WOOT! It's official! I am now OW Certified and could not possibly be more EXCITED!!

[TSandM]

There are a number of reasons why you might not be sinking very quickly at the surface.

One is that you have some air trapped in your wetsuit when you hit the water. Pouring some water into the suit while on the boat might help with that.

Another is that you are kicking while on the surface, either to keep your balance or out of nerves. If your feet are below you and they are moving, they are driving you back up to the surface. Crossing your ankles can help you remember not to do this.

A more subtle problem is breathing rhythm. People are taught to hold up their inflator hose, push the deflate button, and EXHALE . . . the problem with that is that, once your head gets underwater, you need to INHALE, and you bob back up. My mentor, NW Grateful Diver, taught me to hold the inflator hose up and inhale, and then as my eyes went into the water, exhale really hard and hold it for a couple of seconds. Combined with not kicking, that was enough to get me underwater to the point where compression allowed me to continue to descend without difficulty.

 

[hootie]

Thank you for all the great input! Didn't even think about my wet suit having air in it. I will take that into account manana on my first dive outside of getting certified. Very excited!

 

[divergirl6]

I used to have a lot of trouble with descending too. What my mentor told me to do is to exhale as soon as the BC is deflated. The first 5 feet or so are the hardest. Usually after I get past that I can inhale while continuing to descend.

divergirl

 

[stevensman]

I think I found my solution for the same problem. I had to go head first for some time but yesterday I got very good advice and it works great. So steps are:
1. Empty BCD
2. Inhale, kick with your fins so you bob up on the surface, exhale/stop kicking.

After this initial up burst you go down right away and after few feet everything is normal - descending. Also inhale, kick up, exhale, relax is very easy to synchronize. I descend few feet this way and then start breathing normally - descending continues.

 

[tdtaylor]

A more subtle problem is breathing rhythm. People are taught to hold up their inflator hose, push the deflate button, and EXHALE . . . the problem with that is that, once your head gets underwater, you need to INHALE, and you bob back up. My mentor, NW Grateful Diver, taught me to hold the inflator hose up and inhale, and then as my eyes went into the water, exhale really hard and hold it for a couple of seconds. Combined with not kicking, that was enough to get me underwater to the point where compression allowed me to continue to descend without difficulty.

I think TS&M hit the mark. Just remember, when you exhale, relax. Many new divers fuss and move around, creating the problem. Also, as you become more comfortable, you will become more relaxed and be able to more completely exhale. Don't add weight unless you absolutely need to as long as you can hold your safety stop.

Also, as you become more relaxed, you may find you can start shedding weight. I remember when I started with my drysuit, I often used 26-28 pounds with medium weight underwear- I fussed a lot. I now use 16# after 40-50 dives with this suit, and boy, does my poor back appreciate it.

 

[cnar]

I'm wondering if you're also using a new wetsuit since you just got your OWC. Initially you'll require more weight to get down as a new suit is more buoyant. After a few dives the buoyancy changes and you can shed weight.

Just a thought.