The Journey to Decompression Procedures with Sidemount

[inquis]

You're likely looking down, which often results in yoyoing. Eyes up and things become easier.

Also:
You will want to blip your wing as the next to last step in each process. This keeps your breathing in the normal range.

Lastly, the last pickup step is backwards. You need to exhale (since you inhaled before pickup). Note, you inhale slightly before pickup because you will overshoot the wing addition (in fact, you're counting on it).

 

[Tigerpaw]

You're likely looking down, which often results in yoyoing. Eyes up and things become easier.

Also:
You will want to blip your wing as the next to last step in each process. This keeps your breathing in the normal range.

Lastly, the last pickup step is backwards. You need to exhale (since you inhaled before pickup). Note, you inhale slightly before pickup because you will overshoot the wing addition (in fact, you're counting on it).

BINGO, yep I am looking down focused on the tank. OK great and THANKS, can't wait to try it out next week!!!

Quick question, is it possible to do it with just your lungs or do you have to blip your bcd?

 

[VikingDives]

Need Pointers for Staging AL40

OK, this is the one skill I know I just need to practice but I'm wanting to make sure I get it right. I can take off the AL40 stage it and reattach BUT I am all over the place with my buoyancy.

- Breathe normal, unhook rear bolt snap, unhook chest ring bolt snap
- Breathe normally position AL40. holding it with both hands in front of me
- EXHALE while setting AL40 down. My rationing is I'm losing weight/mass
- Slightly inhale to maintain buoyancy, then breathe normally

To Pick up
- Position over tank, grab it
- Once I have tank INHALE to be positive
- AT this point I attach tank to chest d-ring, then hip d-ring
- INHALE and balance out

So this is what I've been practicing with varied results. IF I am on the right pathway, please let me know, I have no problems putting in the work and being repetitive with it.

Unclip the tank, clip it off on a line or set it down. Hold it with one hand until you adjust your buoyancy back to neutrally buoyant, using the weight of the tank to control yourself until you no longer need it.

To pick up the tank, do the opposite. Hold the tank and slowly add gas until you are neutrally buoyant with the tank off the line/ground, then clip the tank off.

 

[Scott]

- Breathe normal, (Check buoyancy) unhook rear bolt snap, (Check buoyancy) unhook chest ring bolt snap (Check buoyancy)
- Breathe normally (Check buoyancy) position AL40.(Check buoyancy) holding it with both hands in front of me (Check buoyancy)
- EXHALE while setting AL40 down.(Check buoyancy) My rationing is I'm losing weight/mass (Check buoyancy)
- Slightly inhale to maintain buoyancy, (Check buoyancy) then breathe normally

To Pick up
-(Check buoyancy) Position over tank,(Check buoyancy) grab it (Check buoyancy)
- Once I have tank INHALE to be positive (Check buoyancy)
- AT this point I attach tank to chest d-ring, (Check buoyancy) then hip d-ring (Check buoyancy)
- INHALE and balance out (Check buoyancy)

Don't rush the little steps, pause and (Check buoyancy)

 

[inquis]

Quick question, is it possible to do it with just your lungs or do you have to blip your bcd?

While it's possible for an AL40 (about 1/2 liter of air required), it's silly to do so. An AL80 will take more air, and then what? Are you going to breath at the upper range of your lungs for the next 30 mins? You should ALWAYS adjust the wing to enable use of the optimal breathing range in steady state. It's literally why the BCD was invented. You might as well do it up front.

The breath I mentioned on pickup, for example, is only slight, with the lion's share done with the wing. Feel free to skip that for now, as it's a subtlety that can be added later. Do it completely with the wing like this: in, in, in, in (as many as needed), <barely rise while holding the tank>, out.

To clarify, the purpose of that slight inhale is to avoid having to release a bit of air from the wing when you invariably overshoot the addition -- you can exhale to achieve that small/final "out" instead.

 

[J-Vo]

Don't rush the little steps, pause and (Check buoyancy)

"Task, buoyancy, Team"

Repeat this in your head. With each word, that's where you focus should be. Task, put your hand on the bolt snap preparing to pick up the tank. Buoyancy, add a puff to the wing. How does it feel? Team, where is my teammate, do they need assistance? Etc... etc... etc...