Recently certified - buoyancy a mess. Would PPB help?

[PatW]

Oh my, a ton of posts.

You talk about maneuvering and having issues with it. That might be your fins. Some fins really are not conducive for anything but going fast. The Scubapro Nuevo wings are really easy to use. They give good power. They are really good for maneuvering and for backing up. My wife uses them. I use force fins which take some getting used to using but are extremely good. Force fins are not widely available. It might be good to try a number of different fins in the pool and see what works.

It is OK to grab something that is inert (not living) and not something breakable. Even putting a single finger down can make a difference. The thing is to do it carefully and selectively.

 

[Mookie]

How do you find Force Fins for frog kicking and turning?

 

[WillieJustice]

As a freshly minted diver a year ago, I can sure sympathize. I don't have anxiety issues, but the frustration sure is familiar. I did my 21st and 22nd dives yesterday morning, and things people have been telling me finally started to make sense. Today, I am hoping to relax and let the things that started to click yesterday happen more naturally.

For me, it is a matter of practice and experimenting a little every dive. On Tuesday, I was frustrated by air consumption. I was using my lungs for buoyancy too much and not anticipating. Yesterday, I finally just let the BC do its job and only make small adjustments. It got me almost 10 more minutes before I had to come up. Trim is still a mess at times, but that is related to buoyancy up to a point.

For reference, I am using rental equipment which has all been vest style. Weight is around my waist. And for what it is worth, I have been using less than 10% of my weight. The only time I used more, and it was a lot more, was six dry suit dives in Puget Sound last winter.

There is not any advice from me, because I still don't think I know what I am doing. Just encouragement, because you are not alone.

 

[84CJ7]

I think everything has probably already been hashed out by people more experienced than I in the 10 pages of this thread (didn't actually read them) so I'll just relate my experience.

The number one thing I discovered for making buoyancy and absolutely maneuverability total cake was to take all the overpriced gimmiky recreational crap the LDS pushed on me and throw it as far away as possible.

With a back plate and wing and tech fins I was FINALLY able to get all the extra drag and bulk and imbalances out and get things distributed properly and streamlined.
With tech fins that had zero fancy features and were nice and rigid I turned flopping around into being able to maneuver any way I want including backwards. Use the appropriate fins to balance out your legs. If you are head heavy get heavy fins, if you are foot heavy get these:

Fins

www.deep6gear.com

They are what I bought for tropical trips because otherwise with a shorty wetsuit I had to put my feet in the stowed position (90 degrees at knees) any time I wasn't swimming or the heavy fins that are perfect with my full 7/5 hyperstretch wetsuit would drag me down by the stern.
I forgot to see what kind of diving you do, but I have a full 7/5 hyperstretch wetsuit, two different thicknesses of hyperstretch gloves, and a somewhat thinner hyperstretch hood.
When I started, the morons at the LDS had me in a non stretchy farmer john (whatever they call the double layer monsrosity) and I ALWAYS had trapped air and massive buoyancy swings due to the acres of overly thick neoprene I was wearing. The less poof you have to compress and create swings, the less you need to fight to keep level. Spending the extra on the stretchy stuff was night and day better for comfort and the ability to move my body.
Having been trained in the frozen north, when I finally went tropical diving I realized how utterly miserable neoprene makes diving. Its basically the reason you need all the weights in the first place and makes it ten times harder to do anything.
I actually used a rubber weight belt so it doesn't flop at depth with wetsuit compression but still feels nice at the surface, and only put enough weight on it to be able to swim up with no BCD. That allowed for me to stash weight all over for balance and you don't rocket to the surface if you had to ditch because all your weight was stupidly on one item.

Don't bother with a class. Once you are properly streamlined head to foot and side to side, have no trapped air, and have enough weight so that you aren't getting sucked to the surface at the end of your dive (I like to be a few pounds heavy) all it takes is practice, not training.
Anything you need to learn is already online.

If I had my way recreational gear would all be thrown away and everyone would use tech gear. It's not just for experts, its chosen by experts because it simply does EVERYTHING better and rather comically usually costs less than the name brand crap with the useless features and styles they sell to rich beginners.

 

[llamadiver]

I agree with several people who have said don't be hard on yourself. Seriously, you are sooo new. And that is ok! Give yourself some grace. IMO, get out there and dive. PPB is good, only if taught in conjunction with gaining experience. Best of luck!

 

[boqurant]

Respect to OP for daring to ask a basic question on SB and run the gauntlet of *sshole keyboard warrior responses!

I left my OW course (a freezing cold puddle in the UK) with tragic bouyancy and this persisted through my AOW and first 50 dives. Several things helped me to figure it out eventually:

1. Use as little weight as possible: with a supportive buddy (and ideally a place to chuck the lead) do repeated weight-checks to remove weight and only descend the full dive once it's right. Monitor your bouyancy at the end of the dive too (esp if using floaty aluminium tanks). For reference in tropical saltwater, single tank rec, 3mm suit, regular build (not fat, but depressingly not jacked nor skinny) I use 3kg on a steel BPW setup with AL80s.

2. Once down (10m or lower so you have headroom to get it wrong), and with the same buddy alert and nearby, force yourself to spend a few moments doing absolutely nothing: breathe normally between (what only you can estimate for yourself as) 30% - 70% lung capacity (maybe even 40 - 60%), no kicking, definitely no sculling. See what happens: ascend/descend/tip/roll etc. If like past me you start to descend quite rapidly you might have an answer for why you keep using up air (you were kicking all the time on autopilot to maintain depth - strangely easily done!). Adjust BC as necessary to get neutral and not move up/down too much. Practice what happens when you inhale to more than 70% and exhale to less than 30% capacity. Take a mental note if you tip/roll and ask someone more experienced why this might be the case and help adjust your rig.

3. This is all made vastly easier by moving to a BPW setup. The traditional jacket BCD is a lousy tool and IMO should not be taught or sold in 2024! If its your only option as a rental ask a friendly DM or instructor for help getting the trim right with tank-mounted weight.

A long time later, and particularly on check-dives, I still regularly make a concerted mental effort to spend moments doing absolutely nothing and see what happens. It's surprisingly easy to always be correcting / finning a little without realising it. I have huge respect for the more experienced divers who look like they're doing nothing and maintain perfect trim.

 

[BearCustoms]

This is a 'gear heavy' sport, best to get your own gear and know them inside out. IMO using the KISS principle will reduce variables and make your learning journey much more enjoyable. Log as many dives as you can and take your time to enjoy it, all skills come with practice.