WEIGHTS AND WEIGHT BELTS You wear lead weights when you are diving to offset the buoyancy of your body, your wetsuit, and other diving gear you are wearing. Weights are available in many configurations and as you gain diving experience, you will find the configuration that fits you best. Types of Weights Weights come in many different shapes and sizes (figure 2-36). Most commonly, you will find lead molded into cylinders or blocks with slits to enable a weight belt to be threaded through the weight. The block of lead can be uncoated or coated with a plastic covering. Some of the larger blocks of lead are curved to fit the hip and are known as hip weights. Solid lead weights come in sizes from 0.5 to 6.5 kilograms (1 to 14 pounds). Lead can also be molded into cylindrical shapes with a slit in the middle to enable a weight belt to pass through. These are called bullet weights. Bullet weights typically come in sizes from 0.5 to 2.0 kilograms (1 to 4 pounds). Also, lead shot can be sewn into pouches of various sizes. This type of weight is known as a soft weight. Soft weights conform to the shape of your hip and are more comfortable to wear. Soft weights also cause less damage to a deck or injury to a person if they are dropped. Weight Belts, Harnesses, and Weighting Systems The simplest and most common weight belt is a 5- centimeter- (2-inch-) wide nylon web belt with a metal or plastic buckle (figure 2-37). Weight keepers are used on this type of weight belt to keep the weights from shifting on the belt. Some weight belts are composed of a series of pockets attached to a nylon web belt. These pockets will hold either solid weights or soft weights. There are also shot belts that have one continuous compartment filled with lead shot. The compartments are filled with different weights of shot and you simply choose the weight you need. Another type of weight belt is a stretchable/ compensating belt with a quick release buckle. This type resists slipping, compensates for suit compression, releases cleanly, and springs off your body if you must ditch the weight belt. A weight harness, usually used with dry suits, uses a belt and shoulder harness system to support the weights on your shoulders rather than around your waist. This helps reduce strain on your lower back and helps prevent the belt from sliding around your body. A desirable safety feature of many weight belts is the ability to compensate for the compression of a wetsuit as you descend under water. Without a compensating feature, weight belts become looser at depth. A loose weight belt can slip down below your waist or can rotate to place the buckle at your side or back instead of in the front where it should be. NAUI Scuba Diver 36 Diving Equipment FIGURE 2-36. WEIGHTS COME IN MANY DIFFERENT WEIGHTS AND SIZES. FIGURE 2-37. WEIGHT BELTS COME IN MANY STYLES.
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