Buoyancy question how do you maintain a sitting hover?

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FishWatcher747

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So I have been boat diving with a guide in the water with 2-8 customers quite a bit recently. The guide will often stop, turn around in a sitting position to count their customers and see if anyone needs help, ask for a gas check, point things out etc.

Now I have tried this position and find it incredibly hard to maintain. Hard to not descend and seems to want to put me all the way on my back. Not a skill taught in any of my courses. I can't find a video online to teach this skill. Seems like a useful skill to be able to do.

Second buoyancy question. Is it just me or have others noted that it is easier to be a little positively buoyant so you maintain neutrality by a little longer exhale? It seems when I am neutral or negatively buoyant I am wasting gas by inhaling to maintain a certain position.
 
I did quite a bit of sitting position neutral buoyancy in my refresher course. It's not difficult if you are properly weighted....
 
it's not a position that you typically get into. If I'm leading I tend to go a bit head down and look between my legs to see what is behind me. Sitting doesn't exactly encourage good body position. As far as how to do it, a lot of it is making sure that your rig is balanced to allow you to do it comfortably with ballast in the right positions. If you want to go on your back then it means you need more lead up front.

As far as buoyancy, a lot of it is personal preference on where you prefer to "hold" your breath. I'm a musician so my lungs are much happier with big inhale and a very long and slow exhale, similar to playing bagpipes/sax/singing/etc that my body is accustomed to. My BC is typically set to a mid breath and that way I can initiate an ascent or descent depending on where I pause in the breathing cycle, but I wouldn't say that I am a bit positive or negative. Your breathing cycle shouldn't be so long that you are really feeling that on every breath though.
 
Properly weighted, weight placement and body position.
I weight myself to be in trim, not to hold "goofy" positions. You kind of contort yourself to hold those positions.
For my torso to remain upright and remain in a sitting position, I have to extend my legs slightly past 90. If my legs are hanging vertical or back toward my butt, I roll back.
Your can make yourself sit in a chair, kick your feet up in a recliner or laydown and take a nap. It's all about placement and weighting.
 
I've never thought about hovering sitting. I usually hover vertically, sometimes horizontally. By sitting does that mean the Bhudda position?
 
double post.
 
No buddha position. Torso vertical. Legs splayed out some and raised 45 degrees. Sometimes doing a sculling motion with fins seemingly to avoid descending.
 
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Quite easy to do. Buoyancy is buoyancy if you are sinking add more air to your bcd.

You should be able to descend or ascend or maintain buoyancy from changing the amount of air in your lungs.

 
Properly weighted, weight placement and body position.
I weight myself to be in trim, not to hold "goofy" positions. You kind of contort yourself to hold those positions.

Trim is what ever position you need to be in for what you want to do.
 

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