Dive ballast - which one to choose and how much do I need?

While completing our diving set we have to answer many questions. One of the basic ones is: what weighting method will be best for me, and how many kilograms of ballast do I need? How we answer these questions will determine our buoyancy and whether we will be able to dive underwater at all and maintain appropriate buoyancy throughout our dive.

Our basis and starting point is the weight belt. It is available on the market in the classic version – a strap of appropriate length and thickness and a buckle (preferably steel), or in a slightly more modern version – a belt with pockets.

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In the first case, the only type of weights available are lead tiles through which we weave the tape. They come in different shapes and weights. On the sides of the belt it is most convenient to place slightly rounded and weighing 2-3 kg so called “kidneys”, and on the back and abdomen, weighing 1-2 kg cubes. If you have such a possibility, buy lead which is coated with something. After all, lead is a heavy metal and it is better to have as little contact with it as possible.

If we want to choose an option which is more comfortable for our body, an alternative is a belt with pockets. For filling, we can use the already mentioned in the first option tiles, or weights in the form of bags with lead balls. This type of weight adapts better to the shape of our body and is often more comfortable. When buying it, it is worth finding out first if the balls are coated, as this prevents them from wearing down and losing weight.

When choosing our solution, we should pay attention to comfort, but also to the equipment we already have. If we are the lucky owner of a jacket, it is very likely that it has been equipped with several places where we can deploy our lead. Weight and trim pockets are a great way to properly distribute the load. In this type of solution we can significantly reduce the amount of kilograms on the weight belt and free our spine from excessive weight. Again, lead in the form of shot bags will be best for this, as it will tightly fill the precious space we have in our pockets.

Distributing the load in several places also increases our safety in case of accidental loss of ballast. It is also worth making a few dives adding and subtracting small amounts of lead, in order to choose the best amount for us. The standard conversion ratio is 1 kg of lead per 10 kg of our body weight. Let’s distribute it in different ways to determine to what extent this determines our buoyancy. The amount of necessary ballast depends on our buoyancy, and it consists of such things as the capacity of the cylinder with which we dive, what type and thickness of the suit and whether it is a lake or sea. When changing the equipment we take underwater, we have to remember that it affects our buoyancy. We should therefore correct the amount of weight we take with us each time we modify our equipment.