Weight issue

[pisces1]

They say no question is a stupid question..so here goes.

I took up spearing about 2 months ago(my budget is a bit tight) but i have managed to get a decent gun,goggles,snorkel etc....i still dive with the short fins,being in a hury to get a wet suit i bought a cheapie on e-bay..so in my pool i was,3kg on my weight belt i sunk like a rock,this was great,my first dive in the sea was good,3 kg again i could lie on the bottom..of course the suit i was wearing filled with water..

Ok..i have surfed so many spearo web sites,and read so much info on weight(and watched so many clips on u-tube) but this all came to and end when i bought my self a new suit 2 days ago(Omer 3mm 2 piece mimetec)..camo..ha ha..
Now my problem,to get neuteral bouyancy,they say dive to 3/6 meters,and by adjusting the weight you will get it right..some say 10% of your body weight(mine is 57 kg) but this new suit of mine is just so bouyent..4 and a half kg of weight and i`m struggling to go down 2 meters,do i need more weight ?,what am i doing wrong ?

The spearos i see in diving vids seem to have less weight and they can lie on the bottom with out floating back up of holding onto anything..
Advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Killa]

1st - new suits are more buoyant than old suits
2nd - if your old suit was a one part 3mm and your new is 2 part 3 mm it's much more neoprene that you are wearing --> more buoyancy
3rd - the deeper you dive, the less wheights you need (at depths your bouyancy is lower)
4th - (in connection with 3.) you need to adjust your wheights to the depth you intend to dive - this means, you can't/shouldn't dive with the same wheights to 100ft or to 10ft - especially when spearfishing
5th - these spearos you see on videos on the internet go deep - ergo - low wheights

Now that we have some things cleared up, we can go on
For example I use a 2 piece 5mm suit, and with 8kg I'm still poistively bouyant @15ft. You should set your bouyancy to neutral @ the HALF depth of your intended dive depths. So if you're diving to 30ft, then neutral @15ft.

And one important rule - always put your fins on first, then wheights

 

[pisces1]

Thanks for the help

Being new and all,i`m`still a little cautious in the water(also i dive alone)so i mainly stick to the reefs,i like to get some experience in shallower water..so diving to about 10 ft is comfortable at the moment..my old suit was a one piece 3mm.
At least i now know where to start,you have helped me a great deal here,i will be back in the water this Sunday again and will post back and let you know if i get it right this time..

One more question,why fins first then weights ?

 

[Killa]

well if you dive from a boat, you could have a hard time swiming with wheights on and fins off

if you start from the shore (and not jump but can walk to deep water) then you can put the wheights on on the shore

Usually when I hunt in 10feet deep water I use like 10+ kg weights (distributed on belt, back and legs) so I can lay on the ground in shallow water too

 

[pisces1]

Ok that makes sense(the fins bit)..

I see the back weights here in Cyprus,but they are abit pricey,as for leg weights..well i tell you(i need to get myself a small knife)cause the one i have strapped to my leg makes me look like crocodile dundee..ha ha..more like a panga,i`m sure it weighs about half a kilo..
Never mind it`s a shark thing.....

 

[Unclejake]

Pisces1,

Sorry that this is such a late reply, but could I suggest that you forget entirely about the numbers you have read about elsewhere, and that you weight yourself to be neutral in about 2/3rds of the depth you expect to dive in.

If your deep dives are 15 feet then try to be neutral at something like 10 feet.

Killa's experience of 10kgs is pretty much exactly what I use too, but you and your body could be a bit different (for a start you are 35kgs lighter than me)

 

[pufferhal]

Hi!

The first 10 meters is the most difficult to put a correct weight!
on the surface the pressure is 1bar
at 10m it is 2bar the dubble
So to stuck easy to the bottom you will be a little bit overweight.
Be carefull to take the same big breath,relaxd.
When you full exhale the top of your head is still out for me always good in shallow.
Also you can play with the weight of your bouy(float)put on the belt,leave on the bottom and dive without!!
It doesn't metter howold is your wetsuit i was diving in a ten year old 5mm full with holes,and with these tricks i had good boyance.

And of course never alone even in shallow water!!

I hope you get some help!

Enjoy!

 

[Mr. X]

I now look on big fins as a safety device, rather than a luxury. Reassuring in rip tides andstrong currents and when you need to come up off the bottom when you are negatively buoyant. They might prove useful/vital if you need to help rescue a diving buddy too, heaven forbid.

I would suggest that when adding weight, start low and add it gradually over several dives as you get a feel for what you need and what feels safe to you. i.e. Be careful.