Here’s a rough, “back-of-the-napkin” guide to get you started. Remember, these are starting points, not laws carved into a coral reef. A typical diver in a 3mm wetsuit in saltwater might use between 6 and 14 pounds.
Scuba Diving Depth Chart - Minimalist Chart Design
If you’re a slender person with little natural buoyancy (i.e., you don’t have a lot of body fat, which floats), you’ll be on the lower end. If you’re built more like a friendly polar bear, or you’re wearing a thick 7mm wetsuit, you’ll need more.
Men often start around 8–12 pounds, and women often start around 6–10 pounds, but this is a wild generalization. Your mileage will vary because you are a unique, beautiful snowflake of buoyancy.
The Sneaky Variables That Mess With Your Weight
Did you drink a gallon of water before the dive? That adds weight. Did you eat a really big burrito? That gas in your gut? Also buoyant (and potentially embarrassing). Your wetsuit compresses as you go deeper, losing buoyancy as you descend.
That means you might feel perfect at 15 feet, but struggling to stay down at 60 feet. This is why we use a BCD (buoyancy control device) to add air as we go deeper and dump it as we ascend. The weight limit isn’t a prison—it’s a starting point you can adjust.
And please, for the love of all things aquatic, don’t skip the weight check after switching gear. A new, thicker wetsuit can change your weight needs by 4–6 pounds overnight. You wouldn’t borrow your friend’s shoes without checking the size, right?
