Descending too fast

[Bubbletrubble]

Along the same lines as Web Monkey's recommendations, turn it into a game. Can you halt your descent and hover at a depth of 10 ft.? OK. What about 15 ft. and 20 ft.? Now try to hover at 30 ft. Breaking up your descent like this will guarantee that you are descending under control. At any point during a dive (descent, ascent, finning along the bottom), you should be able to establish neutral buoyancy. That's critical to diving under control.

If you are properly weighted, you should be able to descend very easily (provided that you aren't trapping any air in your wetsuit or BCD). The way I weight myself, I'm negatively buoyant by the weight of my gas at the beginning of the dive -- that's between 6 and 7.5 pounds depending on the tank used. With a deep exhale, I descend very easily regardless of body position (feet-first, head-first, horizontal). That being said, adopting a horizontal position will create more drag and should make it easier to slow down descents/ascents. That's what many of us do.

Assuming that you don't have any air-trapping issues (wetsuit or BCD) and that you're properly weighted, I can see one of two things complicating your initial descent:

1. Unintentional finning -- If you are trying to descend feet-first and you're kicking a little, it's no surprise that you won't sink! For this reason, many instructors recommend that you cross your ankles/feet at the beginning of descent. This is a very common problem among novice divers.
2. Inappropriate breathing patterns -- I've gone diving with newer divers who hold their breath while they dump air from their BCD. By the time their BCD is empty, they have to breathe again so they inhale deeply. Then they hold their breath again. They aren't sinking, so they get nervous. They start to breathe more rapidly and shallow. It's no wonder they can't sink! (I think TSandM mentioned this in a recent SB thread.) Try this. Inhale deeply while you dump air from your BCD. Once your BCD is completely empty, you should still be at the surface since your lungs are now full. Now exhale slowly and fully. You'll be surprised how easily you descend.

It can be more difficult to manage your descent while night diving. There's more task-loading involved. You're futzing with a light, monitoring your gauges, and trying to keep tabs on your buddy. That's a lot to deal with. I'd recommend practicing buoyancy control during the day first. Being able to juggle it all will get easier with practice.

As Peter Guy advised, add little puffs of air early and often to moderate your descent. The deeper you go, the larger (or more frequent) those puffs will get. This becomes abundantly clear if you dive to 100+ fsw while wearing a thick wetsuit. I've done my fair share of diving with novices who can't control their descent. (Heck, I had the same issue when I first picked up the sport.) They transform into odd-looking dirt darts...creating impressive silt clouds at the bottom. The secret is small puffs...early and often. Remember that.

Have fun out there...

 

[SteveR1952]

The OP was asking about descending too fast at night. Night dives can be "interesting" for buoyancy control since your view of the bottom and/or surface and other references is greatly diminished. Judging descent speeds can be tough unless you watch your gauges and keep at a reasonably rate (one that you can control). Descending feet first allows you some safety margin for crashing into stuff on the way to the bottom or near the bottom and gives you a bit more warning time to arrest your descent before crashing into the bottom. A horizontal descent is great if you are already under control or to get control but gives you little reaction time if you are about to crash into an object obscured by darkness (like the bottom or rocks, reefs, airplanes, etc.) along your descent path.

Go slow and be sure you shine your light down as much as possible while checking your gauges as you descend. As the others have said...keep it slow and keep it under control and eventually you won't have the bottom crashing issues at night or during restricted visibility dives. Good buoyancy control is good diving no matter what the conditions.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

Hi Salub,

I find it easier day or night, to control my descent in a horizontal, flared position. At night, I keep my light pointed at the bottom. The "sky diver" position provides the most "drag" for both ascents and descents, thus making control easier. Like Peter mentioned, I start vertical, but rotate almost immediately into a horizontal position as I descend. I've found this makes it MUCH easier to control (and stop if needed) the descent.

Best wishes.

