DIY Bouyancy Arms

Was looking for a fun little DIY project and decided to make some floats for my new arm set.

Pretty straight forward ... bought polyethylene closed-cell foam cylinders, cut to length, drilled a hole and sliced into them so then can slide sideways onto the arms. I can't take my balls off my arms, so I couldn't slide them on length-wise.

I made 1.5" and 2" diameter floats. The pic is of the 2" floats. I'll try them out next month in Mexico ...

Here's some pics:

Was looking for a fun little DIY project and decided to make some floats for my new arm set.

 

Pretty straight forward ... bought polyethylene closed-cell foam cylinders, cut to length, drilled a hole and sliced into them so then can slide sideways onto the arms. I can't take my balls off my arms, so I couldn't slide them on length-wise.

 

I made 1.5" and 2" diameter floats. The pic is of the 2" floats. I'll try them out next month in Mexico ...

 

Here's some pics:

 

 

Hi Jeremy,

I did the same thing last year experimenting with different polyethylene cylinders, they work great shallow but at depth they compress and stay compressed. They are a cheap alternative to the Stix floats or buoyancy arms but in the long run I ended up with some stix and love them.

Have a good trip...

Russ - thanks very much for the advice. I doubt I'll be doing anything too deep in Mexico, but right afterwards I will be heading to Grand Cayman where I will be going down about as far as you can on a recreational dive.

In your experience, what's "too deep" for these kind of generic bouyancy foams?

Thanks again!

I was using the pool noodle float stuff for a while, but it compressed too quickly and didn't add any value past 10m.

I recently switched over to the Stix floats and arms. Highly recommended. I had it to 60m the other day and it seemed to hold up fine - ie. no visible compression.

My Aquatica rig width dual DS125s is now neutral for WA and slightly positive for macro with shorter ams.

I like the DIY approach, but the ideal stuff is the hard foam.

I like the DIY approach, but the ideal stuff is the hard foam.

I kinda had a feeling I'd end up having to buy something that costs more than $1.29.

If I find I need bouyancy assistance, I'll likely have to buy arms, too - and not just floats - as I can't get the balls off my arm segments and so sliding the foam onto my existing arms is not an option ... that's how the whole project got started ...

I had fun.

I recently switched to YS250's which are the underwater equivalent of throwing anvils. I too tried makeshift floatation (lots of styrofoam on the beaches of Indo) but ended up getting UL floatation arms due to the compression issues mentioned above. Definitely worth the investment.

What strobes are you using. When I put my old strobes in a bathtub for rinse, they floated but the 250's sunk fast. That test might give you an early indication if you will need floatation arms or not.

What strobes are you using.

A YS-110 and YS-27dx. According to S&S, the YS-110 actually provides 10 grams of lift ... and the YS-27dx provides 40 grams of lift ... and the YS-250 provides 80 grams of lift (according to the S&S site). Since yours sink, those may not be accurate specs ...

I doubt I'll need much lift (if any at all) most of the time, but I've heard that with a wet WA adapter, my rig will be not just negative but also prone to tip forward due to the weight of the wet lens. I've heard bouyant arms make life marginally easier by making it closer to neutral, but still negative.

We'll see ... I haven't taken the new setup in the water yet. I will on June 15th ... and 16th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th & 25th ... can't wait!

and the YS-250 provides 80 grams of lift (according to the S&S site). Since yours sink, those may not be accurate specs ...

I wonder on which astral body they are doing those tests! Perhaps without the batteries installed. The YS110 should work well without buoyancy arms. A very powerful strobe for it's size! Where in Mexico?