Buoyancy Control Freediving

[Hunt4PinkOctobr]

Can someone with experience free diving with a wetsuit help me with a question.

If I'm 6'2", 200#, very fit and I'm diving to 30' in a 3mm farmer john, what weight should I plan on using?

How about 5'5" 175#, a little pudgy, 1/2mm full suit same depths?

Let's assume gun weight is neutral, and no gear (besides the basics) is being used.

I'm headed on a trip to a remote area and don't want to be light or tote a bunch of extra weight. All of the freediving I've ever done was in warm enough water that weights weren't required.

I'd appreciate some input.

[Ed Walker]

I weigh 170 and am 5'10. In my full suit, a 5 ml 2 piece, I usually need about 8 pounds. Not sure if that helps you out or not but there its.

[Steel Shootin']

Good subject. I am about to start doing my first freediving too.

As a beginner to FD, what is the goal with weighting. I assume it is much like SCUBA: use as little as possible. In freediving, if you're not wearing a wetsuit at all, do you even need weights? I guess that could come down to body fat, etc. I would think being overweighted is potentially a much bigger problem in freediving then SCUBA.

[Ed Walker]

Im no pro freediver but according to what I have read, from a safety standpoint you want to be positively bouyant within a certain distance of the surface as this is usually where SWB occurs and as long as you are floating somebody could possibly pull you in and resussitate you. A little experimentation will show you the ideal weight that you are neutral/negative near the bottom and positive up top.

[mushkee]

you should be postive buoyant at 15 ft fsw...but i prefer to be negatively buoyant b/c i dont like to kick my way down and rather sink and take the beating going up...currently im using 11 or 12 lbs with a 3mm 2 piece suit and im still a lil buoyant...btw i am 5'11 and 160lb

[deepdown]

I'm 6'2" and weigh in at 175#, diving with a full 3 mm suit I use 10# of lead. This makes me neutral on the surface, and neutral-negative below 15-20ft. When I dive shallow(less than 20') I like to use a bit more weight(12-13#) to stay down better and conserve energy and oxygen. Best bet is to get out and try out several configurations, see what suits you best. You probably won't need more than 12# or so.

Good luck,

Gerald

[DaKahuna]

Stats -
I'm 5'11, am pretty fit, and weigh 175.
For winter, wearing a 4/3mm 1 piece suit with a 5/4/3 hooded vest underneath.

Thanks to advice from a couple of friends, I recently started using ankle weights. I am wearing 1.5lbs each at just below the knee. I like the SeaSoft brand weights. It helps keep your legs under a little better for better surface finning (less splashing). It also spreads out your total weight distribution, which for me is another 8lbs in my belt. Worn just below the knee instead of at the ankle, you don't feel like you're "kicking" all that weight around. I started with less weight (6lbs total before adding the vest to my setup for winter), and keep adding weight as I learn to like the easier descents and better bottom time! Just got to remember to be ready to drop the weight belt in an emergency!

Many people I've talked to like to shoot for neutral b. at 20-25 feet. That often works well for spearing here in SoCal as I can use less effort to get to the bottom and can then settle onto the bottom on my knees and look/wait for fish without fighting a positive b. problem.


To take a guess for you and friend - imho....
You - 200 lbs + farmer john = 12 to 15 lbs total
Friend - 175 lbs + less fit - thin suit = 7 to 10 lbs total

P.S. To help with durability with the SeaSoft (neoprene) ankle weights, I put them inside a section of bicycle innertube (size 1.75-2.1). They fit tight in there, they won't get cut up on the bottom, and it's replaceable.

Best of Luck getting set up!!

[Hunt4PinkOctobr]

Thanks for all the tips.
From what I'm hearing, it looks like I'll need more weight.

[frogman]

Be VERY careful with weight while freediving. As a rule, the better diver you become and the deeper you want to hunt, the less weight you will use. You MUST be neutral at the 1/3 of your "operational" depth (e.g. 20 fsw if you mainly dive at 60 fsw). Also, thickness of the suit is not the only variable as newer suits tend to have a larger "bubble" and float more. It is easier to overload yourself and "sink" effortlessly on your way down but keep in mind that SWB can come on your way back and if your buddy is not there...Reallistically, SWB comes so fast that you won't remember to drop your weight belt. I use 8#'s with a full 3mm Picasso suit hunting 50-70 and drop to 7#'s for deeper stuff. I am 6'00" and 205#...

[keyspearfisher]

6'2" 195# and I wear 7# of lead with a 3/2 full suit.

[DaKahuna]

There's a real good exchange of ideas happening!
So far, we seem to be evenly divided 3/3 on using over or under 10lbs!

There are a lot of different approaches and preferences to weights and freediving/spearfishing. It will always be safer to start light and experiment with adding weight. The bottom line is more weight = an easier descent, but a harder ascent that can more easily lead to SWB.

While some here seem to be running light, the other end of the spectrum is guys like Skip Hellen. Skip has been diving for decades and with many of the big name hunters. He does it all, from polespear to blue water. He is a past president of the IUSA, a US Spearfishing Championships competitor, and is on the board of a new club I joined in SoCal, OC Hunter. I've been told that he has come to use 30+ lbs for freediving!! I say it's nuts, and Skip probably wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but it's what he likes. Like I said, the other end of the spectrum.
I also remember a post by PV Spearo where he talked about ascending from 100 ft with his belt in his hand, after shooting a fish (grouper, I think?), just to be ready. Definitely too deep for me, but the situation at hand is a setup for 30 ft....

For my guesstimation for H4PO, I was trying to account for the 2 piece wetsuit among other things like increased surges in shallow water. I honestly don't think that 12-15 lbs will be a tombstone around your waist at 30 ft! Type of fin you will be using is always good to consider as well.

So, start light. But be open minded to (safely) experimenting with your weights.

[TriggerFish]

Big thanks to Dakahuna!
.To help with durability with the SeaSoft (neoprene) ankle weights, I put them inside a section of bicycle innertube (size 1.75-2.1). They fit tight in there, they won't get cut up on the bottom, and it's replaceable

I have replaced several sets and gone through a lot of duck tape. So thank you for sharing with us that is what makes the forum so great! That falls under K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) I like that.