Bubbletrubble
Contributor
First, I'd make sure that you are properly weighted. Adding a couple of extra pounds might help. You, and you alone, are responsible for being properly weighted.
Review in detail how you do a weight check. Then compare it to the method set forth in your basic OW class.
Some beginners forget to compensate for the weight of the gas in a non-empty tank.
Remember that the goal of proper weighting is to carry the minimum amount of lead to be able to achieve neutral buoyancy with an empty tank and empty wing at a shallow depth while breathing "normally." For some, "shallow" depth is equivalent to safety stop depth (15 fsw), but I prefer to be able to be neutrally buoyant at depths shallower than that.
Before Dive #1 on your vacation, you could very easily do a weight check at the surface with a full tank (empty BCD, normal breath, no kicking, no air trapped in wetsuit). Determine the appropriate amount of lead to float you at eye level. Then add enough lead to compensate for the weight of the gas inside the full tank. For the typical AL80 tank, that's approx. 6 lbs.
During the ascent, you'll need to dump air from your BCD in order to control the rate of ascent. This occurs because the compression of your wetsuit is relieved as you ascend (due to lower ambient pressure) and, to a much lesser extent, because you are using up the gas inside the tank during the ascent. Remind yourself that the air inside your lungs can significantly affect buoyancy, too. Novice divers can get anxious during the ascent. Sometimes they hit the power inflater button instead of the exhaust button. Sometimes they don't dump enough gas early enough from the BCD. Sometimes, when initiating the ascent, they dump out all of the air from the BCD (making them excessively negatively buoyant) and then try to swim up to the surface. This is a very stressful way to ascend, and it leaves a small margin for error in achieving neutral buoyancy at safety stop depth. To make matters worse, the rhythm, rate, and depth of their breathing get out of whack which makes it more difficult to control the ascent. I recommend that you initiate your ascent while being neutrally buoyant, either kick yourself up a little or inhale deeply to start moving slowly toward the surface, and then try to stop (attain neutral buoyancy) every 10 feet during your ascent. Executing a controlled ascent means being able to achieve neutral buoyancy in the water column at any given point. With practice, you'll be able to nail the safety stop with ease.
Just something to think about... Do you know how much of a buoyancy swing exists for an average diver who has lungs full of air vs. lungs empty?
The last point I'll make is that, as a novice, it would be wise not to conduct dives with high nitrogen loads. This includes long dives and deep dives. Deep dives, in particular, can be dangerous since they require a respect for narcosis and gas management (something beginners rarely appreciate).
Buoyancy control is a skill that will get better with practice. Have fun out there and be safe...
Review in detail how you do a weight check. Then compare it to the method set forth in your basic OW class.
Some beginners forget to compensate for the weight of the gas in a non-empty tank.
Remember that the goal of proper weighting is to carry the minimum amount of lead to be able to achieve neutral buoyancy with an empty tank and empty wing at a shallow depth while breathing "normally." For some, "shallow" depth is equivalent to safety stop depth (15 fsw), but I prefer to be able to be neutrally buoyant at depths shallower than that.
Before Dive #1 on your vacation, you could very easily do a weight check at the surface with a full tank (empty BCD, normal breath, no kicking, no air trapped in wetsuit). Determine the appropriate amount of lead to float you at eye level. Then add enough lead to compensate for the weight of the gas inside the full tank. For the typical AL80 tank, that's approx. 6 lbs.
During the ascent, you'll need to dump air from your BCD in order to control the rate of ascent. This occurs because the compression of your wetsuit is relieved as you ascend (due to lower ambient pressure) and, to a much lesser extent, because you are using up the gas inside the tank during the ascent. Remind yourself that the air inside your lungs can significantly affect buoyancy, too. Novice divers can get anxious during the ascent. Sometimes they hit the power inflater button instead of the exhaust button. Sometimes they don't dump enough gas early enough from the BCD. Sometimes, when initiating the ascent, they dump out all of the air from the BCD (making them excessively negatively buoyant) and then try to swim up to the surface. This is a very stressful way to ascend, and it leaves a small margin for error in achieving neutral buoyancy at safety stop depth. To make matters worse, the rhythm, rate, and depth of their breathing get out of whack which makes it more difficult to control the ascent. I recommend that you initiate your ascent while being neutrally buoyant, either kick yourself up a little or inhale deeply to start moving slowly toward the surface, and then try to stop (attain neutral buoyancy) every 10 feet during your ascent. Executing a controlled ascent means being able to achieve neutral buoyancy in the water column at any given point. With practice, you'll be able to nail the safety stop with ease.
Just something to think about... Do you know how much of a buoyancy swing exists for an average diver who has lungs full of air vs. lungs empty?
The last point I'll make is that, as a novice, it would be wise not to conduct dives with high nitrogen loads. This includes long dives and deep dives. Deep dives, in particular, can be dangerous since they require a respect for narcosis and gas management (something beginners rarely appreciate).
Buoyancy control is a skill that will get better with practice. Have fun out there and be safe...
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