foundation. When it comes to buoyancy control, that foundation is proper weighting.

«More articles

::: TOP ::: SUBSCRIBE ::: CONTACT US ::: ABOUT US :::