Disabled diver bouyancy problems

[BrokenT10]

This is a typical position for a diver with disabilities. I combat this by making sure I am properly weighted and making sure the weight is as far back on my back as I can get it and by using a back inflate BC as I have found a cumberbund inflate will tend to sit me upright in the water. As long as you get the weight properly situated, the back inflate BC is not a problem on the surface.
Be conscience of your position in the water and try to keep you body position level as this will be easier to swim and use less energy and less air. Above all get in the water and expirement with everything. I use a seven foot hose so if I have to buddy breath, I can pass off the reg and have enough room to swing my arms without hitting anyone.
I still come into a feet down position if I stop swimming so I have to keep some forward movement to stay level. Good luck and happy diving!!

 

[BrokenT10]

I also move my tank higher on the BC which helps promote a head down position. Experiment, experiment, experiment and then when you find what works for you don't let someone change your set up or mess with your gear!!

 

[medical1]

Shifting weights higher up on the body should do the trick. You just have to experiment till you find what works best. Weighting will also vary depending on the exposure protection you wear. Having clip-on weights & a BCD with lots of D rings helps. We recently had a Para diver & his feet would float - we put a 1lb weight in each bootie to correct it.

PS: If I can be of any assistance PM me I am a HSA instructor & was just teaching a HSA Instructor & Dive Buddy course with Jim Elloitt from Diveheart last weekend

 

[justlistening]

I hope you have had a chance to experiment with some of the ideas that show up on this thread. As you have found, weighting distribution and control in the water column is more important for divers with challenges. However, most able bodied divers should learn from their challenged dive buddies how to distribute weight...as it is a skill lost on most divers of all body types.
As I add my two cents, the technique I find most effective with my students is to wear weight on the ankles during ascent and descent and move them during the dive to creat dive posture which fits your technique...you can teach your dive buddy to do this if necessary.....as each person is unique...you will find what works for you. Congrats again on getting wet!

 

[Crowley]

Hi I was just reading through here - just to introduce myself: I'm not a regular poster in this section but I am a member of the IAHD and a trained instructor and although I am able bodied myself I have spent a fair amount of time diving with a good friend of mine who is paraplegic (who is actually also a PADI Course Director - their first.)

He adopted a sort of Head-Down-Arse-Up-Legs-Down sort of technique which seemed to work for him. When he was in motion his legs would often follow behind but when he stopped they would drop so he would hover semi-inverted, head-down, so his feet would be at their lowest level with his head.

I broadly agree with much of the advice above, from people who are far more qualified than I - and do not be afraid to try different weight configurations. Consider, for example, hanging a weight about a foot from your chest to alter your centre of gravity. Like all divers, it will depend on many factors, and in your case, how buoyant your legs are. Consider also that this will inevitably change over time so don't be afraid to experiment with weight positioning - there's no law that says you *have* to wear them around your waist.

Congratulations to the OP on his certification (I know it's an old post). I have a certain amount of experience diving with and assisting very severely disabled divers so if I can help in any way I'd be glad to.

Safe diving

C.

 

[iain53]

I have paraplegia after a T12/L1 injury and have had the same troubles controlling my feet. As others have mentioned, ankle weights are useful because you can use them to assist in your descent, and then you can reposition them to trim once at depth.

This is very subtle at times! I was in a pretty bad motorcycle wreck where I had 16 ribs broken, including pretty well all of them on my right side (and multiple breaks to each bone). The result is a rather interesting topology to my ribcage, and a slight imbalance in terms of inflated volume. I discovered that this was enough to cause me to roll along my long axis with the fuller lung up top. A one pound difference in the weights I have on the back of the BC (BAER) is enough to compensate. This was not obvious at first, and I was very frustrated by this inexplicable phenomenon.

So I would advise not only looking at adding weights but perhaps adding a small amount of buoyancy producing material to adjust your trim. I will be going this route to get horizontal trim; I too seem to be able to get perfectly neutral, but with feet low. This is because there is virtually nothing but bone from my knees down.

Be somewhat scientific about it- one change at a time and record the results.

iain53

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I am going to jump in here, and suggest something else. Today's divers usually use a single tank, 80-90 cubic feet, which is pretty long. It could also be giving you the problems with feet coming down, as the tanks these days are heavy in the water. You might want to try either switching to an older 71.2 cubic foot tank (not now being manufactured, but still readily available). These tanks are pretty neutral in the water. Another way is to use smaller double tanks (twin 30 or twin 40 cubic foot tanks, or even the older twin 50 aluminum tanks), which will be not only neutral in the water, but also distribute their weight much better on your body.

Concerning dumping the buoyany, you need to weight yourself neutral at the surface for your tanks at about 500 psig (they are more buoyant at that pressure than when full). Then you will find descent on a full tank easier, as you will be slightly heavier. Coming up, you need to place the exhaust hose for the BC at the high point (which will vary depending upon the type of BC you are using), and raise the exhaust hose as high as possible above that. If you are using an exhaust dump valve on the BC, then it needs to be at the high point. Wherever it is, it needs to be at the high (toward the surface) point on the BC to work effectively. You can practice this in a pool.

One caution--don't over-weight yourself. This is a common mistake of new divers, and can lead to problems with inadventent descents.

Congratulations on your certification. I know that each of us has been "transformed" by diving; the experience of weightlessness is exhilerating.

Enjoy,

SeaRat