Yowlie:
Also a good idea to dremel your phone number into one of your weights on the belt you wear. Then when you ditch it, it may come back to you. I think Mako will replace your belt if you ditch it?
AlsHobieOutback:
I think I have one or two weights too that someone used as weights in my crab traps when they borrowed them. I think one or two round ones, and one square one? I'll look for them this weekend.
eiboh:
I might have a 4 pound square mold on Fort Bragg property in one of the sheds I gladly donate to the cause. don't know when I'll make it up there next but I'll make it a point to look for it
Chet:
Sorry for a threat jack. I lost mine at Coral st a while back. Anyone have one of this for sale or trade?
GrimKeeper:
I have about 35 pounds in bare bones lead dive weights I could donate to the cause for anyone up here who has to ditch their belt.
I almost ditched mine twice in one day a few years ago. I was diving from a beach north of Fort Bragg for abalone and had my brother, his son and his sons' two friends along.
The surf wasn't too bad, but a storm had just laid down, so vis was nil for about a hundred yards out. It was June and the kelp was grown out quite a bit. I told my brother that the boys should stay on the beach for this one and he and I could possibly truck out to where brown met blue and be fine.
The beach was not very long and had an arm of rock to the north and an arm of rock to the south, both covered with abs. The tide was coming in. I didn't realize it, but with the incoming tide, there was current that was pushing against the beach and washing north and south, back out along the rocks.
I got in first, having more experience with putting on the gear and headed straight out from the middle of the beach. It didn't seem too bad. I was making headway. When I'd glance around to get my bearings, I noticed that the current was moving me north towards the shallower rocks. I readjusted my heading, but was still moving a little more NW than I intended.
I had just topped a small swell and moving down the back side of it, everything turned purple. I felt a few kelp creepers wrap around me, and it was a fine time to realize that I had an extra 5 pounds to much on my belt. I couldn't back out so I crawfished upright and grabbed a breath as the next swell came over me. My feet hit bottom in only about 7 feet of water. So I stayed upright and bounced backward off the bottom while breaking individual strands of kelp until I was free enough to turn over and kick home, yelling at my brother to get back on shore, we'll head over to NoYo harbor.
That afternoon, we had a successful dive at the harbor, with everyone getting in some time in the water and getting some abs. I popped mine quickly so I could get in some spear time and help if needed. I was hanging out by the small jetty there and I'll be damned if the dang kelp didn't wrap me up in about four feet of water and keep me horizontal. I had one hand on a rock and scrabbled for about 30 seconds trying to untangle myself and eventually had to just grab a breath and pull myself up onto to rocks to break free of that stuff.
Both situations had the idea of ditching the belt pop into my head. I haven't dove in the summer since.