Question on Safety Stop Buoyancy Abilities

What is your current level of vertical movement in the water column for a safety stop

  • Have to hold onto down (anchor) line or dive float line to maintain accurate depth

  • Visual Reference only 5ft / 1.5m or greater

  • Visual Reference only 4ft / 1.2m or greater

  • Visual Reference only 3ft / 1.0m or greater

  • Visual Reference only 2ft / 0.6 or greater

  • Visual Reference only 1ft / 0.3m or greater

  • Visual Reference only 1ft / 0.3m OR LESS

  • I'm happy with my current ability

  • I want to improve


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Can consistently do +- 1 ft without loading, +- 2 with most loading scenarios (DSMB, mask, pony switches). I'd like to be better. Average under 25 dives/yr during the last decade but on a base of ~1200. Typically the first couple of dives of the season are... "rougher". :wink:
 
Under normal conditions I do 100+ dives a year, run the BSAC buoyancy & trim workshop 2 or 3 times a year. Even put the lead instructor of the dive operator I last used in Thailand through it in 2019. Hold the stop +/- 0.3m. That said I’ve also nearly broken the +/- 2.0m on occasion.

I’ve had instructors completely loose it when task loaded, dropping from 6m to 12m when removing/refitting their mask.
 
So, I voted for 1 ft, I take that as +/- 1 ft. When I am drift diving in SE FL, and have my flag, it is easy to have almost no movement at all. I am PADI rescue and SDI solo, a few over 2000 dives.
 
With visual reference like hovering over a shallow reef, a wall, near an anchor line etc, +- 0.3m

Without visual reference like in the blue, more like +- 1.0m. It's much harder for me to maintain constant depth with the laggy feedback from a dive computer.
 
In my early days i had to hold,onto,something. I learned to let go of whatever I was holding onto because it became too crowded with other divers hanging on during the safety stop.

It can be a bit of a challenge when the wind is strong and the waves are high.
 
As there are particles in the water going up and done, I have a plus/minus one foot plus some inches. I have to really not be paying attention to go two feet up or down.
 
Here is the SS part of a dive I did this morning:

upload_2021-5-31_15-41-31.png


It was the end of a typical solo dive of mine (shore dive, 30m max, about 50min duration, 34% nitrox - perfectly calm surface). Usually at SS I find my exit point and then wonder around 5m for 5 minutes looking at the sea bed. I don't pay too much attention to my depth hence occasionally I fall below 6m but usually just briefly.
I have 2 dive computers:
- Cressi Newton which is quite liberal with SS (it counts 3 minutes and if you go below 6m during SS it just pauses counting and resumes once you are above 6m). I always clear this DC's SS as minimum.
- divecomputer.eu which is very strict with SS (one moment below 6m and it resets the whole 5 minutes counter). Occasionally (like today - it reset the counter 4:20 into the SS) I end the dive before I clear the SS of this DC.

If I pay 100% of my attention to my depth I think I can hold it within 30cm/1foot (with good conditions) for 5 minutes. Problem is I get bored easily holding position and when I start moving/looking around my depth inevitably fluctuates.
I can also hold position doing simple things (mask cleaning/removal, dsmb release, pony removal/replace etc), but I am not that good yet with more complicated tasks (eg. bpw removal/replace).

I have 280 dives and AN/DP although 99.99% of my dives are within rec limits (occasionally solo)

Keep in mind I haven't been in SB for few days hence I was not aware of this thread. Next dive, I will intentionaly try to hold position within 0.3m/1ft to see.
 

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