[laminar]

The only problem with performing either of these steps is the assumption that you will be clear headed enough to actually do them when it is needed. If you are scared and already on your way up and thinking that you might not make it, you probably wouldn't want to remove your mask. Maybe you'd think about the weightbelt, but only if you practice undoing the buckle on a regular basis as practice. If you never do it, you certainly can't rely on doing it when things get hairy. I much prefer practicing making safe and conservative recreational dives.

I really feel (from my experience as a safety freediver) that on a really close dive, especially on a line, most people are too "out of it" to think about releasing their weight belt, let alone undo the buckle and then hold on to it, which takes some effort, depending on the weight belt and amount of weight. Also, if you have a weight belt with a belt buckle enclosure, it will be more difficult to do this quickly.

The only time I would really plan on doing such a thing is if I had to rescue a buddy from the bottom and knew that I would need all the buoyancy to help us both reach the surface.

If anyone decides to use weight belt release as a safety measure, then I would suggest releasing the belt buckle on every deep dive to make it automatic, otherwise the odds on not doing it are against you.

Pete