Dody
Contributor
Thanks. I actually have a checklist of skills to practise regularly:There are several main components to learning the CESA:
1. Controlling your ascent rate by venting your BCD
2. Keeping airway open and experiencing that huge rush of air out of your lungs as you near the surface. You won’t feel this if you do a horizontal (pool practice style) CESA
3. Establishing buoyancy at the surface
Things CESA, as trained, doesn’t show you:
- You don’t always get a full breath from your now-empty tank before starting a real CESA. Doing one on your own practice could be more realistic, and helps avoid filling your lungs and risking overexpansion
- You might get additional air from your regulator as you ascend.
#1 could be practiced from deeper depths without nearing the surface by stopping your ascent say at 10m. You lower your risk of issues but still get to work on controlled ascents and hitting stop depths, both valuable skills.
As a variation, you could also do this as a simulated BCD failure as well, so you can check if you are able to swim upwards with your current weighting and empty BCD.
#2 I don’t know if it needs lots of practice as it’s a reinforcement of the need to keep the airway open plus is the most dangerous part. As others said, do it as soon as possible, like first dive of the day, and when you’re equalized and feeling good. Keep in mind that when actually doing this as instructors, we use a safety line to help manage the ascent rate. If you have a similar (anchor or shot) line available, I would use it. Go down to 6m (20’) max and you’ll still feel that 1.6x pressure difference as you come up.
Realistically, though - there are other things worth practicing more, such as deploying your pony, sharing gas, mask flood, gear problems, safe ascents, SMB, etc. given your overall safety attitudes. Doing these smoothly without buoyancy and trim wobbles will go a long way making you a safer, skilled diver.
- Mask clearing. This is a joke. I don't need it. N
- Mask replacement. Y
- Opening eyes and looking aroung without a mask. Y
- Free flow breathing. Y
- SMB deployment, I do it for all my dives. Y
- Sharing gas (giving main and using octo) Y
- LPI connect and disconnect. Y
- Open tank valve at depth. There is no way I can do it even lifting the cylinder. My body is just to rigid. I have to detach the BCD and swing it around on the right side. Y. Also, there is absolutely no way that I would go under water without taking three breath from main and three from octo while watching the SPG. As there is no way that I would go on water without my BCD fully inflated (Negative entry, I pass. Got barotrauma already). This is my routine just before getting into water, after buddy check.
- Orally inflate BCD at depth and at the surface. Y
- Cramp fixing. Don't need it. I do it without using my arms. N
If you have additional advice, additional tests and practise that make diving safer, please feel free to contribute.