Secondary depth indicators.

[northernone]

What's some references you use for rough depth monitoring. (And which conditions do they work on)

Back home on the river drift, I calibrate to the amount of mud in the water (once eyes adjust). Faint orange glow in the black towards the surface means between 6-13ft depth depending on the day. Great for deco without trying to read a dive computer in near 0 viz.

Caribbean without up/down wellings I use my bcd (if wearing one) set to a certain inflation. Set a level of breath pattern. Note my angle of trim. If I need to start finning up or down my buoyancy has changed. I need to check depth to confirm how much I've drifted. But it is an biological way of holding depth.

Another one, my sinuses creak/crack when I ascend 7ft depth.

My buddy needs to equalize in mathematically perfectly intervals and his ears squeak. He can count squeaks and guess depth -+4ft. (Greater accuracy above 110ft)

Color spectrum shift I know can be used.

On my most familiar old workhorse conshelf reg, gas density is a predictable depth guage, when deep.

There's a few ideas. Anyone have a couple more to add?

Cameron

 

[T.C.]

Your ears implode: means you're too deep.

 

[Diver0001]

I can "feel" subtle changes in depth because I start to feel too heavy or too light. In addition you can feel it in your ears.

I can't do what you do, which is to estimate depth based on visibility. At sites I know well I obviously learn which features are at which depths and I often take depth cues from that as well.

R..

 

[fmerkel]

Exhaust bubble sound changes for me @ 60'

 

[Saboteur]

Exhaust bubble sound changes for me @ 60'

I've never "heard" of that. What should one look for... i'd like to try and notice it.

 

[fmerkel]

The 'crackle' of the exhaust abruptly mutes down a bit, lowers frequency I think. (Bubbles are squished?)
FWIW, I wear Doc's Proplugs to keep water out of my ears, and I dislike the bubble exhaust sound. I may hear it a bit differently as a result. I also have a lot of high end hearing loss.

 

[dmaziuk]

It's easy in the Caribbean: you get the textbook washout of red then green light. Once everything's blue, you're past 70-ish.

 

[tursiops]

It's easy in the Caribbean: you get the textbook washout of red then green light. Once everything's blue, you're past 70-ish.

Doesn't the brain "white balance" a bit so this effect is mitigated?

 

[dmaziuk]

Doesn't the brain "white balance" a bit so this effect is mitigated?

Up to a point: when all red is gone, you can tell. Though it may help to have a camera for an objective view.

 

[Trace Malinowski]

My Shearwaters! I'm not getting any younger and those depth readings might be a 3 ... or an 8.