 

[fisheater]

And don't forget that your ears will be a very good depth gauge during your first 20 feet or so of descent.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The OP was asking about descending too fast at night. Night dives can be "interesting" for buoyancy control since your view of the bottom and/or surface and other references is greatly diminished. Judging descent speeds can be tough unless you watch your gauges and keep at a reasonably rate (one that you can control). Descending feet first allows you some safety margin for crashing into stuff on the way to the bottom or near the bottom and gives you a bit more warning time to arrest your descent before crashing into the bottom. A horizontal descent is great if you are already under control or to get control but gives you little reaction time if you are about to crash into an object obscured by darkness (like the bottom or rocks, reefs, airplanes, etc.) along your descent path.

Go slow and be sure you shine your light down as much as possible while checking your gauges as you descend. As the others have said...keep it slow and keep it under control and eventually you won't have the bottom crashing issues at night or during restricted visibility dives. Good buoyancy control is good diving no matter what the conditions.

This is obviously what you were taught in your OW class. Let me say this. It;s a load of BS. A horizontal descent gives you much more control over your rate, is infinitely easier to adjust, and is one helluva lot safer with regards to objects below. A feet first descent is used by divers who have not been taught proper buoyancy control and trim in OW class. Unfortunately that is too many people out there today.

Especially at night. Horizontal you are able to look down and shine your light and see the sharp rock, piece of jagged metal that will punch right thru the bottom of your boot or suit leg, the stonefish (This was on one of my dives in the keys), or the ray buried in the sand and give you time to react. If you cannot do horizontal ascents and descents stick with using a line and diving during the day.

Vertical descents and ascents for that matter are much harder to control if they start getting out of hand. Why do you think the advice if things do go screwy is to flare the body. It gives you more control! Flare in the first place and it's a non issue. I teach my students to be vertical for the first 5-8 feet of a descent then get horizontal to the bottom. On ascent it's horizontal til 10-15 feet, get NEUTRAL, get vertical enough to look up and around for boats, docks, other divers, etc. Then do your stop HORIZONTAL, followed by a nice slow ascent to the surface. If on a line yeah they can get upright, if no line and no overhead hazards- come up horizontal till that last few feet.

It is also easier to monitor rates and use your gauges if you are laying out flat. Even with a line at night a horizontal descent is preferred. But this is assuming your buoyancy is good to start with. If you are still having issues with buoyancy then work on that before doing any night or low vis dives. There is no trick to descending at night. You just use different references- gauges, lights, other divers, line if there is one, even marine life. Look like a diver, act like a diver, soon you will think like one. The longer it takes to do that the longer it takes to learn.

 

[dseiden]

How do you start your descent? Try not letting quite as much air out of your BC to begin with, and remember there is often a delay in what you do with the BC to you rising/sinking. Let out a few little puffs of air, give it a few seconds to let you start descending, and if you want to go further then let more air out. If you feel you're going too fast then add some air back in small puffs.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Wow, you guys make it sound so hard. I often just flip over and swim toward the bottom. After I get going, I will descend faster and faster and I can stop swimming. As I approach the bottom, I flare and add air;.... or sometimes I just crash into the bottom, stand up, add air, equalize my ears a final time, clear my mask, take a piss, and then try to figure out where the hell my buddy is.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

DAMN I NEEDED THAT! That's why you are a dumpster diver! :shocked2:The hell with form all that matters is getting down and getting funky!!!:cool2::fro:

 

[DwayneJ]

First, I don't now if you are renting or you own your gear - Dive regularly with gear you are familiar with - adding air to your wing is while equalizing descending becomes instinctive. Practice horizontal descent and arriving 3-4ft above the bottom with correct buoyancy.

My buddy and I night dive for lobsters 2-3 times a week. We establish a course we are going to swim and set our compasses on the boat before we jump in. Once we a descending, the assumption is its "game on" as soon as we can see the bottom. No time to be playing with buoyancy.

As long as you have buoyancy control as you arrive 4ft above the bottom and you are staying close to your buddy, you are not descending too fast.

 

[fnfalman]

If you're properly weighted then you wouldn't drop like a rock.

But like others said, descend with a horizontal body trim and flare your legs and arms out (starfish) to slow your descend rate even more. Inflate BC slightly as you go down. A small squirt here and there.