DIR tips and tricks

[Ayisha]

A tip for the Fundies course might be to practice hovering perfectly flat and motionless at various depths with a good like-minded mentor, preferably on video so you can review it.

Get neutral, stretch out flat with your face forward and without correcting with your fins, see if you remain flat or start tipping head down or up. Move your tank, weights, the air in your bc, etc. to correct your position as necessary. Then work on remaining flat and motionless at varying increments shallower and deeper. Being stable, in trim and not kicking or sculling at all is crucial to performing the tasks and then multi-tasking in the Fundies course and beyond. It sounds easy but most people need lots of practice prior to the Fundies course.

 

[datapunk]

One trick that Richard Walker showed me in my Fundies was to put the fins together. Think of your foot soles on each other. That way, the fins can't go up or down as easily. If you are like me, you won't be able to actually put the soles together, but it is enough if the rims of the fins are touching. Also, slow is fast

 

[Patoux01]

Hmm would it be possible to get that rephrased datapunk? I didn't quite get it.

 

[lucca brassi]

You know trick if you blow up SMB and youspool incidentally release from your hands ?

 

[nightwolf]

You know trick if you blow up SMB and youspool incidentally release from your hands ?

I am assuming its a self sealing SMB... Let it go! You don't want to run after it after all its simple gear to replace. But what you can do is grab the line so that you can still use the surface marker to alert the dive boat and alert water traffic. When you do surface reel in the spool using the line (hopefully it won't be tangled on anything).

This will give you something to do during your surface interval If this fails, you can always do a second dive to retrieve it easily cause you already have the line to lead you

 

[lucca brassi]

I am assuming its a self sealing SMB... Let it go! You don't want to run after it after all its simple gear to replace. But what you can do is grab the line so that you can still use the surface marker to alert the dive boat and alert water traffic. When you do surface reel in the spool using the line (hopefully it won't be tangled on anything).

This will give you something to do during your surface interval

If this fails, you can always do a second dive to retrieve it easily cause you already have the line to lead you

point : do you know trick ? ;-))

 

[decompression]

Practice......


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Selchie in LB]

Nightwolf great thread starter.
Danvolker thank you for explaining fin mechanics. I never seemed to get a consistent answer about that. Everyone just says use Jets! Except finding Jets that fit is impossible. Having a better understanding of propulsion makes using fins properly easier. I use bat fins primarily because of fit. When I watch divers underwater with the same fins I am amazed at the amount of flex!
TSandM you gave the tip of pointing toes down during back kicks in another thread. Definitely helped me.
Lucca brassi, I too experienced my smb taking me up! I just let go of it. The line was tangled on the spool. Eventually the line must have freed itself because the reel came back down with the smb still popped up on the surface.
I bought one of those smbs with the oral inflate. Big mistake! Trying to keep the inflator pushed in while blowing into it underwater resulted in me just blowing bubbles. I couldn't seal my lips around it! I looked like a puffer fish with my checks expanding and contracting.

under water some where

 

[bradells]

You know trick if you blow up SMB and youspool incidentally release from your hands ?

'Drop' your spare double ender down the falling line.

BRad

 

[Ayisha]

BRad, drop your spare double ender down the falling line, and then?

I've only managed to completely drop the reel once, the first time with thick gloves, and it went to the bottom, 5 feet down. After that, I've been more careful, rarely letting go of it or just fumbling it slightly. Sometimes it just hangs there and you can easily catch it.