Being THAT person

[senseiern]

Remember when you took your open water test and there was the one, usually an overweight old woman, who you thought, "They have no sense being in the water, much less in scuba gear,"?

That was me, except I'm a guy. I am not whining. I am pissed at myself.

I showed up late (because the quarry is out in the boondocks where one wrong turn and you got some hillbilly moonshiner commenting how you have pretty teeth, and I got lost). I needed a ton of weight, and that made me unstable. I panicked and headed to the surface just before the end of the tests. And, I was so much trouble that my buddy abandoned me because I was holding him back.

So, now that I have a card that says I can rent gear whenever I want, I do not want to be THAT guy whom you read about, after asking, "Why doesn't he post anymore?" to find out he drowned.

I've read all I found about diving, concerning the things I needed to know to pass my test. (I avoided filling my head with info about stuff I have no sense reading about, other than pony bottles.) So, I have book knowledge.

What advice can you give me so that I don't do too much too fast and make horrible errors?

I am concerned about the amount of weight I need to use, and how I either sink or bob, with no in-between. The slightest BCD inflation...and I mean slightest...causes me to rise like a balloon. Though I put the belt tighter than my jeans, the weights slide around me to make me list from one side to the other.

With a 7mm suit and gloves and hood, I have trouble seating my mask. If the hood isn't so tight it cuts off circulation, it collects exhausted air and inflates.

In the tests, getting water in my nose makes me feel like I am drowning, and I do not want to be a hassle to whomever I dive with.

 

[DeputyDan]

Couple of items

1) Find a buddy that you are comfortable with and dive as much as possible.
2) Exercise - you will be in better shape both mentally and physically
3) Repeat as necessary

 

[Teamcasa]

So, now that I have a card that says I can rent gear whenever I want, I do not want to be THAT guy whom you read about, after asking, "Why doesn't he post anymore?" to find out he drowned.

What advice can you give me so that I don't do too much too fast and make horrible errors?

Dive with a mentor or instructor until you have your buoyancy figured out. Take more classes. Join a club. Dive more often. Dive in different locations. Bottom line, keep diving and don't fall into to the "my deepest dive to date is.." trap. Stay above 50-60 feet for a while.

Spend more time here.

 

[aquaregia]

And, I was so much trouble that my buddy abandoned me because I was holding him back.

Your buddy shouldn't abandon you at depth. Once you're back on shore he can get pissed and jet, but he should never leave you at depth unless staying with you puts him in imminent risk.

Though I put the belt tighter than my jeans, the weights slide around me to make me list from one side to the other.

Did you re-cinch the belt at depth? If it's tight on the surface it'll be loose at depth because the wetsuit compresses. I guess that's only true for nylon belts, but that's what mine is.

If the hood isn't so tight it cuts off circulation, it collects exhausted air and inflates.

My hood collects air too, but mostly it just makes me ears feel funny. My girlfriend wears a vented hood. It's really quite cute that she has this small line of bubbles coming out of the top of her head.

In the tests, getting water in my nose makes me feel like I am drowning, and I do not want to be a hassle to whomever I dive with.

I'm always worried about being a hassle to my buddy too. I have trouble not slamming my buddy into the rock walls in surge, for example. I've been slamming fewer buddies into fewer rocks and less often as I've gotten (slightly) more diving experience.

 

[herbdb]

I too am a new diver. I have about 30 warm water dives and a dozen or so in cold water. The issues you are having with buoyancy are pretty normal for the cold water gear you are wearing. I personally think that diving in a 7 mil suit in cold water is much harder than warm water diving. I proved this to myself again last week with my first cold water dive of the year, yet had no issues in Cozumel last month.

Here are some of the things I have done to work on the issues you mentioned. I now use a weight integrated BC and don't have the weight belt issues. Last year I was diving a 7mm farmer john wetsuit with an Aluminum 80 tank. I needed 32 pounds of weight in fresh water. This year I switched to a one piece wool lined suit and a steel tank. I was able to drop 8 pounds of weight on my first dive, another two on the second and think I can drop some more next time.

The closer you can come to having the ideal amount of weight for your gear, the better off you will be. The temperature changes we see in the quarry dives change the volume of air in the BC significantly and we have to deal with that as well as the decreased buoyancy of the suit as it compresses.

It requires anticipating the changes and staying ahead of them, either adding or dumping air. With the perfect amount of weight you will need to make fewer corrections saving air and decreasing the BC volume changes. Unfortunately, just knowing the problem does not solve it. I can do OK if I concentrate very hard, but if I get a little distracted looking at something, it can get away from me.

I think the answer is just practice, practice and more practice.

If you ever make it up to Dutch Springs, drop me an email and I will dive with you. We can share our problems.

Herb

 

[boulderjohn]

First of all, I wish this had been posted in the New Divers or Basic Diving sections, because the things you ask are diving-related and could really help a lot of divers.

I showed up late (because the quarry is out in the boondocks where one wrong turn and you got some hillbilly moonshiner commenting how you have pretty teeth, and I got lost). I needed a ton of weight, and that made me unstable. I panicked and headed to the surface just before the end of the tests.

