Fresh vs. Salt water weights

[Deep Thought]

Diving has always been a sport with formulas, acronyms and idioms…which have been passed on for generations without any clear reference to who created them or if they are even valid.  Like the concept of ascending with the smallest bubble, to proper weighting is to calculate 10% of a divers body weight plus 5 lbs, the origin is vague at best.  The concept of determining lead weight is relative to the water Salt/Fresh as well as the Exposure Suit, and SCUBA equipment.  When you consider that the majority of divers, dive in salt water and historically it was a ¼ neoprene wetsuit/boot/hood with a steel 72 cu. ft. cylinder, then it fits an ocean diver.  The 10% formula, or 10% + 5 still works fairly well with an aluminum 80 and 7 mm suit in the ocean, and obviously needs to be modified with thinner suits or addition of dry suit.