Feeling like a blimp

[jehle]

Hi!
Looking for some guidance from you experienced folks.
I finally was able to get my Poseidon se7en into clear blue water of the Caribbean and out of the cold quarry for a week!!
It was amazing and I loved it.
I was diving with a mix of OC and CCR divers and felt like I was a big balloon in the water compared to them.
I was struggling to keep up the pace on the dives and felt very slow and not very maneuverable.
I had decent trim and buoyancy the whole time... but felt like I was really working to move through the water.
My question is, is this normal? Is CCR diving just a slower pace and being with OC divers caused the frustration and it would be more enjoyable if I was just with a CCR group going at a CCR pace?
I don't have any exposure to other units, but the se7en is big and bulky. Would I feel differently with another unit?
I ended up switching over to OC for a few dives when we would lion fish hunt because I didn't think I would be as maneuverable going in and out of crevices.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Thank you!

 

[mcohen1021]

My first question would be do you look like a blimp?

 

[grantctobin]

Hi!
Looking for some guidance from you experienced folks.
I finally was able to get my Poseidon se7en into clear blue water of the Caribbean and out of the cold quarry for a week!!
It was amazing and I loved it.
I was diving with a mix of OC and CCR divers and felt like I was a big balloon in the water compared to them.
I was struggling to keep up the pace on the dives and felt very slow and not very maneuverable.
I had decent trim and buoyancy the whole time... but felt like I was really working to move through the water.
My question is, is this normal? Is CCR diving just a slower pace and being with OC divers caused the frustration and it would be more enjoyable if I was just with a CCR group going at a CCR pace?
I don't have any exposure to other units, but the se7en is big and bulky. Would I feel differently with another unit?
I ended up switching over to OC for a few dives when we would lion fish hunt because I didn't think I would be as maneuverable going in and out of crevices.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Thank you!

How many hours do you have on your unit?

 

[jehle]

My first question would be do you look like a blimp?

Fair question, but no. 5'10 170 lbs

 

[jehle]

How many hours do you have on your unit?

52 hours, but most of that time was in a cold dark quarry where I wasn't moving long distances

 

[mcohen1021]

Fair question, but no. 5'10 170 lbs

I know I know, I was only kidding

 

[davehicks]

What is a CCR pace? To me, all diving should be done at a slow pace. If you feel you can't keep up, then let them go. Find a group that is not in a rush to get through their dives.

 

[Still Kicking]

What is a CCR pace? To me, all diving should be done at a slow pace. If you feel you can't keep up, then let them go. Find a group that is not in a rush to get through their dives.

There's a saying in diving: The slower you go, the more you see.

 

[DiveLikeAMuppet]

Are you comparing yourself to experienced OC divers on a single cylinder? Yes they will be more nimble, they don’t haul a fridge on their back and bailout(s) and can change depth easily. On the other hand, you should be able to run circles around the average flutterkicking vacation diver with 10 dives a year in any config - maybe except backfinning, I find that sometimes tricky on a CCR due to different trim.

50 hours is I think still quite early into the journey, especially if most of those hours were diving in a quarry - it’s really important to stop diving OC for a while when you switch to CCR. OC is so so so tempting because it’s so much easier… CCR is generally slower and more task loaded than OC.

I’m at 250 hours and I do occasionally dive my twinset because it’s more “fun” - toss it in a car and dive it, no build and checks. Swim 10 meters head down or up - no problem because there are no counter lungs to manage, no PPO2 change and little gas in my suit. I guess feeling like a blimp is a good description .

If you were deep, you could also put some helium in your mix - CCR work of breathing is different to OC.

 

[JackZwykle]

Hi!
Looking for some guidance from you experienced folks.
I finally was able to get my Poseidon se7en into clear blue water of the Caribbean and out of the cold quarry for a week!!
It was amazing and I loved it.
I was diving with a mix of OC and CCR divers and felt like I was a big balloon in the water compared to them.
I was struggling to keep up the pace on the dives and felt very slow and not very maneuverable.
I had decent trim and buoyancy the whole time... but felt like I was really working to move through the water.
My question is, is this normal? Is CCR diving just a slower pace and being with OC divers caused the frustration and it would be more enjoyable if I was just with a CCR group going at a CCR pace?
I don't have any exposure to other units, but the se7en is big and bulky. Would I feel differently with another unit?
I ended up switching over to OC for a few dives when we would lion fish hunt because I didn't think I would be as maneuverable going in and out of crevices.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

Thank you!

1. I dive Se7en as my main unit and I can't see any difference in drag in comparison to other unit I have (SF2) or other BM units I've tried (JJ, AP).

2. Any CCR will have more drag and much more mass than a single 80AL. Put it on the scales and check. Even logically - you're taking one or two stages (already bigger) AND a spacesuit backfridge on your back. CM is somewhat a win here because for shallow dives you can ditch the stage and rely on backgas only. But it's still much more mass and drag than a single 80.

3. "I was with kids on pushbikes and me in my Land Rover - I was struggling to keep up". Well then go out with gang of Land Rovers.

4. You don't have to rush on CCR - so you see more, you can relax more. You have eons of time down there. They don't (!!!) I personally can't be bothered to dive in a "resort dipper" OC group - never noticed not being able to keep up, I noticed how neurotic their "ticking the boxes to see" was. They kept watching the pressure going down and it was making them rush, see half of what they were rushing by and finish the dive when I felt it was starting properly.

5. If drag is an issue for long distance dives (which I mostly do) - get a DPV. I can't image diving long distances without a DPV anymore.

6. Hard breathing and heavy excercise is considered dangerous on CCR, much more dangerous than OC. WOB induced hypercapnia, scrubber overshooting etc. It gets worse with depth, where Dynamic Airways Collapse can start. Don't try to race with anyone while wearing your superior tech.

7. I'm a beginner too, going on to 250 dives. Most of my dives are long range and long duration (but few are deep 50m+). I can tell you that you will have "little clicks" of experience at 100, 200 when the unit will feel more and more like just a part of you and you will become more nimble and faster than today. Little efficiency gains that compound - better trim, better organisation of stages and the clutter - less drag, better optimised maneuvering, etc.


Don't chase pushbikes in your limo.