How do you ascend?

[fisherdvm]

To make the last post more complete for any beginners here.

If I ran out of air earlier than the rest of the group, I first let the DM know my intention. (If I knew I was a beginner and will run out first, I would let him know on the surface before the dive). My buddy and I would gradually ascend at 30 ft / min or less, and swim at the same rate as the rest of the group, and hover immediately above them, especially if there is current.

I usually ascend with an empty BC if we did not need to hover - a vertical ascend. I empty out my BC, and start finning upward. As I get up to the 25 or 30 ft mark, or if I were going faster than 30 ft/min, I would dump any more air from my BC to slow down my ascend. Then I would hover right about 20 ft. Swimming up with an empty BC and negatively buoyant burns a few calories, but I usually have no problem doing it.

I think for a beginner, one should aim for a 20 ft safety stop, rather than a 15 ft. It is too easy to overshoot the 15 and get hit by a boat if you don't realize that your supposedly empty BC is inflating as you go up, and you forget to dump the rest of the air out. Second reason why you might get positive at the 15 - 20 ft safety stop is your tank is getting empty, and more postively buoyant. At the safety stop, I spin around in circles and watch for boat traffic and surface hazards. My goal is always to stay with the group, as it minimizes the chances of your getting hit by your own boat.

It has been a long time since my OW, and I am not certain if what I do is correct. Feel free to criticize.

 

[MatWill]

the only thing i would say.. as a DM is if 1 person runs out of air.. its dive over for the group...

if i have a new group i watch for the fastest air user and plan the dive on that persons consumption.. i usually do air checks when i'm at 150 bar then 100 by then i've worked out most ppls consumption and i plan an ascent based on that

i dont really like spliting groups up

 

[m3830431]

There are always several in a group no matter what size that use air faster. Usually I am one of them. I have no problem buddying up with another and surfacing early. This is of course you let the dive leader know this and it is part of the dive plan. Usually by the time you do your safety stoop and get on the boat the others are not far behind.

I would perfer to do this than to have someone surface with 1000 psi and get po'ed

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Ditto, Mike. When I do my ascent, I stop between 15-30 feet and add just a little air to my BC to hold a neutral stop. After three minutes, then I ascend, watching my bubbles, and go slower than the smallest ones. Once on the surface, I put a little air in my BC, inflate my safety sausage, and then kick back and wait for the boat. (Or else I start swimming towards it, if it's anchored)

 

[wunat]

the only thing i would say.. as a DM is if 1 person runs out of air.. its dive over for the group...

if i have a new group i watch for the fastest air user and plan the dive on that persons consumption.. i usually do air checks when i'm at 150 bar then 100 by then i've worked out most ppls consumption and i plan an ascent based on that

i dont really like spliting groups up

I would do that. And would train my DM to do that too.

After the first dive of the trip, we would usually split the teams up again to people with similar gas consumption dive together. Then we would make it pretty clear with the divers that we will use the diver with the highest gas consumption as gauge for when to call the dive. So there won't be surprises.

 

[drbill]

I usually do a "swimming ascent," that is I gradually decrease my depth as I am finishing my dive so that I do my entire safety stop while still able to video. The topography at most of my dive sites allows that to be done easily. If I'm doing more of a square profile, I usually ascend alongside kelp so I can continue to film. I'm in a horizontal position while slowly ascending, at least until the last 5-10 feet.

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

On drift dives, I do the same thing, Bill. I keep an eye on my depth and do a "running" safety stop. Remaining horizontal is a good idea. Thank you!

 

[Oriskany Divemaster]

When leading a group, I still assign buddies based on their own determination of their air consumption. If the high use guys get to the predetermined end point early, I'll give them the sign to ascend. This way everyone can still see the wreck/reef with spouse/mate/etc..and not feel short changed by those who use more air.

 

[PerroneFord]

Is this really how the world dives? I've never had a DM in the water, so I am really curious...

 

[Oriskany Divemaster]

If you're directing this at me, I'll need a little clarification to answer.