crotch strap for weight belt?

[TriggerFish]

I am diving a 2 piece 6.5mm suit and I have been using a crotch strap on my marseilles weight belt for years. But, recently had the buckle break on the crotch strap, and dove without it. I immediately noticed a difference as the belt kept sliding off my hips and over my diaphram to my rib cage. I found this extremely annoying. As of this summer I have starting diving with omer's weight harness, ankle weights and drop weight with weight belt and have found this to be the best weighting system for my diving/hunting styles.

Does anyone elso use a crotch strap with their weight belt? Or, is that considered taboo? Or what other weighting systems are you using?

 

[Frank O'Donnell]

If I wear a weight belt around the small part of my waist, it will inevitably ride up. Then again, I also tend to get stiff in the lower back if I have a belt in this position.

I've had the best luck with pushing my Rob Allen Marseillaise-style rubber belt down over my hips so it's halfway to my rear. I then cinch it up tight so it won't slide when the wetsuit compresses at depth. It doesn't go anywhere, and my back is happy.

 

[Adrian]

Triggerfish,

I don't know if you've seen this thread:http://forums.deeperblue.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=39079

It's about weight belts sliding around. Some people actually prefer it to slide up to the armpits, changing the center of gravity. So whenever it happens to me now I don't let it bother me!

Adrian

 

[defofthecrown]

You've got to stop changing names or handles on me. I had no idea who you were. Anyway crank that weight belt as tight as it will go on your hips and it won't move w/ that shallow diving. I also think that ankle weights are indespensible w/ thick suits. I can't tell you how many times i've tried to wedge my buoyant legs into cracks on the breakwater while trying to stay still. I use one pound on each leg w/ my 7mil suit. Stops the fins from floating up nicley, and I don't see any other way around it.

Hey check out my post in hunting equip., the first photo is the attachment I tried to send in my last e-mail.

-Chris

 

[cjborgert]

worry ??? who, me????

I'm sure there are more comfortable options for weight placement than a tight rubber belt around the hips, but that is my solution too. What concerns me is the safety / comfort trade . . .how easily can you drop the weight harness if you really need to . . .or release the crotch strap . . . or the ankle weights?

 

[icarus pacific]

both start with C, chafe and smell

Chris and crotch straps, eh? :t

I'm a very big fan of harnesses. My lower three verts are fused and the rest is glued together, so anything I can do to ease the back is fine by me. The really smooth thing about a harness is that you can thread ( I almost said mount, but Ted is out there too,) a larger portion of your weight up between your shoulder blades where it helps you tip over and head down. a harness requires none of the cranking the straps to get things to stay put and is a blessing for those that think that weights go on the hips. :hmm I used to have to go so tight that I lost bloodflow to my legs :crutch but now it's all good nice and high.

True, it does require you todo some practice getting the thing off, (uh oh) I mean ditching it, but once you develop the "pull the buckle and roll" routine, life is just sooo good.

I can think of zero reasons to have a pound of lead on each ankle- there's enough going on down there that's already tiring you out. You wanna strap on a drysuit, a couple of 120's, an 80 and some gear, then yeah, but not when you're just finning along.

 

[defofthecrown]

Ankle weights work great in Delaware b/c we dive parallel to a mile long breakwater w/ a ~3 knot current pretty much the norm. I don't kick much at all really. I drift dive the wall, kick down to 15-30' and lay on the bottom or fin slightly w/ the current if I don't hear any fish. The combination of the current from behind me and the extra neoprene on my legs w/ a thick suit makes it difficult to keep my legs down. I find w/ no weight they start to get lifted and I can't put them back down w/out propelling myself forward. A couple of pounds and I don't have this problem. This is better than the alternative of noisyly jamming my legs under rocks to keep them down. I also have 8-10lbs on the belt so if the need arises to drop I don't have to worry about the ankle weights.

Now if I had a long surface swim, or had to make deep dives it could be different. My legs don't get tired and it's just my favorite system for that kind of diving.

 

[icarus pacific]

Point taken. For that type of diving, I think I'd dig out the old Churchill Duck fins! Maybe even a small pair of Scubapro Jetfins as the weight and small size would be less sail for the water.
I have a real bias here as I don't even like wearing ankle weights with a drysuit and 600 feet of gas...

 

[PoseidonSv]

Agree

I had ankleweigts before but noticed all i had to do was move the weights from stumach to hids and the ankleweigts were not really needed at all.