Ascent Rates (How to..?)

[TSandM]

Well, you CAN do a continuous slow ascent. We often practice taking six minutes to surface from 20 feet. It can be done!

 

[Robert Gillcash]

Originally Posted by 261311One thing that I think seems to be glossed over is ascent rates, my RDP says 60 and that's what my PADI instructor reinforced but I've read people with ascent rates as low as 10fpm and my curiousity is how is that physically achievable? Even with the best buoyancy it would seem like if you performed any movement you would exceed that very quickly. Does one have to take frequent breaks from a very slow kick to achieve something this slow? How does that work?

QUOTE=the wart;6681627]Your RDP doesn't really say 60fpm/ 18mpm. What is says is that, in testing, the RDP participants were able to ascend at those rates with those NDL times without decompression sickness. However since neither you or I or anyone else I've met was involved in those trials it is safer to err on the side of caution.[/QUOTE]

To clarify a bit further, it says a Maximum of 60fpm. Try for 30. Be safe.

 

[ScubaInChicago]

To clarify a bit further, it says a Maximum of 60fpm. Try for 30. Be safe.

Try for 10, you can always slack off and do 30 any day of the week.

 

[PfcAJ]

You don't want to be doing 10fpm off the bottom.

 

[Diver0001]

Try for 10, you can always slack off and do 30 any day of the week.

10 feet per minute from the bottom is too slow.

The current best practice is go for 30 feet per min (10 metres per min) until you're at 1/2 of your maximum depth and to slow down somewhat after that.

R..

 

[Peter69_56]

The last 10 ft (3 m) of the dive being the most critical. Apparently stats say that many divers exceed 60 ft/min in the last 10 ft in the rush to end the dive. Worst spot to do this unfortunately.

 

[ScubaInChicago]

OP states they're OW certified with <1,000,000 dives. 10fpm sounds pretty good coming from 60'. 280' would be a slightly different profile.