Worth still doing Peak Performance Buoyancy after AOW?

[CapnBloodbeard]

G'day all!
I'm only about 45 dives in, and completed my PADI AOW last year. For one of the modules I did the Peak Performance buoyancy....but honesty, I got very little out of this. The trainer wasn't....great......and the entire AOW course was really rushed as they didn't manage dive times and falling light well (eg we butchered the navigation....well, I insist my buddy butchered it......but they still okayed it). It was a quick look at the breath-hold buoyancy check at the start of the dive, a very quick look at my trim, then good to go. I think we might have had to do a brief hover, but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to do a few positions that we didn't do.

Anyway, buoyancy and control are still something I feel quite weak in. Maybe I'm my own harshest critic, but I'm not comfortable with it. And even diving last year, still ended up with, say, struggling to hover the one position when surrounding something interesting, just things like that. I've also had trouble controlling myself in current (probably why you don't do Komodo National Park with only 20 dives under your belt....haha)

So, I'm wondering - would doing a separate buoyancy performance course (either PADI or SSI) be of any benefit? Has anybody done these? I'm just wondering if there's any benefit above and beyond what I would likely have covered already?

 

[TMHeimer]

I took the PPV PADI course 15 years ago. I vaguely recall it was OK. My buoyancy was OK beforehand. We did a few tricks like going through hoops. We spent a bit of time on weighting, which along with trim is probably all you need to figure most things out for yourself. My instructor couldn't believe I needed the weight I was using until he found out that it was true. I recall we did some fancy pirowetting (sp?) and finning in circles. I was after the renowned Master Scuba Diver card, being the main reason for taking the PPV specialty.

 

[Bob DBF]

First, it sounds like you need to shop for a better instructor. Then talk to your new instructor about how he is going to help you. Perhaps you need to have a professional help you get better at controlling buoyancy, rather than taking a class.

Second, if you know where your problems are, just get out and practice.

Start with optimizing the weight you carry. At 15' with no air in your bc and about 500# in your tank you should be neutral. Do the check at your safety stop, give extra weight to your buddy or set it on the bottom.
A few pounds over is not a big deal.

 

[Edward3c]

@CapnBloodbeard

Did your course cover what’s in this link? From your description it didn’t.

 

[inquis]

An underwater camera is quite revealing.

 

[divinh]

I considered the AOW course as an intro to skills, so figured it would require practice on my part afterward. Any check off by the instructor, in my mind, was to say that I was introduced to the skill, not necessarily mastered it. After AOW, I did a lot of fun dives to hon my skills. On fun dives, it's easy to work on buoyancy, not so much navigation, as the guides usually lead you around.

For the buoyancy portion, I had to navigate through an underwater maze of up/down using only breath to control neutral buoyancy level. The instructor, then, had me go vertical and push a knife he planted vertical into the sand with just my forehead. This also required just breathing to go up/down. From this, I got a good sense of how much breathing played in neutral buoyancy, especially how quickly/slowly it translated from breath to actual movement.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

PPB doesn't have any performance requirements that are not covered in open water. Its existence is a testimony to the existence of poor open water courses.

Take GUE fundies instead.

 

[Edward3c]

@CapnBloodbeard

Did your course cover what’s in this link? From your description it didn’t.

@CapnBloodbeard

Just noticed your located in Australia; find a BSAC club and do the Buoyancy & Trim Workshop.

 

[KenGordon]

G'day all!
I'm only about 45 dives in, and completed my PADI AOW last year. For one of the modules I did the Peak Performance buoyancy....but honesty, I got very little out of this. The trainer wasn't....great......and the entire AOW course was really rushed as they didn't manage dive times and falling light well (eg we butchered the navigation....well, I insist my buddy butchered it......but they still okayed it). It was a quick look at the breath-hold buoyancy check at the start of the dive, a very quick look at my trim, then good to go. I think we might have had to do a brief hover, but I'm pretty sure you're supposed to do a few positions that we didn't do.

Anyway, buoyancy and control are still something I feel quite weak in. Maybe I'm my own harshest critic, but I'm not comfortable with it. And even diving last year, still ended up with, say, struggling to hover the one position when surrounding something interesting, just things like that. I've also had trouble controlling myself in current (probably why you don't do Komodo National Park with only 20 dives under your belt....haha)

So, I'm wondering - would doing a separate buoyancy performance course (either PADI or SSI) be of any benefit? Has anybody done these? I'm just wondering if there's any benefit above and beyond what I would likely have covered already?

Yes.

Buoyancy is the most important skill. Having a day to concentrate on nothing else is very helpful.

Dealing with current is a different thing, but easier if you have decent buoyancy control. Experience counts with current.

 

[dmaziuk]

I tend to dive a couple of pounds heavy and use one of these to "stay in one position" when framing a shot. Most DMs I dived with carry them too, the version w/o the rattle, and use them to stay in place when they find something to show to the group. Same goes for current: I've seen a surge smack the DM into the wall hard enough to knock his cylinder out of the camband; you're not going to out-skill the ocean.

Without seeing you "struggling to hover" it's hard to say if you need more training or are just being too hard on yourself. Here's a free tip: the more relaxed you are in the water, the easier it is.