Buoyancy

[Beej1123]

I am new to diving.....just certified in March and now working towards my AOW. The one area I need work on is my buoyancy. I was actually in the pool this past weekend doing a photography session and I could not keep buoyant. My problem seems to be that I keep falling over to the right side. I had the same problem while trying to do my hover. My weights are distributed evenly, what could be causing this and any suggesstions besides practice on how to correct it.

Thanks
Bernadette

P.S. Also looking for any single divers in the PA area.

 

[String]

Move more weight to the left hand side to cancel it.
Make sure nothing dumb like a heavy torch or something in the BC pocket on the right hand side.

 

[MikeFerrara]

Are you trying to hover in a vertical position? Try it in a horizontal position. If you must hover in a vertical position...balance...don't be to passive about it.

 

[halocline]

If there's any air in your BC, I suppose it's possible that for some reason all the air is congregating in the left side of the bladder. Try a few different BCs and see what happens. One other thing, although this is a little personal....is there any reason you can think of that your left lung would expand more and take more air in?

I also assume that if you were snorkeling with some weights to achieve neutral bouyancy, this problem of falling to the right would not happen, is that right? If that's the case, there's something off balance with the weights/air bladder, or possibly the orientation of the tank, assuming it's an AL80 and not too full.

If you're putting weights on your hips, especially toward your back, and wearing a traditional vest style BC, and keeping substantial air in it, there's a tendency for the weights (on your back) to want to sink and the air (around your chest) to want to rise. This is sometimes called "turtleing" and will make you tend to roll over. If there's a slight imbalance you'll roll the same way every time. One of commonly cited advantages of a back inflate style BC (or BP harness/wings) is that they are less prone to make this happen.

With all that said, I think most divers would agree that bouyancy control is probably the most involved learning curve for new divers. You want to work towards diving with less weight and less air in your BC, and learn to fine control bouyancy with your breath.

 

[Stirling]

I am new to diving.....just certified in March and now working towards my AOW. The one area I need work on is my buoyancy. I was actually in the pool this past weekend doing a photography session and I could not keep buoyant. My problem seems to be that I keep falling over to the right side. I had the same problem while trying to do my hover. My weights are distributed evenly, what could be causing this and any suggesstions besides practice on how to correct it.

First, be clear about the distinction between buoyancy and trim (and posture) in the water. Neutral buoyancy is one distinct goal; balance and good trim are other, related, goals. But if you are neutrally buoyant, you wouldn't want to fix a problem of balance by adding or removing weight. So distinguish the two. Make sure you are properly weighted (carrying the correct amount of weight) first, and then work on perfecting how it should be distributed.

Second, if you had air in your BC when this was happening, pay attention to your posture in the water; for example, if you are rolling your body when you turn your head, you may be causing a tilt that is aggravated by the air in the BC shifting and floating one side of your body higher than the other.

Third, if you did *not* have air in your BC when this was happening (so point number two was not a factor), remember that the point is to be balanced and well-trimmed in the water, so that you can maintain your desired posture without effort. That isn't the same thing as having your weights "evenly distributed." Who cares if the weights are evenly spaced and distributed around your body? What matters is the result. If you are consistently flopping over to the right, move some of the weight on that side closer to the center of your body, or use different sized weights on the left and right to redistribute the weight you're carrying.

In the end, the real answer is to experiment with your weight distribution until you can hover in one place while remaining still. If you have to be working at it to keep your body from rolling over, move the weights around a little bit at a time to relieve yourself of the struggle to maintain your posture.

Pay attention to the results on yaw (rolling left or right) and pitch (head up or down in relation to your feet) when horizontal, remember that weight can be moved around your body as well as up or down your body, and try to avoid moving weight out to the extremes - the farther away it is from your center of gravity, the more likely it is to roll you one way or another. I would always try to make adjustments by moving some weight *toward* the center of gravity first, rather than moving weight on the opposite side farther away from your center of gravity.

 

[Walter]

It may be as simple as how you position your body. Without watching you, there's really no way to tell.

 

[TechBlack]

it sounds more like a trim problem than a bouyancy problem, if you are rolling to one side, try moving some of the weight to your back. if possible, try a steel tank, or if you have trim pockets on the back of your bc, try placing weight there. there are alot of variables to your problem, try experimenting with different configurations until you find one that works for you... good luck!!

 

[H2Andy]

The one area I need work on is my buoyancy.

don't feel bad, this is THE biggest problem for most if not all divers. hey,
at least you KNOW your bouyancy and trim need work. lots of divers don't ever
realize that!

experience helps, as well as working with someone who has awesome bouyancy and
trim who can work with you.

if you make a dive or two concentrating on bouyancy and trim with an instructor who
knows what they are doing, that will go a long way towards making your bouyancy better. also, you could take the "peak performance class" or equivalent from
a dive shop, but how much you get out ot if will depend on the instructor.

most of all, have patience with yourself. if you are working on it, it will come.

 

[Curt Bowen]

I am new to diving.....just certified in March and now working towards my AOW. The one area I need work on is my buoyancy. I was actually in the pool this past weekend doing a photography session and I could not keep buoyant. My problem seems to be that I keep falling over to the right side. I had the same problem while trying to do my hover. My weights are distributed evenly, what could be causing this and any suggesstions besides practice on how to correct it.

Thanks
Bernadette

P.S. Also looking for any single divers in the PA area.

It might be your BCD and not you? Just because its called a BCD, does not mean it possitions you in the optimal neutral possition.

Certain types of BCD possition you much better than others. (Fins 3-6 inches above your head) Other factors also affecting your bouyancy are the equipment you carry, weight of your fins, type of cylinder on your back, hood, etc....

The best BCD's are those who have lift mostly on their backs only, such as wing type. Those with lift along your sides tend to sit you upright.

I can hear the typical OW instructor responce I have heard a thousand times already. What if you passed out? wings will hold you face in the water. LOL If you pass out your face will always be in the water no matter the BCD.

Of course there are those who will argue with me, but i would put my bouyancy skills up with the best of them.