How do you descend?

[AndyA]

Horizontal Descent (Skydiver method)

This skydiver method gives you a better view up or down, sometimes-in low visibility you need to make a rapid adjustment and it this position it is easy. I do a lot of quarry diving with 2-3 ft visibility at times.

 

[Walter]

Rick, sometimes, you're too funny. Adding conditions to a conditional answer. LOL! We gotta get together for some dives.

 

[Surface Tension]

A friend taught me a technique that I have used ever since, but it only works when you can roll off side of the boat.

I dump all the air from my BC while in the boat. I even suck the last little bit out. When I roll off of the boat, the momentum carries me the first several feet and most importantly it gets my fins beneath the surface. Then I start kicking for the first twenty or so feet. It's nice when you are wearing a lot of neoprene because until all the air is squeezed out of your suit it can be hard to get down. This technique gets you past that first 20 feet or so until you start to drop naturally, so you can carry a little less weight this way.

I wouldn't recommend this technique for beginners but it works well if you are comfortable in the water and want to get down fast.

We dive on a jug line in current, so if you monkey around on the surface too long you will loose the jug line and be diving a sand bar!

Dave

 

[Walter]

Sounds like you are underweighted. With a full tank, if you are properly weighted for the end of the dive, you'll be about 6 lbs negative at the surface. That is assuming an AL 80.

A headfirst surface dive accomplishes the same thing if entering from a swim platform, but you do have to be careful with your mask on entry.

 

[Surface Tension]

It's just on the first dive of the day with a two piece five mil that is full of air has a lot of float.

I use steel 108's.

I stopped doing head first surface dives when I dislodged a mask lens and had a mask full of water at 60 foot on a decent.......

Now I only roll off backwards or fin first off a platform.

Dave