Why jump in the water and then float around?

[Ana]

Ana,
On a drift dive in the UK you go in one direction and then maybe another but the sea gods are in control - the diver is but a spectator

I can understand that, but even as an spectator scuba gear will perform a lot more efficiently totally submerged than floating around.

hey I don't mind surface swims or even long surface soaks. If you do a drift dive in S. Florida chances are you will wait on the surface at the end of your dive to be picked up by the boat, don't have a problem with that. Stoping in the surface in order to go down feels to me like stopping in a roadway right after merging into it, which I bet some of you do too.

 

[fairybasslet]

Stoping in the surface in order to go down feels to me like stopping in a roadway right after merging into it, which I bet some of you do too.

Not me, but a lot of other NJ drivers.

 

[Walter]

From time to time, there will be a reason to inflate my BC after I enter and relax on the surface while waiting on one thing or another. When there is, I'll inflate my BC after entry. I certainly don't plan to wait on the surface. I don't get in the water until I'm ready to dive. If I'm not ready to dive I stay on the boat until I am.

Maybe to wait for a buddy to splash in?

If you can't wait on the surface for a few seconds without air in your BC, you're overweighted.

Maybe some just need to relax prior to slipping under.

I do. I relax on the boat, then I relax through the entire dive.

There is a time and place for negative entries, but not for all divers. Some want to dump slowly so they decend slower and more under control

If this is an issue, the divers in question are overweighted. Of course, if we are wearing wet suits, we'll need to add air to our BCs as we descend, but it's silly to dump air then replace it as we descend.

In my opinion (not high valued, by any means), it only takes a moment to bob to the surface, make certain all is in order, signal Ok to the boat, and then descend.

Easily done w/o inflating the BC prior to entry.

I have some serious equalization issue sometimes related to allergies. I like to take my time on the surface.

That's no reason to inflate your BC prior to entry. Your issue is with rate of descent, they are totally unrelated.

1. As a new diver, a divermaster or Capt/owner whatever may want to see an 'OK' sign so he knows you're doing good and not heading for the bottom with an issue that he could have helped with on the surface.

Easily done with no air in your BC.

2. Regrouping with your buddy when you're new is a good idea so you can descend together and not start off seperated.

Easily done with no air in your BC.

3. To control the deflation of the BC to control the descent...matching skill to the dive.

If you are controling your descent with the amount of air you're dumping, you are seriously overweighted. Shed some lead.

3. To let the angry divers descend first so I can stay out of their way.

There are angry divers? Should this be #4?

Adjust gear, make sure you are properly weighted, locate your buddy, make sure others are ok, begin equalization in your ears (i'm an allergy guy). I always kick out a ways so there is plenty of room for other divers.

Adjust your gear on the boat. You cannot check proper weighting with an inflated BC. You don't need an inflated BC to exchange OK signals. You should begin equalization on the boat or even on the dock. You'll get out of the way faster without that extra air.

None of these reasons are reasons. They are rationalizations as to why you should continue to do what you've always done.

 

[Rockhound76]

Interesting range of opinions and techniques here. Keeping in mind that I haven't had a formal dive lesson in over 30yrs. (I know, I know...sigh.), I adjust my technique for the conditions:

1) On most of my open water dives, with or without current and/or waves, e.g., at the Texas Flower Gardens, I go in "heavy". I do an exaggerated "OK" (hand on head) that is easily visible to the DM's looking down, then descend about 8-10' . I swim forward of the entry point enough to be out of the way (side exit on the boat) to wait on my buddy. If the current is really honking at the surface, I hang on the side line, otherwise I adjust to neutral and hang within sight of the surface. I wait for my buddy to enter and to get "situated" before we exchange individual okays prior to descending together. I never descend so far down or so far forward that I can't witness the splash.

If it's a bit rough, IMO, the worse possible thing for a diver to do is bounce around on the surface. I've witnessed more than one divers get seasick needlessly. A few feet down, it's calmer and easy to control your position. Also think it's safer. The only thing you might miss is a surface problem (What, he forgot his fins AGAIN?). Those are handled on the boat, anyway.

While I'm at it, I'd also mention that I reverse this for surfacing. I rarely surface before grabbing the ladder in clear water ( I look up to see if the ladders are clear). Bobbing around in 5' seas for no good reason makes no sense to my feeble mind. I see lots of folks do that in rough water and they sure don't look comfortable to me.

