How to Master Buoyancy?

[psiborg1812]

I agree with Peter Guy on filming yourself, or have someone else watch you to see which parts of you are sinking and which are floating.

A few of things really helped my buoyancy. Practicing in a pool with your eyes closed, just focusing on the breathing pattern and rhythm. Diving with just a tank and no BCD in the shallow end, with less weight on your weight belt. If you can control your tank and become buoyant that way then having a BCD will make it a breeze. Learn to swim backwards (do a reverse frog kick), this will distract you from buoyancy and help you do tasks while neutral.

Being with somebody else really helps, they can often see things you cannot. Getting good buoyancy is like going to Carnegie Hall, practice, practice, practice!

 

[Dive the World]

Do about 50 dives in your first year. ;-)

don't chase it, it will come to you. through diving.

all above advise pretty much cover everything.

 

[avengerki]

I've got a kind of additional question along these lines. When I am just breathing and not moving I do notice a little up and down of 4 to 8 inches, if I close my eyes and just concentrate on breathing when I open them back up I have floated a foot or so upwards which means I wasn't completely breathing out even though I thought I was. Do you have any tips that could help with this?

 

[TSandM]

Sounds like what is happening is that you are changing your breathing pattern when you close your eyes. Even a little bit of anxiety or discomfort can do this. The only answer is practice.

 

[o2dependant]

I've got a kind of additional question along these lines. When I am just breathing and not moving I do notice a little up and down of 4 to 8 inches, if I close my eyes and just concentrate on breathing when I open them back up I have floated a foot or so upwards which means I wasn't completely breathing out even though I thought I was. Do you have any tips that could help with this?

I would say whilst you were concentrating with your eyes closed you likely slowed down your breathing rate maintaining an increased amount of air in your lungs for longer increasing the usual fluctuation of 4-8 inches. When you conciously control your breathing it will unlikely be a natural breathing pattern.

So my tip would be don't concentrate on your breathing. I would concentrate more on achiving other tasks like hovering close to objects.

 

[psiborg1812]

Sounds like what is happening is that you are changing your breathing pattern when you close your eyes. Even a little bit of anxiety or discomfort can do this. The only answer is practice.

This. you lose reference points when you close your eyes, so you don't register the extra movement. Practice feeling the water moving over your body as you float up and down, you'll get it eventually.