how heavy is total scuba gear

Question
I am going to try scuba diving soon and i have not done it ever before. I wanted to know what is the total weight of all diving equipments, suit, masks and cylinder, etc. which are on your body while diving. Due to a spine injury, i am not allowed to lift heavy weights on my shoulder. Please advise.

Answer
Hi Anuj,

Thanks for your question.  It's a bit difficult to answer since there are so many different ways to equip a diver.  To be brief, the average diver wears gear that weighs between 40 and 80 pounds.

Divers in colder water wear more gear which also means more weight.  Divers in tropical waters wear less gear and that means less weight.

However, when submerged in the water and properly supported with buoyancy control. the gear is essentially weightless.  Buoyancy control is something that divers learn how to do as part of their diver certification course.  The Buoyancy Compensator (BC) that divers wear is a jacket-like device that has an adjustable air bladder inside it and that is what is used for buoyancy control.  It is capable of supporting all of the dive gear as well as you.

Divers who cannot support the weight of the equipment on land will frequently have someone help them carry the gear into shallow water and they put on the gear in waist-deep water where the water will support the weight of the gear while they slip into it.  This is probably the method you should use.  Talk to your instructor about this and I'm sure you'll find them willing to assist you.

Anuj, I hope this answer provides the information you were seeking and I hope you enjoy your scuba experience!!

Mike Giles
Mike's Dive Center