2) On murky water (low viz) or placid lake dives, I remain on the surface until my buddy is in the water and ready for me. If we are using a boat, I'll surface with my buddy and will swim over to the boat together.

As for "heavy (hot) "divers plunging out of control, one would hope they'd wear less lead next time.

L

 

[sharkattack]

From time to time, there will be a reason to inflate my BC after I enter and relax on the surface while waiting on one thing or another. When there is, I'll inflate my BC after entry. I certainly don't plan to wait on the surface. I don't get in the water until I'm ready to dive. If I'm not ready to dive I stay on the boat until I am.



If you can't wait on the surface for a few seconds without air in your BC, you're overweighted.

Try to stay on the surface with a set of 119s jammed with an 80 sling and no weight belt and a deflated wing



I do. I relax on the boat, then I relax through the entire dive.


Same here

Again situation will dictate when it's good for anyone to make a decent

 

[Ice9]

Ya, for me its all about the time to relax and slow my breathing a little. In cold water, I'll put my face down into it to get over the initial shock. This definitely helps my air consumption.

 

[Nemrod]

To the OP you an me are on the same page, your observations are dead on, your right, it does cause problems, especially if diving from an anchored boat. Do your equipment check before getting in the water. Suck all of the air from your BC, Roll and then GO! I never float around on the surface allowing myself to become exhausted fighting a current when often the current dissapates considerably 10 or so feet down (wind driven) and it also precludes other calamities like swallowing seawater and getting knocked around by waves, washed into the boat or having another diver land on you or better yet getting washed back onto the tag line and exhausting yourself getting back to the boat before ever making your dive. PadI teaches this but it is not a practical entry in many places, especially off of a boat. The object is to dive, not float around loosing their masks and fins and swallowing water and flailing about. Not to bring up a sore subject as a MOF person who has never lost a mask but watched so many loose theirs when left in posiiton (on the surface)--the less time on the surface the better.

So:
1) check equipment carefully
2) remove all air from BC
3) roll, stride or whartever
4) and then GO (swimming descent head first so I can see where I am going)

Once I roll off the side I never return to the surface until the dive is complete, I do a half twist to horozontal and then I am gone and anyone going with me better have their Jets in gear. I don't resurface until my hand is on the ladder.

Obviously a shore entry to a site requiring a surface swim is different and would require a different approach, the method should fit the locale, not a PadI rule book. One size does not fit all.

N

 

[trigfunctions]

Lots of bad things can happen accidentally on on entry - your mask can pop off, your reg can pop out, your tank can slip, you can get bonked on the head by something or someone, you can slip and hit the deck or ladder, etc.

In all of those cases, you are much better off if you are floating instead of sinking.

 

[fisheyeview]

As an underwater photographer I need to be on the surface long enough to have my camera handed to me and to check for leaks before I totally submerge.

 

[Nemrod]

On a recent dive on the Oriskany I told my new buddy that I would Roll and Go, I went from the right and he went from the left. We were the third pair in the water, the first two pairs, bobbing on the surface and it was quite rough that day and a very strong current were already on the tag line getting most of the attention of the crew. I had instructed my buddy that I would not be on the surface and that we would meet at the line that the DM had set 10 feet down to the anchor line. I rolled in, did a half twist, Jets went into action and I was down. I turn around, no buddy, yep he was on the surface, already queasy from the trip out he was up there snorting seawater, then he followed the wrong guy (everybody in black of course--like a Harley convention) who went the wrong way and then went back to the surface were they inhaled more seawater. I was watching the mass mayhem from 10 feet down, the entire boat load of divers now hanging on the tag line. I had just about decided to go get him when I guess he must have remembeed me telling him I would NEVER be on the surface and finally down he went, saw me and away we went. Problem is he had consumed a lot of his air on an already deep dive that required every bit of air we had. Oh well, new divers and new buddies, gotta train them, cannot get mad. After that he understood the error of his and their ways.

Your not going to hit your head if you clear your entry point, if the sonar says 220 feet to sand, Roll and then GO.

Equipment, the exact configuration yiou will be diving, should have been checked in a previous dive or in the POOL before your trip--not--hanging on the surface on your trip. Just because everybody does something stupid does not make it right.

N