Descending...

[DandyDon]

warren_l once bubbled...


True, but adding more weight in Erik's situation may be necessary to help assure neutral buoyancy at the end of the dive since he seems to be neutrally buoyant at the beginning of the dive. Adding more weight would aid in helping him descend, but that would not be the main reason adding the weight, and does not preclude him from mastering breathing to control his descents (being negatively buyoyant at the beginning would probably mean having some air still in the bc on descent). Not having to fight to stay down for a safety stop would be one big reason to add more weight.

Getting down is only part of it; staying down for the safety stop is important, too.

Eric, are you maybe new at Scuba? Your Profile doesn't say?? If so, you doing great to address your questions here. For now:
(1) Add enough weight that you'll sink easily with empty BC, adding a couple of pounds at a time. (Sorry - typical American; only speak one language and don't understand kilograms.)
(2) Double check that you can stay down around 15 ft/5 meters (that one I can do) when you have 500 pounds (is that 34 bars?)
(3) Relax and have fun.
(4) And as you get more experienced and more relaxed see if you can stay down with a nearly empty tank and less weight. As you learn to relax, you'll need less. Don't worry about why for now, but "a peak performance buoancy class" is not a bad idea.

I take a lot of weight (14-16 pounds in salt water without a wetsuit, depending on whether I've eaten beans lately or not), but that's probably my adipose ratio. Fat, that is. Still, we were doing swim throughs in Cozumel last week, and I was increasing my inhaling and exhaling to adjust boyancy in the overhead passages. Neat feeling, when you get there.

have fun!! don

 

[Warren_L]

dandydon once bubbled...


Getting down is only part of it; staying down for the safety stop is important, too.
don

That's exactly my point. Neutral at the surface at the beginning = positive at the surface at the end.

 

[Seadiver5]

It's my personal feeling that everyone should weight themselves heavy, Here in the northwest I would say to do so by about 3 lbs.

This insures no problems with decents, free ascent safety stops, small increases in insulative layers and the occasional small personal weight gain..

Remember that the concept of "neutral Buoyancy" came from the days when there were no floatation devices to overcome negative buoyancy.

After diving for 30 years I can tell you that the most frustrated divers you will encounter are the ones who are scrambling between dives to remove or add a pound of weight to insure neutral buoyancy.

Add a few pounds and just don't worry about it. after all it's trim that is more important anyway and if you are properly trimmed you won't even notice the extra weight.

Kevin Parkhurst
IDEA Instructor 3402

 

[Arnaud]

Seadiver5 once bubbled...
It's my personal feeling that everyone should weight themselves heavy, Here in the northwest I would say to do so by about 3 lbs.

This insures no problems with decents, free ascent safety stops, small increases in insulative layers and the occasional small personal weight gain..

Remember that the concept of "neutral Buoyancy" came from the days when there were no floatation devices to overcome negative buoyancy.

After diving for 30 years I can tell you that the most frustrated divers you will encounter are the ones who are scrambling between dives to remove or add a pound of weight to insure neutral buoyancy.

Add a few pounds and just don't worry about it. after all it's trim that is more important anyway and if you are properly trimmed you won't even notice the extra weight.

Kevin Parkhurst
IDEA Instructor 3402

Being overweighted is just as bad as being underweighted, no matter where you dive. Can't trade one for the other.

Maybe, you should try to remove those 3# and see how it feels.

 

[d33ps1x]

warren_l once bubbled...


True, but adding more weight in Erik's situation may be necessary to help assure neutral buoyancy at the end of the dive since he seems to be neutrally buoyant at the beginning of the dive. Adding more weight would aid in helping him descend, but that would not be the main reason adding the weight, and does not preclude him from mastering breathing to control his descents (being negatively buyoyant at the beginning would probably mean having some air still in the bc on descent). Not having to fight to stay down for a safety stop would be one big reason to add more weight.

