Why Do Scuba Divers Wear a Weighted Belt?

Scuba diving is a fun sport that has gained considerable popularity since the late 1970's. This is in large part due to the increased safety features of modern equipment. A simple but important piece of the equipment is the weight belt. This is simply a nylon belt with several lead weights attached, which can help the scuba diver to control his buoyancy.

  1. Buoyancy

    • At first it doesn't really make much sense that scuba divers should have to wear lead weights in order to sink themselves. After all they already have a heavy metal tank full of compressed air on their back. However without the weights most scuba divers would in fact be buoyant. This is due in large part to the wet suit, which is filled with tiny cells full of air, which forces a person to the surface. The weights counteract this buoyancy.

    Body Type

    • A person's body type will also greatly affect his level of buoyancy. A person who has a lot of fat will float more and thus will require a greater number of weights so that he submerges himself. Without it he would have a tendency just to float at the surface. Likewise a person who is thin or muscular will tend to have less body fat and will thus require fewer weights. In general a six foot man who weighs about 180 pounds would require between 15 and 22 pounds of weight so that he can sink.

    Safety

    • In the event that there is an emergency underwater the diver will often need to quickly ditch his weight belt so that he can get to the surface. Thus all weight belts have a quick release lever so that they can be dropped quickly if need be. Although a scuba diver does not want to rise too quickly, as this can cause a quick expansion of the lungs, which can lead to serious injury.

    Control Buoyancy

    • Despite the weights rising to the surface when necessary is simple for a scuba diver. He also wears a buoyancy control device, or BC for short. This device is connected to the diver's air tanks, so when he wishes to remain neutrally buoyant he will put a little bit of air in his BC, which will keep him from sinking. If he wants to get to the top he will actually release all of the air, while kicking to the surface. It is dangerous to put too much air in the vest while rising as the air will expand and cause the diver to go up too fast, which can result in damage to the lungs.

    Weight Belt Types

    • Although most divers wear weights that are connected on a thin nylon belt, another popular method is to wear them in pockets that are located on your BC. This has the advantage of not being as cumbersome, and they don't shift when you are moving around underwater. They also come with a quick release feature which allows you to drop the weights by pulling on a couple of cords.