pilot fish:
Have a friend that is 5' 10' probably weight 230 lbs, big person, and dives with 22 lbs, wearing a 3 mil shorty. They have only 25 dives I know they usually over-weight new divers but I think that is excessive, especailly after 25 dives. I think the over-weighting, if that is indeed what it is, should be corrected after 25 dives. I've instructed they empty their lungs and be patient. Don't expect to drop at the rate everyone else does. Is there any other advice I can give? Am I missing something?
It's excessive ... but don't obsess about it. Have him work on relaxing and controlling his breathing, and try taking it off a couple pounds at a time.
I usually start out by watching how a diver descends ... that's where most people think they need more weight. Watch his feet ... is he kicking? It's a natural response that many new divers don't even realize they're doing. Have him cross his feet when he starts his descent ... that way he won't inadvertently be propelling himself up while he's trying to go down.
Next thing most new divers don't do is completely exhale. I tell my students to breathe out ... then when they think they've got all the air out of their lungs, breathe out some more. Nine times outta ten they surprise themselves by how much air they're retaining ... that's because they're not relaxed, and that's the next thing to work on.
Before starting the descent, take a few minutes on the surface. Close your eyes, take a few slow, deep breaths, and just let your body relax. This is especially important after a reasonable surface swim, because newer divers typically arrive at the descent point somewhat winded. When you're ready, raise your inflator hose, and as you start to let the air out, inhale ... then, when the air in your BCD is almost gone and you feel yourself starting to sink, begin a long, slow exhale. Keep exhaling till you're at least 3 or 4 feet underwater ... making sure to keep the inflator valve open the whole time. Then compression will start taking over and you can begin breathing normally as you descend.
Finally, once you're a few feet under the water, get horizontal. If you stay vertical, you're going to want to start kicking to control your descent. That may seem easier, but it's not. Control your descent by adding short puffs of air into the BCD while taking long, slow, deep breaths. Don't overdo the inflator ... if it takes more than a half-second puff every few feet, you are overweighted.
As you approach the bottom, time your breaths so that you can take a long, deep inhale to stop your descent (remember, your lungs are just a built-in BCD ... use it). As you breathe out (slowly), add short puffs of air in your BCD to maintain your position.
Be aware of what you're doing with your fins the whole way down. If you need to use your fins to slow or stop your descent, that's a clue that you're probably carrying too much weight.
Try it a few times ... don't expect to get it exactly right the first time. But remember, the goal is to descend and stop without having to either fin up, or touch the bottom. When you can do that, your weighting will be pretty close to correct.
... Bob (Grateful Diver)
