Neutral Buoyancy...............

[annie]

>>1) You will never achieve neutral buoyancy for any length of time since you need to breath. Inhale=positive and exhale=negative. So controlling the swing between positive and negative is just a matter of breath control. <<

Yeah - I think of it as being able to exhale while you're rising and inhaling while you're sinking and it should balance out. If it doesn't you need more/less air in your BC. Presuming correct weighting.

 

[Hank49]

Hi,

Started class about 2 weeks ago and I love it,thanks for the advice from those that stated" the first breath is the hardest".......it was,but man was it cool after that.Still learning alot but wanted to know if anyone has any tips on attaining neutral buoyancy, so that I can get a better handle on the "helicopter" technique.Thanks for any advice

Practice the fin pivot and "buddha" hovering in less than 3 meters of water. Adjust your weights so with all gear on, a full tank and empty BCD, you can take a full breath, hold it and float with the water right at mid mask. Hank

 

[jbd]

What's a helicopter turn anyway?

Check in the DIR section. There should be a link to some video's that were on the fifthD website. The helicopter turn is a pivot around a point accomplished by doing a back kick with one leg and a forward kick with the other. Think of it as a zero radius turn.

 

[gtimm]

Lots of good info tips here pointing to the basics -- be properly weighted (your instructor should help with this aspect) and fine tune your position in the water column by the amount of air in your lungs (inhale = up; exhale = down). One more thought. Relax. Relax. Relax!!!!!