nolatom
Contributor
One more thing I experienced in the pool that new divers should know, so you won’t think you are hopeless at buoyancy control:
The most difficult depth range to get neutral in, and regain control when you aren’t, is the *first fifteen feet*.
Your non-diver friends will think it’s easy when you’re shallow. Well lots of things are, but not buoyancy control. At 100 feet, if you ascend to 90, it’s easy to get neutral again, exhale a little, maybe press your inflator button for a nanosecond, and you’re good. That ten feet was only ten percent of your depth.
But say you’re at 15 feet, and want to ascend and level off at 5 feet. Good luck, it ain’t easy to stop, and you may/ end up at zero very quickly.
Why? Because that ten-foot rise is 67 percent of your total depth, not ten percent. So your efforts to apply the brakes (release some air, and exhale) have much less effect than when you’re deep.
So don’t feel bad if you have trouble getting neutral at first when shallow. We all do. Hang in there ( pun intended), it’ll get better. And when you go deeper as you learn, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is stay neutral.
The most difficult depth range to get neutral in, and regain control when you aren’t, is the *first fifteen feet*.
Your non-diver friends will think it’s easy when you’re shallow. Well lots of things are, but not buoyancy control. At 100 feet, if you ascend to 90, it’s easy to get neutral again, exhale a little, maybe press your inflator button for a nanosecond, and you’re good. That ten feet was only ten percent of your depth.
But say you’re at 15 feet, and want to ascend and level off at 5 feet. Good luck, it ain’t easy to stop, and you may/ end up at zero very quickly.
Why? Because that ten-foot rise is 67 percent of your total depth, not ten percent. So your efforts to apply the brakes (release some air, and exhale) have much less effect than when you’re deep.
So don’t feel bad if you have trouble getting neutral at first when shallow. We all do. Hang in there ( pun intended), it’ll get better. And when you go deeper as you learn, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is stay neutral.
