lead weight question

[mcdiver]

A big factor that determines how much weight you need is the BC that you use. I was using a SeaQuest BC and could not figure out why I was not able to stay down as compared to my DiveRite BC with aluminum backplate.

I went to the pool and put weights into each BC to see how much weight it actually took to get the BC to submerge. The SeaQuest with my "built in" surface marker took 6 pounds while my DiveRite with aluminum backplate took just 1 pound. No wonder I had a hard time getting and staying down with the SeaQuest, that's a difference of 5 pounds, holy cow.

Average height and weight is to vague, you have to take into consideration your body composition or body fat and how relaxed you are in the water. For me, with a 7mm wetsuit and my DiveRite backplate with 80 cubic foot tank, I require 12 pounds in freshwater. With a 3mm shorty, I do not need any weight in freshwater, but need 2 pounds in saltwater. I am 5'9" and weight 195 pounds.