Buoyancy practice for beginners

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myself

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Hi, I'm a new diver and one of my goals is to improve my buoyancy control, however there are no classes for that in my area as far as I know and I'm not sure that I would be able to attend one anyway. My question is: What are some practice exercises that I can use to improve my buoyancy skills?
 
1. Proper weighting (many videos on Youtube on that)
2. Breathing control - also lots on Youtube on this
3. Go diving with a more experienced diver that at least can give practical tips and some feedback on your trim in the water

I am sure other members will have more precise tips and suggestions for buoyancy practice.

My final one (or two, really): be subtle and patient. Subtle in the sense of not adding too much gas to your BC or letting too much go at once (the same with your lungs). Patience: let physics do its thing. It may take a second or two for your body to stop sinking when you inhale a larger amount of air, for example. Don't pump extra air into your BC just yet, but give everything a chance to react first.
 
the best things that you can do are:
- to do any exercise you want (gas sharing, SMB deployment, makes removal or whatever) while neutrally buoyant and controlling your trim
- practice controlled ascent from 10m to the surface

However, before doing these exercises, it is important that you ensure you can do them safely, and only an instructor (or a sufficiently experienced diver) could tell it to you.

By the way, how did you do all the open water class's skills? kneeling on the bottom or neutrally buoyant?
 
Hi, I'm a new diver and one of my goals is to improve my buoyancy control, however there are no classes for that in my area as far as I know and I'm not sure that I would be able to attend one anyway. My question is: What are some practice exercises that I can use to improve my buoyancy skills?

What dive sites do you have available or pool only right now?
 
If you are going to play in a pool or on a training platform, I would recommend putting a GoPro or similar on a cheap (don't care if it gets trashed) tripod with a weight to hold it down or clamped to the pool step.... what feels like good trim is often not it, and seeing yourself on film (from a stable camera angle, rather than a buddies wobbly camera work) will help with self critique (not just on trim and buoyancy but also skills like reg recovery, DSMB deployment, mask clearing, etc.)

Respectfully,

James
 
Good buoyancy comes with practice. My recommendation is look for a pool, suit up with all gear, and start with shallow dives, practice in/out breathing, horizontal positioning, and check how many weights you are using. If you find yourself lifting upright your BCD could be providing lift-up with too much weight below your center of balance, or your tank position may be too low and need adjusting.

Follow this simple steps to get you started:
  • Deflate completely your BCD before lying flat on your stomach on the bottom
  • Take a breath and show that you are not going up
  • Add a little bit of air in your BCD with the inflator button and repeat the breathing in and out part. You will likely gain some buoyancy but maybe not enough
  • Repeat previous step until you become neutrally buoyant and you start rising slowly as you are breathing in
  • Show that you are slowing rising and falling as you are breathing in and out. There is a delay between breathing in and rising
  • Keep your arms tuck as you are doing so, so only breathing is controlling your buoyancy. You should not touch the bottom with your chest or hands either after achieving neutral buoyancy
 
Hi, I'm a new diver and one of my goals is to improve my buoyancy control, however there are no classes for that in my area as far as I know and I'm not sure that I would be able to attend one anyway. My question is: What are some practice exercises that I can use to improve my buoyancy skills?

Are you sure there aren’t any PADI instructors in your area that can do Peak Performance Buoyancy? I did this course when I got my first set of gear and found it extremely helpful. It’s no classroom and 2 dives.
 
the best things that you can do are:
- to do any exercise you want (gas sharing, SMB deployment, makes removal or whatever) while neutrally buoyant and controlling your trim
- practice controlled ascent from 10m to the surface

However, before doing these exercises, it is important that you ensure you can do them safely, and only an instructor (or a sufficiently experienced diver) could tell it to you.

By the way, how did you do all the open water class's skills? kneeling on the bottom or neutrally buoyant?
we would generally have a mix of the two, some we were on a platform and some we were free floating.
 
myself,

Do you have access to a pool? I find it relaxing and informative to try floating on your back without moving. Experiment with different arm and leg positions to see how that effects your trim. Legs straight vs. knees bent. Arms to your sides vs. over your head, etc. Feel the effects of your breathing too.

I'm not sure others will agree but I think this gives you the idea of the stability that is possible. In any event it's very relaxing. If you come close to falling asleep it may annoy the lifeguard (or at least if you're around my age).
 
What dive sites do you have available or pool only right now?
mostly a pool, all the local water is frozen in January.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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