Struggling in midwater

[TSandM]

Okay, maybe this isn't all that basic . . .

My current challenge is midwater skills. At this point, I'm pretty okay IF I have a visual reference for vertical and depth (knotted spool will do) AND I'm not task loaded. I can hang at 20 or 10 feet until the cows come home if nobody makes me DO anything.

Deprive me of a visual reference, or task load me much at all, and I should enter a championship yo-yo contest.

What I'm asking is: Does anybody have any ideas, other than just continuing to try and fail, as to how to develop these skills? Right now, we're working with the idea of setting a good visual reference (bolt snap on upline) and settling there, and once settled, attempting something task-loading, like shooting a bag. (If I can master getting the spool out of my new dry suit pocket without dropping it, that will help ) But if anybody has any great ideas for exercises or sequences that help develop this stuff, I'm all ears (Rick, Thal, anybody?)

 

[loosebits]

Let your ears be your depth gauge.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Holy Great-Minds-Think-Alike, Lynne ... sounds like you and Doug were out diving last night (I assume Kirk was the third diver in your team?) ... perhaps you should merge the two threads ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[TSandM]

I don't know -- They kind of ask different questions. I'm looking for specific advice on how to develop these skills (and yes, Bob, your midwater nav dive was in MY mind, too!) and Doug's asking how other people feel about being in midwater. You can sure tell we were on the same dive, though

Oh, and loosebits, my ears make splendid descent gauges, but are worthless about getting shallow. No cracks, pops or squeaks at all.

 

[do it easy]

Some people talk about using their ears to judge their depth- I have a method that is more reliable for me- I look at my depth gauge frequently. This involves more task loading, but after a few adjustments, it tends to smooth out. You do have to correlate your depth to what you are doing. For example- when shooting an SMB, before I start, I'll try to get neutral and look at the gauge. Then I'll pull my spool and SMB out of my pocket and look at the gauge again. If the number is different, I pause to make a slight correction, which can be dumping air or just adjusting my breathing. Then I'll unroll the SMB and unclip the spool. Again, look at the gauge. At this point, I hope it's just a slight correction, etc. Basically, I take a quick look at my depth between steps and adjust buoyancy. It sounds like more task loading, but, as they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The other trick I use between checks is to look at the flotsam in the water. Usually, there are little specks in the water that I can use to judge my movements.

 

[dsteding]

Holy Great-Minds-Think-Alike, Lynne ... sounds like you and Doug were out diving last night (I assume Kirk was the third diver in your team?) ... perhaps you should merge the two threads ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Yeah, but the question is:

is it "mid-water" or "midwater"?

Lynne, this is funny that we both posted on this. My take away from last night is that we just need to go out and spend a lot of time mid-water (err, midwater). After hovering at 20 feet for 5 minutes or so, the ques started happening a bit more, the floaties, my ears, my buddies going "up" past me . . . or "down" past me . . .

I'm fairly optimisitic that we can condition ourselves to function efficiently in this environment. Practice, lots of practice.

 

[H2Andy]

well, i don't know how helpful this is

but when i am doing safety stops, i will hold hands in front of me and look at my hands and the depth gauge/computer. i can keep myself one foot up or one foot down from my target depth that way indefinetly

and if i am doing something, i will "scan" my depth on every third or fourth beat:

do something, do something, do something, look at depth, do something, do something do somethig do something, look at depth ,etc.

not sure if this is a good or bad habit, but works for me

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

well, i don't know how helpful this is

but when i am doing safety stops, i will hold hands in front of me and look at my hands and the depth gauge/computer. i can keep myself one foot up or one foot down from my target depth that way indefinetly

and if i am doing something, i will "scan" my depth on every third or fourth beat:

do something, do something, do something, look at depth, do something, do something do somethig do something, look at depth ,etc.

not sure if this is a good or bad habit, but works for me

... it's a good habit ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[H2Andy]

phew!

 

[dsteding]

For example- when shooting an SMB, before I start, I'll try to get neutral and look at the gauge. Then I'll pull my spool and SMB out of my pocket and look at the gauge again. If the number is different, I pause to make a slight correction, which can be dumping air or just adjusting my breathing. Then I'll unroll the SMB and unclip the spool. Again, look at the gauge. At this point, I hope it's just a slight correction, etc. Basically, I take a quick look at my depth between steps and adjust buoyancy. It sounds like more task loading, but, as they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. .

Tony, that is a great suggestion. It seems like that also makes you check in on your buoyancy at regular (and close) intervals when it is most likely to go to hell.

So much of this stuff is technique related, getting the sequence of actions down solid, and building "muscle" memory, so to speak. When I shoot a bag, I sometimes lose track of my gauges because I get task-loaded--adding these reminders to my "checklist" of bag shooting will help out a lot.