surfacing during a dive

[flyingsherpa]

ok, this is something that never made sense to me in my OW class. can someone enlighten me?

during my OW dives, we were doing navigation at maybe 20 ft (with 3 ft viz ). when it came time to do a 180 back, the DM had my buddy and i surface. i think this is because he wasn't watching his compass (he couldn't, as he was physically holding on to our tank valves so he wouldn't lose us... talk about messing up your trim!) and he wanted to make sure we had the correct heading back. that was fine with me, but i wondered if it was ok to keep surfacing during our dive...

i've also read others talking about surfacing during their dive to get a bearing back to the boat / shore. they then go back under for the swim back.

my question is, if you're diving tables, how do you take these extra surfacing's into account? seems to me it messes up your profile. is it ok to bounce up and down like that as long as you keep it shallow? i don't remember learning any guidelines on that.

is this ok?

 

[jbd]

it seems quite common to surface especially for new or less experienced divers.

NAUI has the diver count the entire time UW as one square profile if the time at the surface is only a few minutes.

Not sure where you were diving but in a quarry I would have let the students continue the dive without bringing them to the surface. Then we would surface and see where the students ended up.

I realize that this might not be feasible in a large lake or the ocean etc

 

[Rick Murchison]

Surfacing to get your bearings is often not only ok, but a preferred method to keep from getting lost. But - and this is important - if you have been on a deep dive or a long dive to moderate depth, then you shouldn't descend to depth again (descending to a few feet to swim in smoother water back to the boat or exit point is ok).
Procedurally, if you spend less than ten minutes on the surface you're on the same dive, and the time on the surface is added to bottom time.
Rick

 

[gmount]

I have done a safety stop and then ascended to find my positioning in reference to a stationary boat or a beach. After I get my bearing I will sometimes descend as I feel it is much easier to swim at depth than to swim in a current, At a depth of 10 - 15 fsw. If the boat is not anchored then this of course will not work.
If diving in an area where there is boat traffic and you dont have a marker, maybe swimming a little deeper than 10 - 15 fsw is safer. (often on cattle boats people do get seperated from there group, and I have seen very few people carry there own float.)
But they will often sit at the surface and wait for a ride or b.s. with there buddy.
Of course currents change but the easiest and safest way is my favorite.
-greg

 

[JDostal]

I think the term used for doing that a lot is yo-yo diving...up, and down, up, and down....however, during really shallow dives around 20 feet or so, we usually pop to the surface once or twice for whatever reason. When double checking my computer w/ the tables, I don't count the short surface time at all - I just add it to the bottom time.

However, I DO try to minimize the times I come up to the surface...it does mess w/ your dive profile and I just like to avoid it if at all possible. If I were to get used to doing it on shallow dives, I would be handicapped on my deeper dives.

 

[sheck33]

surfacing to get your bearings is not really an issue on shallow dives safety wise as long as you keep ascent rates low.
However it is not a good habbit to get into. On deeper dives you cant do that anymore because of possible deco obligations, safety stops, boat traffic and issues like that. It might be a good idea instead to practice navigational skills and stay aware of what direction you are going in. If you dont know a divesite then do your first dive with somebody that does know the site. And in the case of the DM surfacing and actually holding on to tanks maybe that DM is not really ready to be a DM yet

 

[landlocked]

sheck33 once bubbled...
in the case of the DM surfacing and actually holding on to tanks maybe that DM is not really ready to be a DM yet

In truly low vis, the only way to keep track of your buddy(ies) is to maintain physical contact. In our open water dives we held hands. Kind of fun in my case but that would depend on your buddy. Vis was about 3 feet.

 

[budgy]

The Royal Naval tables regard 9meters as a no limit non deco diving zone, so repeatedly going up and down at those depths is unlikely to harm you. Novices are generally bouncing up and down, hence the term yo-yo divers.
I have during training done a series of shared ascents at depths of 15, 20, 30, metres without incident. I was also warned by some that it was dangerous. The conclusion of some diving doc's and Deco specialists was that you cannot increase the nitrogen loading going up and down as staying on the bottom for the same period, therefore there was no increased danger of getting bent. However some gamblers reason, in every ascent there is a risk element of a bend, so there is an increased risk.
The theory of probability explains if a tossed coin comes up heads six times in a row, the odds of a seventh occasion is still 50:50.
So go figure

 

[otter-cat]

sheck33 once bubbled...
surfacing to get your bearings is not really an issue on shallow dives safety wise as long as you keep ascent rates low.

Going to the surface briefly is fine, and that time can simply be added to the total bottom time, BUT to be able to do this safely, it is essential that you keep your ascent rate within the limits specified by the table or computer that you are using.

If you ascend faster, even if you are only planning to surface for a moment, it is not a safe practice.

 

[JDostal]

Very true - always make a slow ascent, especially in the last 30 feet or so.