Posted by Chris on August 26, 2002 at 20:11:41:
In Reply to: Re: How do you weight? posted by Kendall Raine on August 26, 2002 at 11:15:53:
A wetsuit is not entirely made out of air, and is less compressible than air.
To assume it is common a fallacy.
In fact the compressibility of wetsuits varies depending upon the material it is made from, and the number of dives on it.
As wetsuits age (in terms of # of dives) the material losses both buoyancy and compressibility.
The change in buoyancy you experience during a dive mostly comes from the residual air in your BC (including the hose), much more so than the wetsuit, especially one with many dives on it.
I find there is little problem remaining neutral throughout my dives.
New wetsuits are more difficult to deal with than older ones, but still doable.
For me the 120 is the upper end of tank volume I can compensate for through breathing.
The absolute maximum weight change is 9 lbs., however since most dive I come with well over 1500 psi remaining, I typically have a much smaller change to deal with.
I completely agree that diving san BC is only for a small minority (1% or 2% at most) of very experienced divers.
It is most defiantly not a method for beginners.