Fast Ascent

[bolts]

Just an update, I dove at (nearly) the same site yesterday, but added a few pounds...what a difference. Yes, I'm more negative at the start, but near the end it makes all the difference. I could easily hold 15', 10' on a near empty tank (500psi), and after the dive, could decend without any major effort. It's just a bit more effort at the start of the dive to manage my buoyancy, but it's worth it to not be fighting to stay down near the end.

Thanks to everyone for the tips! Definitely a work in progress though.

 

[chrpai]

Good to hear more weight helped (short term atleast). Dive that site a few times and when you feel like your very comfortable in the water, go ahead and try taking a lb or two off and see how it goes. You will either validate that you really do need this much weight or you'll realize that your comfort and skills have improved and that you no longer need it.

 

[TechDeep]

Just an update, I dove at (nearly) the same site yesterday, but added a few pounds...what a difference. Yes, I'm more negative at the start, but near the end it makes all the difference. I could easily hold 15', 10' on a near empty tank (500psi), and after the dive, could decend without any major effort. It's just a bit more effort at the start of the dive to manage my buoyancy, but it's worth it to not be fighting to stay down near the end.

Thanks to everyone for the tips! Definitely a work in progress though.

Congrats on your progress! You've gotten world class advise by posting in this forum. Now that the anxiety is pretty much gone, during your next safety stop start working on things like finding any bubble in your BC, your trim, your breathing, etc. Chances are, you will find that moment when you sink more easily than you ascend. Then, when you are more comfortable, start experimenting with handing off weight to your buddy/DM. May as well make use of those minutes spent at the saftey stop.

And remember , there's no rule that air permitting, a safety stop has to be limited to 3 minutes. You're well on your way and on the right track, always keep learning about diving, and about yourself.