Do I need a weight belt to freedive?

If you are serious about freediving and spearfishing, the only type of weight belts you should invest in are rubber weight belts. Rubber is the ideal material because it can stretch with your diaphragm as you breathe. Other weight belts will simply restrict your airway and prevent you from reaching your potential.

How do you weigh yourself for freediving?

Calculate with 1 kg (2.2 pounds) / every millimeter of your suit thickness plus add 2kg (4.4 pounds) extra. Based on 80 kg (176 lbs) of body weight and 3 mm wetsuit this means 5 kg/11 pounds weights. If you have slim body shape, add only 1.5kg/3.3 pounds. If you are larger, add on 2.5kg/5.5 pounds.

Can you freedive without weights?

It’s harder without weights and you have to expend more energy (and oxygen) reaching the desired depth. I spent some time freediving with only a snorkel and fins in the Red Sea last year – the reefs are relatively shallow so I spent most of my time about 10m deep.

How many dive weights do I need spearfishing?

As a general rule, to find the amount of weight you need take the thickness of your wetsuit then + 2 to get a starting point. For example: A 3mm wetsuit = 3 + 2 = 5kg of weight. A 5mm wetsuit = 5 + 2 = 7kg of weight.

How heavy should my weight belt be for diving?

Women should add 4 to 5 pounds of weight (about 2 kg) if they are diving in saltwater or subtract 4 to 5 pounds (about 2 kg) if diving in freshwater. Men should add 6 to 7 pounds (about 3 kg) if diving in saltwater or subtract 6 to7 pounds (about 3 kg) if diving in freshwater.

Why do free divers wear weight belts?

The primary reason to wear a weights belt is to offset the buoyancy of the freediver and their exposure protection. The primary types of weighting systems used by Freedivers are Weight belt, Neck weight and Weight Vests (more common in spearfishing and collecting).

How much weight do you need to hold a body underwater?

Initial weight: If you’re not sure where to begin, figure about 10% of your body weight. If you are diving in tropical waters with a thin wetsuit, subtract 4-6 pounds, and if you are diving in cold water with a lot of exposure protection, add 4-6 pounds.

How much weight should I add to a 3mm wetsuit?

Assuming your base weight came from a fresh water pool in a 3mm wetsuit, you would typically add between 4 lbs – 7 lbs of weight, if you’re wearing a 3mm wetsuit.

How much weight do free divers use?

Weights in the 0.5-1 kg/1-2 lb range are ideal. This will also more evenly distribute the weight around your body and allow for more streamlined freediving. It will also decrease your effort and increase your bottom time.

How much weight do I need in my BCD?

What should my weight be for a freediving dive?

Many top dynamic divers find that their weighting set up changes all the time and it can be the hardest part about the discipline to get right. Constant Weight freediving with Fins (CWT) – For safety, you should be neutrally buoyant at a depth between 10 and 12 meters when performing any dive deeper than 15 meters.

What kind of weight belt do freedivers wear?

Most freedivers prefer to wear a rubber freediving weight belt. The weight belt should be worn around the hips so as not to obstruct the diaphragm, allowing the freediver to inhale more oxygen during their breath-ups. Small freediving weights can be evenly distributed around the weight belt to let you achieve equilibrium underwater.

What kind of weighting system do freedivers use?

Any weighting system you use must be quick release, either for you or your buddy, so that you can quickly return to the surface in the event of trouble. The main weighting systems used by freedivers are rubber weight belts and neck weights.

How tall do you have to be to do Free Immersion freediving?

Free Immersion Freediving – Similar to constant weight freediving, you want to be neutral from at least 10 meters. If you are only using free immersion techniques to practice equalization to shallow depths then it can be more comfortable to increase your weight so you are not struggling to keep yourself at 3 meters.