Anyone ever use ankle weights?

[Bug Catcher]

Hey guys. Been reading here for a while but, first post: I just got a 5mm suit, and can't really afford proper weights to keep me neutral (right now I can swim straight down at a moderate pace without going anywhere.. great practice haha). I have a belt and a couple pounds, but need a total of about 15 (~7 kg) which gets expensive fast for solid weights. So I was walking through a certain megastore and came across 20 lbs of regular ankle weights for $25.

Has anyone ever used these or something similar? Any reasons why I should or shouldn't try them out? I'd be fixing them to my belt somehow, not actually using them on my ankles of course.

Thanks!

 

[Pinniped72]

Use what you've got, when I started I had a scuba weight harness and filled it with 1kg dumbbell weights, it was ok just tucked the shoulder webbing into the belt and used it as a normal weight belt. Use a pair on your ankles as well, sharing the weight can be sharing the love! I find that ankle weights on my ankles are good to keep me trim to the sea floor, also if you think about it when you duck dive your feet will be the last thing in, so the weight on your ankles is going to help you down. As long as it cant get tangled easily what's the issue, I currently use an inner tube weight belt that I made, a weight backpack that I made, again out of inner tubes and ankle weights............. that I bought! I dive with 8Kg, 2 on my ankles, 4 on my belt and 2 on my back. It sounds like I am cheap, well I am but I find the gear I use suits me the best, were all different, work out what's best for you, as long as its safe its all good!

 

[Mr. X]

Do they contain lead? If they contain bags of lead BBs you might be able to use them in a spearo weight-vest* (or SCUBA pocket belt) later but you should carry most of your weight on a quick release belt. Lead can always be melted down & re-used (e.g. moulded into lead weights - using the "Alton"-mould perhaps).

Failing that, I fear they might be a false economy. Personally I'd be inclined to shop around for a better price on proper dive weights (they don't have to be new or anything fancy) - and perhaps buy less than I need to start with if necessary. It'll likely be cheaper, simpler & ultimately lead to a better end result. You might even find you don't need as much weight as you think*.

BTW *Last year I took two v. large (4-5lb-ish) weights off my belt & I now carry the equivalent in lead BBs in bags in a spearo weight vest. The remaining 12lb or so remains as solid weights on my weight belt...perhaps you have this much on your belt already?

If you are diving under-weighted there is a technique in Len Jones book which might help: it involves using a hand-held weight of some kind which is tied in part way down the diver's float line. The diver holds the weight (to supplement the weight they carry) when diving from the surface but release it part way down (where it is held by the float-line), once they no longer need it (your buoyancy decreases as you descend). This technique also has the advantage that the diver does not need to carry the hand-weight on their ascent, provided they have placed it at an appropriate distance on the float-line. The hand-weight is retrieved using the float-line by the diver at their leisure once they have surfaced & recovered. I dare say that would take some careful experimentation & practice - and I would hesitate to recommend it to a beginner. Caveat emptor - buyer beware!

*BTW loosing weight/fat reduces your buoyancy & therefore your need for weights. For example this allowed me to take a couple of pounds of lead off my belt last year. With a 5mm suit, we once estimated that you likely need about 1lb of lead per 10lb (+/-1lb) of body weight, when diving in the sea (saltwater). Again: your mileage may vary...

 

[J Campbell]

I bought a divers ankle weight and modified it so it is now my neck weight.

 

[Bug Catcher]

Thanks guys! Reckon I'll grab them next time I'm in town. The weights are packed with steel. Seem to be a pretty good budget system, especially if you already have some around or come across them cheap. The least expensive dive weights I could find were bags without belt attachments, and they were more expensive still.

 

[REVAN]

Take a magnet and check it before you buy it. My bet is that it contains steel pellets. That's what's in most exercise weights. Lead is expensive and, because of that, is usually only used in diving weights where the properties of lead are a necessity.

Of course if it is steel, you will be wasting your money. They will turn into a rusted mess very quickly and you'll have to discard them.

 

[cdavis]

check your local dive stores to see if they keep lead pellets from scuba diving weights that get holes in them(common problem) If they do, you can probably buy some for cheap. Make your own neck weight out of these(I do). Ankle and belt weights in similar fashion.

 

[Jesse Simmons]

check local store you will probably get a cheaper one...

 

[Valerie]

I have used ankle weights, but they were only one lb. each. During certification, I discovered that for some reason, it is difficult for me to stay neutrally buoyant while wearing a wet suit, and my dive instructor told me to get ankle weights, to supplement the regular weight belt.