What Should I have done?

[crofrog]

You should never begin an ascent by adding air to the BCD with the inflator button. You should have been able to make a lazy kick or two and begin a s l o w ascent to the surface.

You should begin your ascent by establishing neutral buoyancy at the depth you're at. That might involve adding air to your BC.

 

[boulderjohn]

You should begin your ascent by establishing neutral buoyancy at the depth you're at. That might involve adding air to your BC.

So why weren't you already neutral when you decided to begin your ascent? Even if you were a little negative, easy kicking should be enough to begin the ascent. If you are so negative that you need to add air to begin the ascent, you must have been fighting to maintain depth before that. That's no way to dive.

I will say, though, that many instructors inadvertently teach this during OW classes. I realized this years ago, when I was experimenting with neutrally buoyant OW instruction. Instructors who teach students on their knees must have them overweighted, often significantly, so they can be stable in that position. Then they do exercises in the deep side of the pool (or even during the OW dives) with the students kneeling overweighted with empty BCDs. Then at the end of that part of the class, they have them ascend, which means they have to add air to the BCD. No matter what they may tell them in the classroom, the fact that they have to add air to the BCD before every ascent during instruction is what they remember.

 

[crofrog]

So why weren't you already neutral when you decided to begin your ascent? Even if you were a little negative, easy kicking should be enough to begin the ascent. If you are so negative that you need to add air to begin the ascent, you must have been fighting to maintain depth before that. That's no way to dive.

I agree, but I see many people diving slightly negative all the time. The problem with statements like "you should never" is that there are situations in which it's appropriate or that there are prerequisites that must be met for the statement to be true.

I see the opposite as well. People are borderline too positive and are using their breath to stay down and the get behind the power curve when it comes to venting on the way up.

If you're in trim you're not going to be able to kick up either. You should ideally just be able to start it by just taking a slightly bigger breath than normal until you get started or with a baby back kick up.

 

[LI-er]

should I have swam up to him when I had 800 or so PSI in the tank and showed him? Should I have surfaced with some air in the tank and surface swimmed back to the get out point?

Yes.

 

[LI-er]

I'm always slightly negative, to go up. So yeah, dump to climb, and use your fins.

There is virtually NO reason to always be slightly negative when diving. It requires much more effort over the course of the dive to work against that negative buoyancy.

Consider a refresher course.

 

[MidOH]

I didn't say that. I'm perfectly neutral WHILE DIVING.

While surfacing, I'm slightly negative and fin my up. For increased control, and maybe the need to go back down.

Been a perfect solution to one rough safety stop from a while ago.

I also recently watched a diver use the elevator button at the end of the dive, and she nearly propped herself.

 

[Learner Diver]

As we were swimming back it got shallower and shallower and we were in about 35 feet and I checked the gauge to find I had about 700psi. We were still a decent ways from shore and I started to think about what I do when I take a breath and no air in the tank. I figured I could simple do an ascent if needed so all was good.

Did it occur to you to get someone's attention? This is something I would dread happening to me once I'm fully certified. I have read that you're taught hand signals. I may buy a horn to fit to my rental BCD when I begin the new course in October.

 

[happy-diver]

Only time whilst neutrally buoyant and in trim I can't kick up is when I am surfacing fins first or swimming down

If you're in trim you're not going to be able to kick up either.

Can you see it, you're swimming across a deck, and then you go over the port side, head first
following the hull down and then even maybe swim under the keel if you are at the rudder or
props under the ship upside down and up the starboard side like Batman and Robin climbing
a building in great trim with controlled buoyancy all the way, maybe not like the dynamic duo

Weiterleitungshinweis

 

[Calmseas]

Did it occur to you to get someone's attention? This is something I would dread happening to me once I'm fully certified. I have read that you're taught hand signals. I may buy a horn to fit to my rental BCD when I begin the new course in October.

No, I didn't really think about getting anyone's attention because to get the guide, I would have had to swim about 25 yards pretty quick to catch up to him and burn more air. My son wasn't going to do much about it. I knew I was safe as I could also just get to the surface so I was not really worried about it much. But most likely should have just surfaced with about 500 psi and swam on the surface back to the ladder.

 

[Learner Diver]

My son wasn't going to do much about it.

How much air did your son have that you assumed he wasn't going to do much about it? Slightly confused to your answer.