Buoyancy Tips...

[paradicio]

Hey Everyone,

I wanted to see if I could get some feedback from the wealth of knowledge this board has to offer; specifically on the topic of buoyancy…

I am new to diving and taking my PADI OW course. My instructor is fantastic and has really just been a wealth of information. We’ve completed our classroom work and have done 2 confined water dives. We attempted a beach dive this past Sunday, but the surge was too strong to work on any skills so our instructor called the dive and we went back ashore.

As I’m learning and getting more comfortable in the water I am seeing how all important buoyancy control is. I can’t imagine trying to navigate my way through a reef, a wreck, or even being able to keep myself off the floor being as clumsy as I currently am under the water.

Our final pool dive is coming up, and with most of our skills already completed I planned on taking the rest of the time to work on my buoyancy.

I am 6foot 2inches tall 208lbs, and am wearing 30lbs of weight in my BC. I also have a 2lb ankle weight on each foot. I’m heavy and I know it.

Here is the issue I’m currently running into…

I can lie down on the bottom of the pool with my BC completely empty, and add small amounts of air until I begin to float a bit. The problem is, once I begin to float a bit it’s off to the surface I go… I seem to go from negatively buoyant to floaty man in no time flat, I can’t seem to find the happy medium.

So…if any of you vets out there have some buoyancy tips for a newbie I would very much appreciate it!

Thanks!

 

[Steve50]

Are you wearing a wetsuit in the pool? how thick?

 

[The Kraken]

Welcome to the wonderful world of scuba diving and welcome to ScubaBoard !!!

Sounds as if you're approaching your buoyancy tasks in a good and proper manner.

When you're on the bottom and adding air to your B/C, do it in very, very quick, small bursts. Once you've put air in the B/C, give yourself some time to assess how much air you've added. It takes several seconds for the added air in your B/C to overcome the inertia at rest of your body and also the resistance of the water.

Keep in mind, too, that you are at a depth that is probably the most sensitive to changes in the volume of gas in your B/C.

Stay the course . . . you'll get it. As you're doing this, at some point make sure you do it with a nearly empty tank (500 psi or so)

the K

 

[SparticleBrane]

Are you venting air/exhaling if you start to rise up?

 

[PerroneFord]

I'm guessing you're wearing about twice as much lead as you probably need. Thirty pounds? I' 6'0", 245# and wear no weight.

 

[paradicio]

Thanks for the tips! I'm wearing a 7mm wetsuit (overkill for the pool I know, but in the CA waters that's most likely what I'll be wearing, so I figure I better get used to it). I did pass my fin pivot and hover skills (fairly easily), but once I go from being stationary to moving I start to float...

I am working on my breathing, and am assuming that will be a rather large part of maintaining neutral buoyancy. But once I start going up it's over, breathe in or breathe out I'm going up...

 

[Oregon Duck]

I think it's more realistic to work on buoyancy between surface and bottom. The instructors use 'bottom bouncing' as a tool to introduce new divers to fine tuning and controlling buoyancy with the BC, but (for me) the real trick is controlling it as you move up and down the column of water as increased depth compresses air and suit and decreases buoyancy. So I recommend you practice arresting your descent before you reach the bottom of the pool and adjusting your buoyancy to neutral there.

Another thing to try is tapping your inflate button on your BC rather than holding it down. There's no reason you shouldn't be able to 'tap-tap-tap' your self to neutral buoyancy without shooting to the surface.

 

[PerroneFord]

The more air in your BC, the easier it is to lose control of your buoyancy. The shallower you are, the more easily you lose control of buoyancy. The trick is catching it early. You have to stay ahead of the game in order not to lose control.

Many people begin to hold their breath when they start to work/swim. I'm betting that's where your problem is.

 

[Eskasi]

I say this as a newbie so correct me if I am wrong....

I found that controlling buoyancy is about controlling breathing. Any dufus can add or subtract air from a bc....but the lung control and capacity is the key to fine tuning (right?)

I breathe as normal and always make sure that I add enough air only to keep me neutral at an exhale....a quick deep inhale pulls me up and a extended exhape does the opposite...this way, I keep breathing (so easy for a newbie to forget) and also I learn to not fiddle with my bc...

Now, I could be wrong but I am assuming this is what should come as 2nd nature after a while and is the correct way to handle buoyancy control.

If I am wrong, please advise! I have only had under 10 dives under my belt and am waiting to go on my vacation to do 25 more!

 

[SparticleBrane]

32lbs?! Good gracious! :11: I'd say...take at least 10 of that off and try again.