Info How descend properly?

[The Chairman]

Good for you…

It is! I control my speed with my angle of attack and my breath, but sometimes I kick a bit. I always arrive at the bottom in the Scuba position and easily assess conditions on the bottom with my bird's eye view. I always thought of it being like skydiving, but I like the "mission impossible" pose. 2 phreakin' phunni!

 

[RobPNW]

Some of these threads always end up an argument. Do whatever works for you, as long as it's safe

 

[formernuke]

It is! I control my speed with my angle of attack and my breath, but sometimes I kick a bit. I always arrive at the bottom in the Scuba position and easily assess conditions on the bottom with my bird's eye view. I always thought of it being like skydiving, but I like the "mission impossible" pose. 2 phreakin' phunni!

How do you do it with your CCR? For me (new to ccr world) I'm hitting drysuit, ears. diluent or O2 so thus far I'm doing trim position as it slows my decent and lung control is out (especially in fresh water where I'm overweight with just unit).

 

[BlueTrin]

Something else I've apparently been doing incorrectly..... How on earth am I still alive?

Maybe call DAN to make sure you are alive

 

[BlueTrin]

I do that at home.

You need catheters at home?

 

[Boarderguy]

You need catheters at home?

Prep and put on at home. Drive to the site ready to go.

 

[Wibble]

Prep and put on at home. Drive to the site ready to go.

Roll the catheter on when you're warm. Nothing like a shrivelled, cold "old chap" to make things difficult. A cold tortoise doesn't want a bag stuck on his head!

 

[RobPNW]

 

[johndiver999]

I never said that I sink in a feet first position - I said I don't descend head down and kicking (nor have I ever needed to, even in current). I'm only actually feet down for probably the first 15 feet and then start flaring to horizontal and then slightly down angled by ~30 feet as needed - but I've never needed to race to the bottom vertically, head down like some here apparently have the need to do at times.

I'm also not carrying alot of weight - I diive a carbon fiber backplate with a 20# wing. With my new 3mm full suit, I'll carry 6-8 lbs of weight and, with my shorty, 2-4 lbs (depending on current).

When diving in higher current locations in Indonesia, we dropped far enough upcurrent that we could hit the desired point (where many times you needed to hook in or you would get blown off) - I don't recall seeing anyone descending vertically head down and kicking.

Clearing/Equalizing head down doesn't work as well for me in the inititial descent. it's great if it works for you, but my point has been that there really is no one/correct way to descend - you just need to plan your entry point appropriately in current.

this is exactly what you said a few posts before: I always descend head up even with a negative entry as I have

You also said in an earlier post that you weight yourself so that you can sink rapidly in a feet first position. My definition of a rapid feet first decent would require more ballast than would otherwise be needed.

I guess there is just no best way, just different methods.

 

[The Chairman]

How do you do it with your CCR? For me (new to ccr world) I'm hitting drysuit, ears. diluent or O2 so thus far I'm doing trim position as it slows my decent and lung control is out (especially in fresh water where I'm overweight with just unit).

CCRs are heavy... you really can't achieve a balanced rig with one. Well, I can't! I have to throw out using my lungs to descend and rely on losing air a bit. But my rig is heavy, so I don't need to lose much. I do tend to breathe out my nose at the beginning of the dive to start things, but those danged ADVs.