weight?

[willloomy]

i would like to know what kind of weight i would need with a light weight wet suit (3mm)

 

[monkeyhatfork]

It depends what kind of diving, I was recently in kona for a clinic and for constant weight line dives most people were using around 4 lbs, this is very boyant near surface, but if your doing more shallow stuff and want to be neutral quicker you would add weight accordingly, it's best to have an assortment of small weights with a few extra's with you so you can adjust as needed, generally you want to get weights in 1-2lbs increments and avoid giant scuba weights

 

[Kaspermoth]

Amount of weight is difficult to calculate in advance, many factors influence that: body size/shape, lung capacity, wetsuit thickness and type, salinity of the water etc.

I have been using 7,3 kg (neutral at 18m) in the red sea (very saline), wearing a 5 mm suit. Last weekend I used 4,5 kg in a lake, and still being less bouyant!! (neutral at 12m)

One question:

where can you buy small lead weights, lets say, 0.5 - 1 lb ?

 

[monkeyhatfork]

not sure if they have .5 but I got my 1lb weights at Buy scuba gear, scuba diving and snorkeling equipment, and everything underwater from LeisurePro.com

 

[Erik]

6 lbs if you are regular body fat guy. You are new and will be shallow. Start there and fine tune as already stated above!
Cheers.

 

[willloomy]

i use 4 pounds of weight with out a suit i like to be neutrally buoyant i am 6 feet and 165 pounds the wet suit is a full body 3mm wetsuit

 

[Bill]

How deep are you diving and what depth are you neutral at? I have two 3mm suits (full with hood and booties). One will float 7# of lead at the surface and the other 9#. If you wear 11-13#, you will float the same (as no suit, with 4# and full lungs) on the surface. As you swim down the weight change will be double though. If you're neutral at 30 feet now, 7# should be very close with the suit.

 

[Hugh.]

If I want to be neutral at 10m I use 2 pounds. If spearfishing shallower I'll bump it up to 4-6 pounds. This is all while wearing a 3mm full hooded suit.
I'm 6 feet and 175 pounds.

 

[Vov]

willloowmy, I balance myself so that when I breath out slowly at the surface, I don't need to paddle to stay afloat...
The second measure is that I am neutral at 5 - 6 metres. It takes a bit of adjustment for various seas/densities... So you need to have some of the lead pieces easily removable. Another general rule says the deeper you dive, the less lead you put on your belt.
Good luck!