Uncontrolled ascent - almost what to do?

[danvolker]

---------- Post added October 13th, 2015 at 03:16 AM ----------




Again, I am taking a course and it is not a part of the program. So when exactly should I do this check, when I can not dive alone?

In starting to use gear like this...particularly with a dry suit, you HAVE TO do some drops off the back of the boat prior to the real dive, to perfect your weighting.

At least in Palm Beach, at every instance where I needed this for dry suit dives with different tanks or new changes, the charter boat captain would ALWAYS allow me to drop in for a minute or 2, in order to dial in perfect weighting. The nice thing about this, is that you can even bring a 700 psi tank if you want, to simulate the buoyancy needs when you are at the end of your deco stop.

In any deep diving class, the instructor--if a real instructor, knows how critically important this is....and they should want you to dial in buoyancy fixes prior to the class dive. If the guy frowns on this, he should not be an instructor, and you need to replace him. If it's too late because you spent your money....then you MUST TELL him what you are doing...Don't let him be the boss in obvious safety issues like this.

 

[BlueOcean2015]

In starting to use gear like this...particularly with a dry suit, you HAVE TO do some drops off the back of the boat prior to the real dive, to perfect your weighting.

At least in Palm Beach, at every instance where I needed this for dry suit dives with different tanks or new changes, the charter boat captain would ALWAYS allow me to drop in for a minute or 2, in order to dial in perfect weighting. The nice thing about this, is that you can even bring a 700 psi tank if you want, to simulate the buoyancy needs when you are at the end of your deco stop.

In any deep diving class, the instructor--if a real instructor, knows how critically important this is....and they should want you to dial in buoyancy fixes prior to the class dive. If the guy frowns on this, he should not be an instructor, and you need to replace him. If it's too late because you spent your money....then you MUST TELL him what you are doing...Don't let him be the boss in obvious safety issues like this.

Yes it would have been nice, but the instructors are always in a hurry because they have to finish so they can be home with their family etc. I did ask them why we did not check our weights in the class, and he think they will do that next time. The thing is they thought we where all overweight, but not me, because I do not like to have too much weight on it is easier not to be overweight. I was not missing a lot maybe just 1 kg, I did not have a fast ascent just like that it was controlled.

---------- Post added October 13th, 2015 at 07:32 AM ----------

If your weighing is off... fixing it absolutely is part of the program.

If your instructor and your buddies are unwilling to spend a few minutes helping you with this, they need to be replaced.

They always says yes we will do that next time but there was no next time before is was too late. According to my buddy he did not understand why I wanted to check this, so we never did it. But now he understands. He almost tried the same thing himself.

 

[danvolker]

Could easily be like..... "analyzing" your own tanks..next dive, not this dive....could be fine, unless it is not...like when actual percentage in tank is toxic at planned bottom depth.

 

[BlueOcean2015]

My actual question was not to discuss correct weightning which I do know, but what to do in a situation like this, and what should your partner do? You could loose some weithgt and then it does not matter that your have the correct amount of weight in the beginning, now you have not. Then what to do?

 

[phoenix31tt]

if you were only 1kg underweight you should be able to adjust your breathing at your safety stop to hold it properly... at least that's been my experience...

1kg underweight should not cause a anything close to an uncontrolled ascent...

 

[boulderjohn]

if you were only 1kg underweight you should be able to adjust your breathing at your safety stop to hold it properly... at least that's been my experience...

1kg underweight should not cause a anything close to an uncontrolled ascent...

I agree, as I noted earlier.

I do a demo for students on using the lungs for buoyancy control in pool sessions, During these sessions, I like to be a bit overweighted--about 3 kg--so that I can deal with possible emergency situations. That includes needing to descend quickly, which I cannot do if perfectly weighted or underweighted. Even being that much overweighted, I can control buoyancy with my lungs from the bottom of the pool to the top. I start my demo at the bottom and work my way to the top of the pool (12 feet) simply through my breathing, and then I work my way back down to the bottom, again simply by controlling my breathing.

I have done the opposite. A number of years ago I was doing a dive while almost perfectly weighted with 8 pounds (nearly 4 kg), but my buddy was struggling. We found out later he had miscounted his weights and was indeed underweighted. I handed him one of my weight pockets with 4 pounds in it, thus losing half my weight. The rest of the dive was uncomfortable for me because I had to breathe with only a little air in my lungs with each breath, but I managed all the way through the safety stop.

 

[danvolker]

My actual question was not to discuss correct weightning which I do know, but what to do in a situation like this, and what should your partner do? You could loose some weithgt and then it does not matter that your have the correct amount of weight in the beginning, now you have not. Then what to do?

Fine....If you have a real buddy, with skills, he should have proactively recognized your problem, and should be offering to help you by pushing you down, if needed.
Any GUE or UTD buddy would be expected to see an issue like this, and immediately deal with it....And there are plenty of great DIR buddies ( or DIR-ish buddies) from many training backgrounds, that would be equally ready to move in and assist.

However, among a group of high quality buddies like this, there is no team based, "jumping in the water without everything being checked or dialed in first"....

In other words, they would help you, and then you might not get asked to dive with them again....it being clearly a lack of proper gear configuration and planning that created the problem THEY had to fix. Maybe they would give you one or two strikes before you are OUT

 

[BlueOcean2015]

However, among a group of high quality buddies like this, there is no team based, "jumping in the water without everything being checked or dialed in first"....

In other words, they would help you, and then you might not get asked to dive with them again....it being clearly a lack of proper gear configuration and planning that created the problem THEY had to fix. Maybe they would give you one or two strikes before you are OUT

Sure but I was not expected to me a high quality diver. This is a basis course...

 

[tursiops]

Sure but I was not expected to me a high quality diver. This is a basis course...

You said it was a deep dive. What was the planned depth?

 

[BlueOcean2015]

You said it was a deep dive. What was the planned depth?

Not that deep 98 feet. But for us it was a deep dive.