Buoyancy Control Training

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Hey ScubaBoard fam!

Been looking to improve on my buoyancy control for my next few dives. Any tips on what methods or techniques worked best for you guys?

Thanks in advance!
 
You'll get a lot of folks on the forums offering tips and techniques. My recommendation: hire an instructor and pay their fee. Make it clear to them that your goal is not to have 'fun,' but to get your buoyancy in check. Be very specific about any problems you are running into. Ask them to critique and challenge you.

I've found that approaching it this way changes the tone of the experience and helps the instructor. My buoyancy was TERRIBLE when I first started diving, and neither my OW or AOW classes or PPB clinic solved it (too many students, not enough time; I wasn't flailing so they moved on). It wasn't until I went to Burma when I asked an instructor to spend a dive with just me and really critique me that I got it sorted out.
 
1. Get properly weighted. Excessive weight mandates excessive air in the BC (to be neutral) which causes a given buoyancy change to take less time. In short, it's harder to react fast enough.

2. Distribute the weight for horizontal trim. A diagonal trim will induce upward and forward thrust with every kick. You'll naturally compensate the upward thrust by being negatively buoyant. When your kick changes (e.g., you want to stop), that breaks down and you sink. Or you have to go more vertical and kick softer; good luck balancing that.
 
Basically there are three issues that affect buoyancy control. First and foremost is weight and weight distribution. Second is trim, good horizontal profile. The last is buoyancy or vertical movement in the water column. Work on these in the order listed. This will simplify your efforts. I agree that an experienced professional is your best option, unless you have experienced dive buddies that were past professionals.

Weight: At the end of a dive, with less than 500psi in the tank, at 15-20ft of depth, remove all gas in bladder and normal or 50% lung capacity. Next, remove weight until you can no longer hold the depth. Then add one pound back. You will likely be able to remove that pound or more in the future. As you progress with experience your "normal" lung capacity will change allowing more weight reduction. However, don't make this a challenge, weight needed is what it is once you find it.

Trim: This is where another set of experienced eyes pays dividends. You need video or eyes to tell you your profile. Move weights up or down to balance your profile. I had to do both, at depth I needed weight forward to level off trim. However, at the safety stop I was finding myself head down. So, I moved some up onto cam bands and added a weight belt. The weight belt did not move it far, but it was enough to balance the safety stop.

Buoyancy: This will now be much easier to manage. The key that I found was to set my BC gas at depth and only change it when my lungs could not compensate. This is generally more than 10fsw of change. Work on managing depth changes with volume in your lungs. You will learn that you can change your lung volume quite a bit and still maintain slow steady breathing. The hardest part is waiting for the change because it will not be quick, be patient. The more air you have in the BC to compensate for wetsuit compression or gas the longer it will take for change to occur. Once you get a feel for this delay you will learn to start the change a bit earlier. I used PVC rings to learn the timing, over and under.

The first two can be done in a dive or two, the last one takes some time to master. Keep working on it and you will find the comfort zone fairly quickly. Keep diving and keep enjoying your time underwater!
 
If you decide to use an instructor, understand that there is a world of difference between instructors. I had been an instructor for a couple of years when I began technical instruction. I thought I was just fine with buoyancy and trim, but my technical training showed me how much I had to learn. If you choose to learn from an instructor, pick one with technical diving credentials.
 
I agree with John, in fact I would hire a technical diving instructor to work with. Buoyancy control is something you can work on for a long time and keep refining. It’s best to be taught from a more ‘holistic’ understanding of weight distribution, trim, propulsion techniques, breathing, etc. and technical dive instruction tends to be more comprehensive in the relationships between these things. Recreational dive instructors vary tremendously in their abilities and depth of understanding.

That said, even the short peak buoyancy course from PADI with a good instructor would help you.
 
Hey ScubaBoard fam!

Been looking to improve on my buoyancy control for my next few dives. Any tips on what methods or techniques worked best for you guys?

Thanks in advance!
Assuming you are properly weighted and trim is OK--- Add & subtract TINY bursts of air to/from
your BCD. I learned that 20 years ago in OW course. Not rocket science.
 
Start with the “fin pivot” to establish buoyancy control. Realize your breathing has an effect on your buoyancy. Make small adjustments when inflating/deflating the bcd. Position gear to establish horizontal position. Know that you will have a tendency to go up if you look up and down if you look down. Use a cross check to constantly monitor your instruments. Becomes easier.
 
Start with the “fin pivot” to establish buoyancy control. Realize your breathing has an effect on your buoyancy. Make small adjustments when inflating/deflating the bcd. Position gear to establish horizontal position. Know that you will have a tendency to go up if you look up and down if you look down. Use a cross check to constantly monitor your instruments. Becomes easier.
Am I correct in that PADI eliminated the Fin Pivot skill from the OW course a few years ago?
 
Am I correct in that PADI eliminated the Fin Pivot skill from the OW course a few years ago?
Very possible. When I was actively teaching, I found it worked very well, especially to show the effects of breathing on buoyancy.
 

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