Dangerous Gear: Weightbelts??

[Doc]

Thought it might be fun to start a thread on gear choices and potentially dangerous setups...

The recent incident got me thinking...
I have yet to see a quick release weight belt help anyone; yet I have seen them ruin many days of diving. It is taught by the agencies that this is a safety device for rapid ascent in an emergency; but it seems weight belts cause more emergencies than they solve.

I have seen them slip off when divers jump in the water making it impossible to dive.

I have seen them slip off at depth, especially down deep when the wet/dry suit gets compressed and then loosen, shooting divers to the surface.

I have seen (and done myself more than once) the "pass up all your gear but the weightbelt" trick so you sink and almost drown; Im too stubborn to drop a good weight belt and one time I almost got pulled down for good.

All this doesnt even take into account the inconvenience of leaving it home or jumping off the boat without it.

I stopped using weighbelts long ago on my own gear; stashing all my weight in the BC, and now only use them on borrowed gear or rentals...Ive never been in a situation that I wanted to drop weight, although I do have the option with my current BC, and never had any of the above problems on my own gear.

Anybody else feel this way?

[IyaDiver]

MY BCD does no have integrated weight belt pocket but I put the weights there anyway. Used to loose one of the weight when I dive head down but now I tied them to a string.

I have seen people almost shooting up to the surface due to the weight belt coming loose on a dive, it is scarry.

However, if a weight belt in only 4#, it does not pose a danger like a weight belt of 8# or more. I need only 4# to allow me a safe hoovering at 10 feet at 500psi. I also stopped using neoprene suit because of the extra 4# weight I need to sink it. My first neoprene suit was only 2mm thick, those with 5mm will need at least 6# if not 8#. Since my water in considered warm, a 3mm Polartec is good enough all the way to 24* Celcius.

My core hunting group have all stopped wearing neoprene suit for this reason. Neoprene shrinks at depth and the extra weight you carry specifically for it need to be compensated by the BCD inflation usually past 60 feet, not only it waste air but it can not offer a good neutral buoancy at various depth.

Deep diving freedivers have good advantage using neoprene, they can set it up to be a little bouyant at 30 feet for that possible shallow water black out. Once they pass 45 feet, they are neutral. Once they hit 60, they can glide down effortlessly to a 100 feet because they are already sinking, not much kicking required.

If your water temperature allows you NOT to wear something so warm like 5mm neoprene with inherent characteristic of variable buoyancy at depth, one safer bet will be 100% neutral buoyancy Polartec wet suit. We find weight belt loss as dangerous, the only way to reduce that is to have the weight belt set as light as possible by wearing a wet suit which requires no weight for it. If the person is huge and highly buoyant and require at least 8-10# for his/her body alone, that is tough condition.

I don't have experience with steel tanks, they are supposedly minus underwater. My 4# weight is actually to compensate for the empty 80 aluminum at 10 feet 500 psi. My body only needs 2#.

Also my gun is at least -2# with the shaft in place, that is already extra weight I am carrying.


IYA

[Reaperspear]

Weight belts can be a problem, all the divers I have talked to that have had to make a emergency ascent have done so with thier weight belt and in many cases with guns and stringers in hand. It is not a practiced skill due to the inherit dangers of becoming bouyant at depth. I personally had great difficulties with the belts wanting to fall off at the most inoppurtune times. I had the privilege of kissing a platform on a boat I was diving off when my belt slipped on exit, reaction reach and grab the belt. Result face plant on boat platform.

[Nikki]

Before I went all integrated - weight in BC - I'd have weight belts with the plastic handles that would slip off at depth or at entry. BIG problem on deep wall dives - suddenly, each hand has a side and have to figure out how to put belt back on blind as BC obstructs view of belt at waist - at least my waist! - very scary at 90'. The metal buckles work better - never slipped, but have to agree that the integrated is the way to go and that weight belts can cause problems...