I believe your problems started with arriving late. You no doubt felt hurried to get ready, which made you more apprehensive and prone to both panic and further error. I sometimes find myself in similar situations, where something has held me up and everyone is waiting for me. I have to force myself to slow down and watch for mistakes I might be making in my haste. Still, with as much experience as I have, I have within the past couple of months made some equipment setup errors, some embarrassing, for this reason.

I am concerned about the amount of weight I need to use, and how I either sink or bob, with no in-between. The slightest BCD inflation...and I mean slightest...causes me to rise like a balloon.

Believe it or not, it sounds like you are overweighted. This makes no sense at first, but being overweighted makes it easier for you to rise to the surface!

When you are properly weighted, you will need very little air in your BCD. If you are wearing a thick wet suit, you have no choice but to be overweighted during the dive. Your wet suit compresses and gets lets buoyant as you descend, so you don't need as much weight at depth as you need near the surface to begin your decent. If you have more weight than you need at the beginning of the dive, then you will be very much overweighted at depth.

If you want to be neutrally buoyant while overweighted, then you have to pump a lot of air into your BCD. Every pound of lead means a pretty good shot of air. Air in your BCD reacts to changes in depth by expanding or contracting as you go up or down. The more air you have in the BCD, the more you are at the mercy of those changes. The shallower you are, the more pronounced those changes.

When I am in a swimming pool with a light wet suit and about the right amount of weight. I can go from the surface to the bottom of the 12 foot pool solely by changing the amount of air in my lungs. I have total control over my buoyancy with my lungs alone. On the other hand, when I am practicing in that same pool with a steel backplate and steel doubles, I am very much overweighted--I have no choice. I have to put so much air in my wing to get neutral that there is only about a 2 foot range in depth at which I can control myself through my breathing. If I get out of that range, I am at the mercy of the air in my BCD. If I go up a couple of feet, then I will be heading to the surface unless I dump some air.

 

[bleeb]

The suggestions about finding some good buddies or mentors to dive with are good. You mention a few issues, and it sounds like there could be several more issues which are actually fairly easy to fix that a good coach could help you identify and resolve. Some of these will also be more obvious once you dive enough and start to fix other issues, which is a reason the other suggestion about getting out there and diving more often helps a lot.

Now, to try and provide some advice about your specific questions:

I am concerned about the amount of weight I need to use, and how I either sink or bob, with no in-between. The slightest BCD inflation...and I mean slightest...causes me to rise like a balloon. Though I put the belt tighter than my jeans, the weights slide around me to make me list from one side to the other.

Vertical instability seems quite common in beginners. Sometimes it's a weight thing and sometimes it's a skill thing (i.e. practice). I remember when I started diving, small squirts of air seemed to have a large effect. However, it's not unheard of for people to be using more weight than they need to because they haven't been taught well enough how to sink. However, I'm not discounting the possibility that you do indeed need all that weight, since you seem to imply you're a bigger person, who would need more neoprene.

As for weight shifting, another option would be to investigate a different way of carrying weight, especially if you do need all that weight. Some people like putting some or all of their weight in weight integrated BCDs. Others use harnesses.

With a 7mm suit and gloves and hood, I have trouble seating my mask. If the hood isn't so tight it cuts off circulation, it collects exhausted air and inflates.

Others have already made the point about vents. Another aspect of the issue is how well the cut of the hood matches the shape of your head. If there are lots of pockets, the answer may not be to get a tighter hood, but rather to get a different model or brand that fits more accurately.

BTW, I hope you don't mind, but I've put in a request to the Moderators to move this to New Divers. I get the impression you posted in Whine and Cheese so as not to impose, but as others have also observed, your issues are fair and reasonable. Lots of people will rarely bother with anything in Whine and Cheese, so you'll get better answers from some very knowledgeable people if this thread is moved (although there will no doubt be some overly harsh and snarky comments too. These are inappropriate for the New Divers forum.)

 

[Darnold9999]

Go diving.

We have all had some or all of the issues you describe - and others you have yet to encounter. The only way to get beyond them is to get into the water. I assure you that at one time or another we have all been "that diver" to someone.

 

[Cave Diver]

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A ScubaBoard Staff Message...

Moved to New Divers Forum, which is a flame free zone for constructive feedback.

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[vinegarbiscuit]

Sounds like you had a crummy day. I'm sorry to hear it, but give yourself credit where it's due: you're keen to to make a few adjustments and get back down there. I think that's wonderful.

Weight belts suck. Well, I reckon they do, anyway. We're all taught to use them, it's true, but there's no law that says you have to stick with one. Next time you're at the quarry, look at what other people use as a weights-system, and ask them how they like what they're using. Dunno if you have your own gear yet or now, but if not, you may be inspired to buy a weight-integrated BC, or even a weight harness system that you wear around your shoulders (DUI makes one - see DUI - Weight & Trim Systems), which you don't have to worry about sliding off you at depth. Boulderjohn has given you some great tips about weighting yourself correctly, too.

Hoods too can be very funky things. As everyone else has already said, venting is your best friend. You can easily go DIY: I burned a hole a hole through the top of my hood with a hot nail to make and seal a vent in the neoprene, and it worked like a dream.

Good luck, and once again, kudos for wanting to get back in the saddle. It will get easier. Believe it.