About this product
A weight belt is a length of nylon webbing with a quick-release buckle, carrying coated lead blocks threaded onto it. It exists to offset the buoyancy of your body and your wetsuit so you can descend and, more importantly, hold a stable depth without fighting.
The buckle is the part that matters. A diving weight belt must be droppable with one hand, in a second, by feel – that is the emergency action every course drills. A stainless steel quick-release buckle does that; an ordinary plastic side-release clip or a friction buckle does not, and should never be used to carry lead in the water. Stainless is also the only sensible material in salt water: anything else pits and seizes within a season.
At 1.5 metres it is long enough to go round the hips over a 3 mm suit with webbing to spare. Trim the tail to length and seal the cut end with a flame so it cannot fray, leaving enough that you can let the belt out if you move to a thicker suit.
Wear it on the hips, not the waist, and pull it tight. Neoprene compresses as you descend, so a belt that was snug at the surface goes slack at depth and slides – that is the usual reason a belt ends up round a diver-s knees. Set the buckle so it releases to the right, and check it is clear of the harness straps of anything else you are wearing so it can actually be dropped.
How much lead you need depends on you, your suit and your gear, and it is worked out in the water rather than guessed. Too little and you cannot hold a safety stop; too much and you are fighting to stay off the bottom and burning air all dive.
Scuba Diving Weight Belt - 1.5 m Nylon Webbing, Stainless Steel Buckle