To do the mastering buoyancy/advanced course straight away, or to not?

[ogtool]

Hey all,

Relative newbie to diving (OW certified ~ 18 months and 14 dives total in the log) but heading to Tonga for the humpbacks/8 dives in a few months and got a bunch of Ikelite gear `en route as well and want to ramp up the frequency of my diving....

I'm pretty high on air usage at the moment, and from all I read, the main route to better consumption is just to dive more and control the buoyancy more. With a relatively small number of dives under my belt, would those of you who have done it before recommend doing a few more dives to settle nerves/become more comfortable before doing the buoyancy course - meaning I might get more out of it, or is this really what the buoyancy course will teach?

(background info) - main dives so far have been < 15M reef dives on the GBR/Fiji etc, but also did a dry duit at Silfra Crack in Iceland, so had a couple of different dive types already and getting more confident.

Chicken or egg question really.

Keen to hear your thoughts.

Cheers.

 

[Mayor]

I wish I took this class at your level. GUE primer class would help with your control in the water for photos!

 

[ScubaSteve]

I think you would greatly benefit from a diving Mentor. Can you find an experienced buddy that can become a regular buddy? If you, express your wishes with them, and ask that they dive frequently with you and help you with proper weighting as well as your trim. Ask them to critique your diving style and work on what they offer. I personally do not think that the PPB course is worth a whole lot on its own depending on the instructor(but I may be tainted because the class I took several hundred dives ago was an absolute joke). I think if you dive a lot and get quality feedback and work on things on every dive, you will see improvements fairly quickly.

 

[Colliam7]

... ask that they dive frequently with you and help you with proper weighting as well as your trim.

Good point, the two go hand in hand, and the weighting aspect is too often overlooked.

I personally do not think that the PPB course is worth a whole lot on its own depending on the instructor(but I may be tainted because the class I took several hundred dives ago was an absolute joke).

I had the same experience when I took PPB as a novice 6 dives) AOW student. I now try to make PPB something better than what I experienced, but don't claim perfection by any means. I do think the instructor can make a lot of difference in the course.

... I think if you dive a lot and get quality feedback and work on things on every dive, you will see improvements fairly quickly.

Fully agree. You can advance though courses alone. But, ultimately, a combination of courses AND simply becoming more comfortable in the water, through a lot of UW time, is the key. Some people are naturals, most aren't. For those of us who aren't, there is really not a good substitute for 'time in grade', or 'time in water' as the case may be.

 

[ScubaSteve]

I do think the instructor can make a lot of difference in the course.

Absolutely true. I have seen some OW students that rival the best and not all of them were destined for it.,....some of them just had great instructors that took time to really teach them and help them. My PPB class was basically kicking as fast as I could to follow the instructor as he saw-toothed a profile......absolutely useless. I would like to think that most are not this bad but I really think that a good mentor is irreplacable.

But, ultimately, a combination of courses AND simply becoming more comfortable in the water, through a lot of UW time, is the key. Some people are naturals, most aren't. For those of us who aren't, there is really not a good substitute for 'time in grade', or 'time in water' as the case may be.

While I have always loved diving and everything to do with the water, buoyancy did not come naturally to me. But I did 100 dives in my first 2 years of diving and average 50 or so per year since and I have come a long way. Time in water is critical and without it, even the best lose their "magic touch".

To clarify, I was not advocating no instruction at all.....just that a good mentor and lots of bottom time will go farther to mastering the actual skill of buoyancy than a class and a couple dives will. The class is still required to advance, but it on it's own is not worth too much.

 

[highdesert]

Back to your original question ... should you wait until you have a few more dives? Yes, IMHO. The training will be more meaningful if you have done just as you are supposing ... get a bit more comfortable in the water, relax a bit, then get the training.

 

[FireInMyBones]

I recommend going ahead with training. Not only do you learn more skills but more about the diving physiology The more you know, the more you can practice and the better you will get.

Best of luck.

 

[TSandM]

I would recommend doing the course, and do it through Dive Center Bondi. Why? Because the folks there are associated with the agency that does the Primer class that Mayor spoke about. I would be seriously willing to bet that, whether you did the Primer or a standard AOW class there, you would get a class that would have real content and would give you good tools to improve your buoyancy.

 

[DiveDocMD]

Buy a book on advanced skills and buoyancy control. Study it. Every time you dive try to utilize what you've studied. Dive with someone more experienced who can be your "spotter". Take the course after you've had a chance to get more in water experience.

 

[kaerius]

My personal view is that divers should go OW->AOW->Rescue ASAP. Preferably before doing any dives without a dive professional present. It'd cut down on dive accidents and make them less likely to be serious/fatal.

On a more reasonable note: You can befriend a DM/instructor and have them give you pointers on trim, buoyancy and kicks. I'd still recommend taking an actual course though.

And for the dirt cheap alternative, there's instructional videos on youtube. You may want to watch them even if you're going with the taking a course option, can't hurt with a bit of pre-study.