Balanced Rig: Understanding Proper Weighting

What Is a Balanced Rig?

A Balanced Rig is a dive setup where you carry only as much weight as needed to compensate for the gas you will consume during a dive. This ensures that, even if your buoyancy compensator (BCD) or wing fails, you can still swim up safely without ditching weights.

Before setting up a Balanced Rig, you must determine your proper weighting. If you haven’t done a buoyancy check and calculated how much weight you actually need, stop now and read our guide on Buoyancy & Weighting. Otherwise, the Balanced Rig concept won’t be useful.

The Core Principle of a Balanced Rig

A properly weighted diver should only need to compensate for the gas they consume. For example, if you are diving a single AL80 tank, you are only compensating for about 5 lbs of gas loss from start to finish.

If you can comfortably swim up that 5 lbs without a working BCD, then you are, by definition, diving a Balanced Rig—whether you realize it or not.

The Ditchable vs. Non-Ditchable Debate

The main disagreement in Balanced Rig discussions isn’t about weighting itself, but rather whether divers should carry ditchable weights. This is a risk calculation decision, and there is no universal right answer.

View 1: No Ditchable Weight (Purist Approach)

• If properly weighted, you should never need to ditch weight in an emergency.
• Eliminating ditchable weight removes the risk of accidental loss.
• If your BCD fails, you should still be able to swim up your full rig without assistance.

View 2: Keeping Ditchable Weight (Practical Approach)

• Ditchable weights provide an emergency option if something goes wrong.
• Some divers may be overweighted due to wetsuit compression or rental gear.
• The real-world risk of a BCD failure is low, but the impact can be severe.

Which approach is best? That depends on your risk tolerance and equipment setup.

Real-World Considerations for Recreational Divers

For most recreational divers, perfect weighting is not always practical due to rental gear, travel diving, or budget limitations. Here’s what to consider:

• If you are diving an AL80 and properly weighted, you are compensating for ~5 lbs of gas.
• If you can swim up with full gear at the end of the dive, ditchable weights are not required.
• If you need to carry extra weight for trim or exposure protection, evaluate whether some of it should be ditchable.

In my personal experience, I have never had a BCD failure, but I have had an accidental weight ditch on my second-ever Open Water certification dive. The real-world risks of accidental loss versus BCD failure should be part of your decision-making process.

My BPW setup (xDeep Zen) includes ditchable weight pockets, but I don’t use them for quick release—I use them because the tank band pockets max out at 8 lbs. This is an example of adapting to gear limitations rather than blindly following a rule.

Final Thoughts: Make an Informed Decision

There is no single "right" answer. Instead of asking, "Should I carry ditchable weights?" ask:

• Have I properly calculated my weighting? (See Buoyancy & Weighting Guide)
• Can I swim up my rig if my BCD fails?
• Am I more concerned about BCD failure or accidental ditching?
• Does my gear setup limit my weight placement options?