Background

I founded Dive Steel in 2024 while I was training to be certified for scuba diving. During the training I was handed a pair of uncoated 4 pound lead weights while it was explained that these weights would be used to help sink me while diving. While the density argument made sense, the material choice seemed awful.

My background is as a chemical and biomedical engineer, and in those worlds it would be unimaginable to use lead, particularly with so few precautions. On top of that, I live in Michigan just south of Flint. Flint gained notoriety for having massive lead contamination in the drinking water after the city started taking on water from a different source. As such, it seemed crazy to me that people would use lead in any form against their bodies, particularly when exploring some of the most fantastic and delicate ecosystems on earth in our coral reefs.

  

Lead Weights: Long-Term Health Concerns

Lead Risk Over Time

5 Years
10 Years
15 Years
20+ Years
Risk increases with cumulative exposure over diving career
  •  

    Brain Function

    Cumulative exposure over years is linked to decreased cognitive function and earlier onset of memory problems - affecting your diving years ahead.[1]

  •  

    Cardiovascular Health

    Research shows even low-level lead exposure increases cardiovascular mortality risk by 35% - a critical consideration for maintaining long-term diving fitness.[2]

  •  

    Bone & Organ Systems

    Gradually accumulates in bones and organs, potentially impacting your diving fitness as you age.[3]

  •  

    Reproductive Health

    Long-term exposure reduces fertility and testosterone levels - particularly important for divers planning families.[4]

  •  

    Pregnancy Concerns

    Crosses from mother to developing baby, with research showing that higher maternal blood lead levels are associated with lower birth weight. [5]

Important: Lead accumulates silently in your body over years of exposure. While a single dive's lead weight handling won't cause immediate harm, the cumulative effect of regular exposure adds up over your diving career. Research shows no safe level of lead exposure.
  1. Heavy Metals Exposure and Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (2020) (PubMed ID: 32651318)
  2. Blood Lead Levels and Risk of Deaths from Cardiovascular Disease (2022) (PubMed ID: 35351283)
  3. Long-Term Accumulation of Metals in the Skeleton as Related to Osteoporotic Derangements (PubMed ID: 31333081)
  4. Adverse effects of low level heavy metal exposure on male reproductive function (2010) (PubMed ID:20377313 )
  5. Association between blood lead level during pregnancy and birth weight: A meta-analysis (2020) (PubMed ID: 32969041)
  

Stainless Steel: Trusted in Diving

Already In Your Critical Gear

Regulator
Gauges
Knife
Computer
  •  

    Life Support Equipment

    Your regulator's critical components are stainless steel - the same material trusted to deliver every breath you take underwater.

  •  

    Precision Instruments

    Standard in precision dive instruments, depth gauges, and tank valves where reliability is essential.

  •  

    Athletic Performance

    Used in professional athletes' joint replacements - because performance matters above and below water.

  •  

    Marine Environment

    Resists corrosion in saltwater - just like your dive knife and dive computer housing.

  •  

    Food-Grade Safety

    Same material as surgical instruments and high-end cookware - safe enough to eat from, safe enough to dive with.

Safety First: From your regulator to your dive knife, stainless steel is already protecting your life underwater. Why trust anything less for your weights?

From Problem to Solution

My search for non-lead alternatives revealed a surprising gap in the diving industry. In my searching, I could find no good non-lead dive weights.

Drawing on my engineering expertise and artistic background I created Dive Steel weights. Dive steel weights are precision-crafted stainless steel weights that prioritize both diver safety and environmental responsibility.

Early prototypes and development

Design Philosophy

Each Dive Steel weight represents more than just functional equipment. In diving, weights serve a dual purpose - they help us explore underwater worlds but must also be readily sacrificed in emergencies. This led to my core design principle: if we must leave something behind in the ocean, it should be both beautiful and harmless.

Reef Offering: Dive Weights as an Offering to the Sea

As divers, we carry dive weights to allow us to sink below the surface, but we also hold the weight such that we can release them in an emergency so that we can return to the surface.

If we use lead weights, then we are essentially offering a poison to the sea in exchange for our own life. We choose to use that poison mostly because it is inexpensive.

If I were a sea god, then I may not be too pleased by such an offering.

I designed Dive Steel weights to be a more respectful offering. They are not only made from a durable, nontoxic material, but they are also beautiful and reflect the amazing patterns of the creatures who inhabit the sea. To my eye, a dive steel weight seems more likely to appease a sea god if I'm bargaining for my life.

Weight as offering

Vision for Change

Dive Steel aims to transform the diving industry's approach to weight systems. While my weights represent a premium solution, my goal is to inspire broader change. I believe that by demonstrating better alternatives, I can encourage the industry to move away from lead weights entirely.