Okay to pull yourself down?

[spectrum]

NO ! ! ! ! !

the K

N0 !!!! ?

 

[radinator]

I think you made the right decistion, but not because of your weighting. Weighting can easily be adjusted by adding a few pounds until you are properly weighted (not overweighted).

I think you made the right decision (to abort) because of this:

I went diving recently with a group of friends who had just finished their training. I haven't dived in over a year, and haven't done a cold water dive in over four years. The dive was to be to about 80 feet.

Perhaps a pool session would be a better refresher for you after that time?

I'm thinking not only buoyancy control, but a cold water mask flood can be a shocking experience. Your buddies have practiced it recently (at least for the class) but you haven't.

 

[herman]

Welcome to the board.

You did the right thing, if you were way to light at the beginning of the dive, it's only going to get worse. An uncontrolled accent is never a good thing.
I also see another reason to abort the dive. What DM in his right mind would take a bunch of newly certified divers to 80 ft? I am assuming by "just finished training" you mean they had just finished their OW course. You way to light combined with a bunch of fresh OW divers in cold 80 ft water looks like a possible disaster waiting to happen.

 

[String]

Pulling yourself down a shot line would incur the wrath of most boat skippers and other divers here. The usual outcome is the person pulls the shot line/weight off the wreck so nobody coming down behind actually gets to see the thing.

 

[Zero]

Greetings,

Sounds like you're beginning to realize that no one can fine tune your equipment for you. It is something that you'll have to do over time as you adjusted your trim to the type of equipment you're diving with (BC, personal gear, exposure suit, hoods, gloves, etc), type of environment (salt or fresh water), type of water conditions (you'll pack on a bit more weight to drop through the ripping surface current) and your skill level (removing all the air out of your BC and breathing).

Personally, I'm still fine tuning my trim. Yet another aspect of the joy of diving. This is why log your book is vital piece of kit. You'll be able not only fine tune your trim but extrapolate approximate weight requirements for new situations (fresh to salt).

 

[miketsp]

You will never be heavier or less buoyant than you are at the beginning of the dive.

This means that as your dive continues and you use air, you will become progressivly more buoyant, and at some point will be unable to maintain neutral buoyancy and your depth.

While I agree with the general comments that you should not start your dive underweighted the above is not exactly true.
One of my BCs is a Mares Synchro Tec and it is extremely buoyant when dry. On the first dive of the day it needs almost 2kg extra. Once you hit depth and shake it around a little it becomes normal.
I also dive with a semidry with really good seals and at the surface it's difficult to get all the air out (even burping the suit). Again at depth if I squeeze the neckseal I can release the trapped air bubble and gain another kg or so.
My SMB which is stored rolled up also traps quite a lot of air while dry at the beginning of the dive.
Even the line on my reel is buoyant for at least the first few minutes of the dive while the water penetrates all the layers.

So depending on the gear I'm using I know that I can start underweight and still have no problem holding a safety stop at the end of the dive.

 

[The Kraken]

N0 !!!! ?

Exactly!!!

If the diver is so underweighted at the beginning of the dive, think how underweighted (read +positively buoyant) he will be at the end of the dive.

The maintaining of a safety stop, especially if required, would be extremely problematic.

the K

 

[mnj1233]

Hi, I need some advice on weighting and descending properly.


The DM asked everyone how much weight we were carrying and told me I was way over weighted so, ignoring the little voice in the back of my head, I took some weight out. Too much I think.

Curious if I read this correctly.
Did you ask advise or was it unsolicited? DM is first of all not automatically an instructor.
Second do you know how to do your own bouancy check in the water?
If you need a minute or two to do a check prior to the dive the just tell the DM in advance so he/she can accomadate all who need to at once.
This is much more efficient to get the group in the water without having to return to the boat after half the group is down.
I didnt read all the posts here so if Im redundant just ignore me!!!!

 

[spectrum]

Exactly!!!

If the diver is so underweighted at the beginning of the dive, think how underweighted (read +positively buoyant) he will be at the end of the dive.

The maintaining of a safety stop, especially if required, would be extremely problematic.

the K

That's what I thought (hoped) you meant and as I said too. Latter I could see the suscinct response fit perfectly with the post heading.

Pete

 

[The Kraken]

MNJ,

The next time you dive do a weight check at the end of your dive.

Take the weight you normally dive in the smallest increments you can, ie:
if you dive 12 pounds, break your weight down into, say, a 3# and 3-1# weights on each side.

At the end of the dive with approximately 500 psi (the usual volume accepted for this procedure) at your 15' safety stop, deflate your B/C and holding a normal breath, determine if you are + or - buoyant.

If positive, then you'll need to add some weight (you would know this already because you would have had problems descending at the beginning of the dive).

If negative, hand off 1# at a time to your buddy and repeat the process until you become neutrally buoyant.

the K