Weight Belts

Calculating Dive Weights and Using Weight Belts

Weight belts are just one effective way in which you can compensate for buoyancy when you are diving.  Your body, wetsuit and air tanks will all contribute to buoyancy and this can make it difficult to achieve safe descent and ascent speeds.

You can also use weights to create more balance as you dive.  You will discover that once you put all your scuba equipment on it can be tricky finding an effective diving position when you are submerged.  This can make it difficult to kick through the water in the right direction.  By distributing your dive weight correctly you will find it much to find your balance underwater.

Calculating Dive Weight

When you take your first scuba course your instructor will help you to determine your dive weight.  It is important to make a note of this so you know what to wear on your weight belt for future dives. However it is also a good idea to understand how to calculate dive weight.  This can change depending on factors such as your own body weight, the size of your air tank and the type of water you are diving in (i.e. salt or fresh water).

There are some basic calculations available that make it easy for you to work out your dive weight.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to look at the thickness of the wetsuit you are wearing and the weight of your tank and multiple this by 10%.   So for example the approximate dive weight of an 80 cubic feet aluminium tank and 3mm wetsuit would be about 150 pounds.  So you multiple 150 by 0.10 to get your dive weight (15 pounds).  If you are diving in fresh water you just need to subtract around 3 to 4 pounds from this final amount as the density is different.

To double check this simple calculation for your weights belt, get into the water with your full equipment on.  Using a nearly empty air tank float upright and deflate your BCD.  You should now sink in the water to about eye level.  If you sink further down then you need to take some weight off your belt.  If you don’t sink at all then you need to add some. 

A weights belt offers scuba divers an easy way to adjust their dive weight and find the right balance in the water. You can buy weights belts online now at Beuchat.