Dialing in Your Equipment
Chapter 1
WEIGHTS
This post is focused on my search for my perfect personal weight control system. I am 6’ 5” tall and weigh 245 pounds. I have lost over 80 pounds over the last two years driven basically by the desire to be in better shape to dive deeper and longer.
The quest for fine-tuning your equipment is a multifaceted diverse universe. I started with a standard scuba divers nylon belt with lead weights. It had three immediate drawbacks for me personally. The first one is the belt cuts into your waist and is just plain uncomfortable. The second issue is the placement of the weights mass located in once central line around your mid section forces me to be in motion to plane horizontally. If I lose momentum I tend to settle downward and become up righted not the ideal position to scan for critters below. The third problem bearing the weight around my midsection causes me lower back pain due to the localized stress and after several days it takes a serious toll on me.
So I began to seriously experiment with modifying an existing commercial design to meet my particular prescriptive needs.
I have a standard rubber Marseillaise belt with pinch weights. They are superior to the non-stretch nylon belt no doubt. The belt’s ability to expand and contract in tandem with your depth allows for a snug fits at all times. The negatives mentioned above still existed for me personally. I can use them in a pinch (Pun intended) but they still do pinch.
I then considered different weight harnesses systems. I reasoned that the weight supported by straps across my shoulders would reduce stress on my back. Some configurations seemed no more than suspenders with five weights supported in the middle by a central back weight in the shape of a hexagon. I considered trying one but opted for a Seasoft free diving weight harness, as it appeared to be more comfortable.
It resembles a scuba BCD but instead of a tank trap it had a zippered weight pack on the back. The weight compartment measured approximately: Length 9” x Width 6” x 3” in Thickness. It was comfortable but a little short in length due to my height.
It held the weighs above my waist allowing for a horizontal resting position. I used soft lead pellets in bags. The bags did not press into you back but tended to slide in the weight compartment. They would bunch up in the bottom of the weight pouch and pull back on the straps when in an upright position. The weights would also slide up to the top when descending to the bottom. The system is bulky and creates noticeable drag. I could dive in it for hours in relative comfort.
I made several adjustments to the harness over the last four years in an effort to personalize its performance. I first stabilized the weight in the zippered backpack by putting lead washers in a compartmentalized plastic fishing lure box. The problem with that solution was that is was hard and non-flexible making it uncomfortable even with the padding in the vest. Still it held the weight in a static position and I used it that way for 2 years.
My next generational improvement attempted to solve two specific problems with my current deployment modifications. The first one was to lengthen the torso portion of the harness because it rode up on my stomach even with the shoulder strap fully extended.
So I cut it in half and added a center extension section. I then completely removed the back zippered pouch and strategically placed pinch weights sewn on with nylon dive belt scrap pieces to provide the proper ballast for my particular body shape.
This proto type allowed me to place lower profiled weights in the exact places I designated to achieve a near perfect dive profile. It greatly reduced drag during descents and assents. I was able to move with less effort and still retain the comfort of the harness system. You could spearfish without even realizing you were wearing weights.
The pinch weights placements provided excellent balance but were slightly uncomfortable due to the density of mass in the areas they were fastened too. They had a lower profile than the Seasoft lead bags that I had ruled out because of the bulk required to achieve the 12 pounds I required to dive.
The pinch weight deployment was not a perfect solution either due to it’s shifting of position on the belt straps that had been sewn to the vest. So the system was evolving and improving but the fat lady had not yet sung.
My anal retentive quest to continually improve my design led me to my current renovation of the system. The design issues I attempted to address were strategic placement of a balanced weight distribution across a broader area and to reduce drag to a minimum acceptable level. The paramount consideration is comfort for endless spearfishing, a no compromise requirement in the design.
I have a vision for a system that would be ridged enough to hold lead weights in place on my back distributed across a wide area to reduce pressure per square inch and still have the flexibility to be agile while diving. My implementation using local materials resulted in the system pictured below.
I took plastic pieces I cut to custom shapes trying to follow a scaled backbone plate approach up my back. Not unlike a motocross protective vest’s. I did them in four pieces so they would flex at specific joints. I chose plastic because I had an old storage box I bought from Wal-Mart that I used to ship my equipment over here to the Philippines.
Once I cut the scale,s I drilled holes spaced out to hold the weights firmly in specific patterns. I used lead washers from a local hardware store. I stacked them on bolts inserted threw the holes I drilled into the plastic back scales. I then drilled holes to receive stitches in the plastic scales on the harness from a sewing yawl. I drilled them for fear of cracking the plastic during the sewing process.
What I ended up with looks like something that you might see at a cosplay convention. It is not pretty. I like to think of it a functional art.
However it is custom fit to my physic. The weights are perfectly placed and it is literally unnoticeable in the water. It does not shift regardless of position during diving. It has a low profile and causes very little drag. The weights can be adjusted to a tolerance of a fraction of an ounce by simply removing or adding lead washers.
When I descent it I am a leaf blowing in the wind minimizing O2 consumption as I drift to the bottom. While I am on the bottom I am balanced like a submarine in a perfect hunting profile. I am able to lay flat and still waiting for a curious fish too foolishly inquire as to my purpose.
The refinement of my concept would require a back mold made from plaster and them used to create a fiberglass back scaled plate that would be form fit. It would have the protruding bolts to fasten through layers of lead sheeting. Each sheet would be smaller as it layered on up to form a turtle like shell shape. The individual scales would be set into the form molded fiberglass back plate on a spring loaded platform that could be triggered to pop off it you needed to ditch your weights.
Well that’s what I made marvel at it or make fun of it. I currently am revamping it to ditch the scales by pulling a rip cord that disengages the back scales as currently designed so save the you are an anchor human comments.
Summary
I may not know Art but I know what I like. WORKS FOR ME!
(* It is worthy to note that the Seasoft product is of excellent quality and lasts forever. I dive up to six hours a day 4 to 6 days a week depending on the condition of the China Sea in front of my beach home in the Philippines.)
P.S. I am not endorsing any product. What you see here is a far cry from the off the shelf product I started with. Equipment is personal choice and what I have come to peace with is in the end when all is said and done you are your own best expert.
