Question on Safety Stop Buoyancy Abilities

[Hoag]

I am a vacation diver who does not get a chance to dive nearly as much as I would like to. Typically, I do one trip per year (two trips on a good year). I have not, however, been diving since before the pandemic hit and travel ground to a halt.

I think it is safe to say that I will need to knock some rust off. If I go back to pre-pandemic dive trips, at the beginning of the week, I would often find that I would use the anchor line if there was a surge. How tightly I would grip it would be determined by how big the surge was vertically. If it was minor, I might just loop my index finger and thumb loosely around the anchor line in kind of an "OK sign", and by watching the depth on my computer, I'd be able to maintain my depth to within a couple feet. I would also feel the need to use the anchor line if there was a significant current. (It doesn't make sense to get back to the boat only to have the current carry me away from it during my safety stop.) As the week progressed, my reliance on using the anchorline as a "safety net" would diminish and I would be able to hold my depth to within a couple feet simply by watching the depth on my computer and making adjustments as required.

 

[Cdncoldwater]

1. Can you maintain this level of buoyancy while completing a task? (Mask removal and replace or equivalent)
2 .How regularly (pre covid) do you dive (approx.) And your current experience level (Number of dives or Highest Cert or length of dive career)

I can usually maintain my selected level, maybe 1 foot more in deviation during a task and it is a skill I continue to work on. I dive 25-35 times per year locally. I certified in June 2017, currently have 126 dives and consider Solo as my highest certification.