Priority of skills to master for new divers

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Nice diagram!! Some suggestions.

I would start with a uniform square with equal up and down arrows, demonstrating neutral buoyance.

Then your diagram, but change the big blue arrow to open black with "leads to" on the inside. Reusing the blue color was confusing. As you have vertical space, make the circle arrows extend further around to complete more of the circle, and maybe lose the twist in them.

Maybe fewer up down little arrows but add numbers to them to show they add up to the same. Or just use all the same size arrows but stack more of them at the dense end, and stack those same size arrows in two rows for the vertical bar if needed.

You could have a diagram with three rows.
The first of just weighting.
Then two of distribution as well. Each with bar level and bar later. The top with a non-uniform bar, the bottom with a uniform bar.

Neutral weight amount:
Uniform square
(avoiding saying weighting that now, below, more fully includes amount and distribution)

Neutral weight amount and distribution:
uneven-bar-horizontal -> uneven-bar-vertical
even-bar-horizontal -> even-bar-horizontal


I've been using the term "neutral weight distribution" as the point is that gravity not dictate your orientation. Plus "neutral weight distribution" avoids the "horizontal uber elite" fight. And it matches "neutral weighting", but adds the second, essential, refinement to that. That you might also prefer horizontal orientation for many tasks is a choice you can then make easily after you have your neutral weight distribution. (By me, I mean non-instructor just-diver me.)

ETA: You could also use a circle. With a smiley face on it but a heavy forehead and light chin. It becomes an upside-down face that you convert to a frown as well. , or on o face with raised eyebrows so the mouth is not 'up' in both. Though this works better for front-back trim, which is not the first point you need to get to.

ETA2: At the wall beside a, hypothetical, gear rental/checkout counter you could have a plate on the wall with four plates within easy reach of the customer to change their orientation. Each of them on a central swivel: even and uneven bars and circles. The plates smooth aluminum with steel or lead bits fixed to the front side so the distribution could be seen. Little fins on the bars.
Then a sign below them:
"Play with each. Then tell me about the lead, pockets and weight distribution you want"?

I see your point. The numbers are good addition and maybe fewer arrows. This article is geared towards instructors on how to teach neutrally buoyant and trim. It pains me to think that they'd need remedial lessons in this.

 

[MichaelMc]

I see your point. The numbers are good addition and maybe fewer arrows. This article is geared towards instructors on how to teach neutrally buoyant and trim. It pains me to think that they'd need remedial lessons in this.

I'm learning painfully to make things crystal clear and to point out the (obvious) conclusions that should be drawn. As otherwise neither is achieved.


ETA:
At the side of the gear rental/checkout counter, you could have a vertical display with four aluminum plates within easy reach of the customer. Each on a smooth central-of-area swivel and with steel or lead bits fixed to the front so the mass distribution could be seen. The plates are bars and circles with even and uneven mass distributions. The bars have little masks and fins, the circles have faces.
A sign above them reads:
"Turn each plate to how you want to dive,
then talk with me about the
lead, pockets and weight distribution you want"?

ETA2:
Following on the making thing crystal point (for other readers, not wetb4igetinthewater):
* When they release the uneven-mass-distribution plates, the plates will swing back to the face upside down and the diver swimming directly up orientations, as that is how gravity will turn them as their center-of-mass and center-of-area/buoyancy are not at nor near the same spot.
* When they release the even-mass-distribution plates, they will stay exactly as they had been put.
This mirrors what would happen to divers underwater with similar weight distributions.
The gear checkout customers likely do not want to dive upside down or finning to the surface, so they likely want a neutral weight distribution and should talk with the counter attendant about pockets and lead distribution to achieve that.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I'm learning painfully to make things crystal clear and to point out the (obvious) conclusions that should be drawn. As otherwise neither is achieved.


ETA2: At the side of the, hypothetical, gear rental/checkout counter you could have a vertical display with four aluminum plates within easy reach of the customer to change their orientation, each on a smooth central swivel. Each with steel or lead bits fixed to the front side so the distribution could be seen: even and uneven bars and circles, with little fins on the bars and faces on the circles.
With a sign above them:
"Put each to the way you would rather dive,
then tell me about the lead, pockets and weight distribution you want"?

Fair point.

 

[divingjd]

This is exactly correct. Focusing on breath control is an integral part (maybe the most integral) of achieving excellent buoyancy control. This is not focusing on breathing to reduce consumption. It's simply to slow and deepen your breaths, which has a profound affect on your state of mind and self awareness in the water. (Of course, it will also help consumption)

So I would agree with the majority of posters in that mastering buoyancy is probably the most important and time-intensive initial skill development for new divers, I would add that it is impossible to do this without focusing on breath control and consistency.

Completely agree with this. Breathing control, which is not initially about air consumption, is the key to buoyancy control. They are two sides of the same coin. And the zen thing is part of both. I had a very useful course called Tranquility Diving, sort of a buoyancy class on meditation endorphins. Be calm and still, breathe fully and deeply (which starts with fully emptying your lungs), and be fully aware of yourself and your surroundings. The rest follows. If you can do this hovering, great, but that can be putting the cart before the horse. You don’t even need to be in the water to start on breathing. I get the criticism of training on your knees, but there is some value, especially in the very early stages, of taking a variable out of the equation to concentrate on one thing. I’ve seen plenty of people experience task overloading in OW and early dive experiences.

 

[Rickk]

....

2. What would the rationale be for orally inflating your BC underwater? Is there any benefit for bouyancy?

When I was in my OW class, I was told that some people do it to save on air consumption, they would be using air that otherwise would be wasted but the instructor also said that this was false ecpon0my as you would lose almost as much as you would save.

I have seen a couple YouTube videos also mention this as an air saving practice.

 

[Rickk]

........

then fix the issue or have your buddy to help, but you avoided "crashing" on the reef. But it requires taking the reg out of your mouth to do it.

.....

I don't get the crashing into the reef???

I start my decent with full tanks, empty BCD and mostly exhaled.

I can stop my decent, not as quickly as inflating the BC, simply by taking in a huge lungful.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

When I was in my OW class, I was told that some people do it to save on air consumption, they would be using air that otherwise would be wasted but the instructor also said that this was false ecpon0my as you would lose almost as much as you would save.

I have seen a couple YouTube videos also mention this as an air saving practice.

What about farting in a dry suit as a means of achieving buoyancy and saving gas? What are the thermal characteristics of farts versus air? Is it a better or worse insulator?

 

[jadairiii]

I don't get the crashing into the reef???

I start my decent with full tanks, empty BCD and mostly exhaled.

I can stop my decent, not as quickly as inflating the BC, simply by taking in a huge lungful.

Often times one must deal in generalities when making a point. It also depends on depth, exposure protection, tanks, weight used. Dropping on a reef in 30' may be different then dropping on a reef in 125'. But good for you.

 

[Graeme Fraser]

When I was in my OW class, I was told that some people do it to save on air consumption, they would be using air that otherwise would be wasted but the instructor also said that this was false ecpon0my as you would lose almost as much as you would save.

I have seen a couple YouTube videos also mention this as an air saving practice.

Would these be the same people that drive in town at night with the lights off to save the battery; or maybe the ones that switch the engine off whilst coasting down hill?

 

[lowwall]

When I was in my OW class, I was told that some people do it to save on air consumption

Would these be the same people that drive in town at night with the lights off to save the battery; or maybe the ones that switch the engine off whilst coasting down hill?

Hey, that's like 2 whole breaths at the bottom. Maybe 4 if they are overweighted enough. Could be worth as much as a minute extra at the safety stop.