I mentioned a proper buoyancy check will sort things out. So it will. If it doesn't then there are some issues with relaxing and controlling ones lung volume at the beginning of the dive (breaking the surface). Provided a proper buoyancy check was performed this is also true.

I also suggested that there was plenty of info on the board among other places on how to properly perform one.

I maintain this position.

 

[MikeFerrara]

As other have mentioned proper weighting makes things much easier. Being too light causes the obvious problem of not being able to stay down at some point during the dive.

Being too heavy will cause you to have to adjust more ofthen. As Seadiver5 mentioned a little extra weight isn't the end of the world of you're trimmed but you shouldn't have it if you have a choice. When I wear my doubles and a couple stages I'm overweighted but there isn't any way around it unless I leave some gas behind and I'd rather not. This isn't the case for most divers though so the best is to get weighted right. Don't use weight as a skill substitute.

Threads like this concern me because every one should get lots of practice and coaching in their descent technique in their entry level class. The descent is one of the times during a dive when you need to be the most alert and in control. It's one of those dynamic times in a dive where you or a buddy is most likely to have a problem. You don't need to be seperated when that happens and you don't want to be so busy putzing with you're descent that you don't notice that your buddy has had a free flow and shot to the sutface leaving you alone at the bottom waiting.

In a two person team we descend face to face or side by side (I prefer face to face). In a team of three we descend face to face in a star like formation. Every one can see every one. It's done in a horizontal position. Besides allowing more control over the descent you are in the best position to get to your buddy or even to adjust the distance between you. Simply kick to close the gap or reverse frog to move further away. We ascend the same way.

To test yourself, see if you can describe your buddies descent and ascent in detail after the dive.

How they can certify people before they can descent as a buddy pair is beyond me. Few divers have any trouble just swimming around the bottom. It's getting there and back that's the worry.

 

[fgray1]

Well it seems to me that with all the back yard instuctors on the board here. The guy will be more confused than before he started.
Put weight on
Take weight off.
Set your trim.
Desend like this
desend like that.
How rediculous can we get.
TAKE THE CLASS AND LEARN FROM SOMEONE THAT KNOWS AND CAN TEACH AND SPEND THE TIME WITH YOU GETTING IT RIGHT.
These guys answers only serve to confuse you.
Fred

 

[Warren_L]

d33ps1x once bubbled...


I mentioned a proper buoyancy check will sort things out. So it will. If it doesn't then there are some issues with relaxing and controlling ones lung volume at the beginning of the dive (breaking the surface). Provided a proper buoyancy check was performed this is also true.

I also suggested that there was plenty of info on the board among other places on how to properly perform one.

I maintain this position.

I'm not disagreeing - just saying that they are not mutually exclusive. And that doesn't change the fact he still needs more weight if he is indeed neutral at the start of the dive.

 

[Warren_L]

fgray1 once bubbled...
Well it seems to me that with all the back yard instuctors on the board here. The guy will be more confused than before he started.
Put weight on
Take weight off.
Set your trim.
Desend like this
desend like that.
How rediculous can we get.
TAKE THE CLASS AND LEARN FROM SOMEONE THAT KNOWS AND CAN TEACH AND SPEND THE TIME WITH YOU GETTING IT RIGHT.
These guys answers only serve to confuse you.
Fred

You may be right, but I don't think anyone (even the instructors) claimed to be instructors. And the thread starter did ask for our advice. Were we to ignore him?

 

[MikeFerrara]

fgray1 once bubbled...
Well it seems to me that with all the back yard instuctors on the board here. The guy will be more confused than before he started.
Put weight on
Take weight off.
Set your trim.
Desend like this
desend like that.
How rediculous can we get.
TAKE THE CLASS AND LEARN FROM SOMEONE THAT KNOWS AND CAN TEACH AND SPEND THE TIME WITH YOU GETTING IT RIGHT.
These guys answers only serve to confuse you.
Fred

I think he already took a class that's supposed to teach descents. What did I miss? Which class are you suggesting and why should he need it?