Request for information not covered in any course

[Mike Walker]

@Mike Walker. I would be curious to know what kind of sea conditions you are talking about, where you can stay in a relaxed recliner position with head and face comfortable out of the water? Like you, I put minimal air in my Zeagle Covert's wing when at the surface, have about 60% of my weight in rear trim pockets, and can easily pretty well maintain the "comfortable" position in seas with 2-3 foot seas. But I have definitely been handed my butt in 4-6 foot seas trying to keep my head/face out of the water, and not getting rolled in the waves. Any good techniques are always welcome.

In the current setup - 0.5m to 1m max. Fortunately haven't run into much more recently. I dive to commune with the fish and take photos - not be a hero...

That being said, it did ride the waves pretty well on slow movements. I'm sure anything really rough would be a problem - but then I probably wouldn't be bothering with the 'recliner' approach at that point (reg in, face down, air consumption be damned). It worked great for the 'sea otter' camera prep technique I was using on Bonaire. For my solo course the '200m swim' turned into a '0m swim against a lively current for 20 minutes' until the boat arrived - it was comfortable and I wasn't struggling to stay in a position where I still had decent fin power.

(Notably, while this was planned, the boat policy was the same as what affected the OP - 'sure you can ride the current but we're getting you when everyone else is back on board'. Between this and a couple other adventures I do try and be prepared to be floating for a good amount of time.)

Even in more active conditions I've found some advantage to not trying to ride on top of things. I don't like the whole marshmallow man arrangement even if it means an occasional kick. Timing the waves, breathing at opportune moments - I try not to fight too hard. That being said, I have enough 'natural buoyancy' that relaxed in salt water I don't have to try that hard even with no gear at all. There are some people who sink like stones (my mother for example) and I think that creates a different relationship with the water....

 

[NothingClever]

1. Is your fitness level where it should be?
2. Good.
3. Never heard of this one....seems fiddly. Agree with Tursiops method of be still and observe your movement in relation to a fixed point. Fish over coral or other fixed objects are a helpful indicator.
4. Good.
5. I don’t think this is a good idea. If it were, licensing agencies would teach it and dive shops would peddle it. Perhaps now is a good time for some new training instead.
6. Make sure you train with them. They can’t be pocket woobies.
7. This one is interesting.....I’d take a reef hook if you’re trying to pause somewhere. Other than that, carry a strobe (perhaps tied off to the top of an SMB) so you’re prepared for conditions that could precipitate becoming isolated.
8. Good.
9. To heck with “pony” bottles....go for the Clydesdale solution and learn to jockey a twinset rig like it’s a single tank quarterhorse.

 

[MichaelMc]

I'm a recent sidemount diver, diving an X-Deep. Love the setup, but I'm well concerned about several aspects of it.
1. Non-ditchable weights (at least not quickly/easily)

For having ditchable on a sidemount rig, you can add shoulder pockets and side/rear hip pockets. Either to have a bit ditchable or to more easily refine trim as you tweak gear. Sidemount weighting. Sidemount on the surface took a little getting used to, but has seemed no harder than backmount if the tanks are bungeed in and not swinging all over.

9. To heck with “pony” bottles....go for the Clydesdale solution and learn to jockey a twinset rig like it’s a single tank quarterhorse.

No need to be a Clydesdale to use doubles for redundancy. Tiny doubles 2x AL40 is essentially the weight of an AL80, assuming you'd have a pound or two of lead anyway. Not likely rentable, and not the norm on the boat, but a compact redundant package in the water. 2x LP50 would be similar, just more weight in the tanks and less free for trimming out or a belt, so maybe not best for the tropics.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Reef hooks can be cool but I've had some struggles with those too if the current is really kicking. You can lose your mask, reg wants out of your mouth, etc. Ergo, this is a learning situation as well. Of course, that's underwater and not the situation OP is trying to resolve.

 

[NothingClever]

Reef hooks can be cool but I've had some struggles with those too if the current is really kicking. You can lose your mask, reg wants out of your mouth, etc. Ergo, this is a learning situation as well.

Yeah, I’ll have to admit I’m a somewhat naive baby diver still. I’m sure my perspective will change once I get a face full of a Palau thunder run.

The handy reef hooks I saw last in Florida were for currents where I could still flatten out like a pancake behind some coral and keep up a modified frog kick from the ankles to stay in place (without a reef hook).

 

[chillyinCanada]

Yeah, I’ll have to admit I’m a somewhat naive baby diver still. I’m sure my perspective will change once I get a face full of a Palau thunder run.

The handy reef hooks I saw last in Florida were for currents where I could still flatten out like a pancake behind some coral and keep up a modified frog kick from the ankles to stay in place (without a reef hook).

You'll be fine

 

[Bob DBF]

My point is this: Respect the ocean; it is not the place that vacation dive brochures, and dive training agencies would like us to think it is; it is not a benign safe place to play. In some places it can be, most of the time it isn't.

Words to live by.
As I told my daughter, "Mother nature isn't out to get you, She just doesn't care".



Bob

 

[FreeFlyFreak]

Mother nature isn't out to get you, She just doesn't care".

That is pure gold.

 

[markmud]

Words to live by.
As I told my daughter, "Mother nature isn't out to get you, She just doesn't care".



Bob

I wrote that nice essay, and you sum it up with one little sentence! Sheet!

That was really good Bob.


m

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I was thinking of different in light of my recent experience. Dive briefing described a reef. To me that means coral, bryozoans, fish, etc. What I found was flat limestone, featureless, with nothing to orient by. Definitely different - but worse as well. I'll change the wording.
.

More than once, I’ve been dropped on a “reef” that was nothing more than a sewer outflow pipe, both Ft Lauderdale and Hawaii come to mind. So I got a chuckle out of that...

I’m both a solo diver and a minimalist. I generally don’t take anything that isn’t necessary or add some value. That doesn’t equate to being less safe. Sometimes taking extra unnecessary junk is less safe, like strings to measure current and snorkel vests for redundant buoyancy.

Becoming an experienced diver is about learning from mistakes and constantly improving. Learn from mistakes, but don’t over compensate and create a worse gear configuration.

I don’t use ditchable weight. That isn’t for new divers because the standard solution to minimal training is to ditch weight. However, understand that there are divers beyond that minimal threshold. It doesn’t mean they are less safe.

As for pony bottles, that’s not a great solution to a skills issue either. I know it’s popular wisdom here. I do cave dives with up to four tanks. There are good reasons for each of tanks. But, I don’t take a pony bottle on recreational ocean dives. And, there are reasons for that too...