– UTD TECHNIQUES –
WHY NOT OVERWEIGHTED
1. A properly
weighted diver
will have an
empty BC at the
shallow, 10’/3m
stop.
2. An overweighted diver
must carry that
extra weight
in the BC at the
shallow, 10’/3m
stop.
4. An overweighted
diver has a lot of
gas in the BC that
will expand and
compress during
small variances in
buoyancy, making it
hard to adjust using the lungs.
3. A properly
weighted diver with
an empty BC at the
shallow stops will
have very little
gas expanding and
compressing during
small buoyancy excursions, making it
much easier to control buoyancy using
just the lungs.
5. Try it in a shallow pool –
control your buoyancy while
properly weighted (tank at
500psi/35b). Hover for five
minutes. Then pick up a 6lb/3kg
weight, inflating the BC to compensate, and try again. Then do
it with 12lbs/6kg. See which of
those three times is easiest.