Wait, No More Weight!

Many beginner students are led to believe in their first pool and open water sessions that they need a tremendous amount of weight to get under the waves. After all, more is better, right? You don’t want to get out of the water to put more on if you’re underweighted, right? WRONG! Divers have to wear weight because we are naturally positively buoyant with our gear on. But, it’s important (especially early on) to get used to only using the bare minimum weight to get under the waves. The reason is simple: more weight = more effort. If you’re carrying a spare four pounds that you don’t need, that’s extra energy you’re burning and therefore more air you’re losing. We should naturally strive to cut our weight down after each dive.

Did you believe you needed 20+ pounds to get under the waves as a beginner?