Maintaining depth without visual reference?

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KevinNM

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I though I was getting this stuff down, but maybe not. I was diving in water that was far murkier than I expected, maybe 2 feet of visibility max. I couldn't maintain depth at all in mid-water without being able to see (OK, more like stare constantly at) the depth display on the computer. I would eventually realize out I was moving up or down, but by the time I realized this it wasn't a minor change to correct it. Eventually more less blundered into a line someone had running across the pond in mid-water for some unknown reason and with that as a visual reference I had no real issues doing a valve drill.

So is this one of those things that eventually just clicks if you do it enough or are is there a trick or two that I'm not getting?
 
Keep an eye on particulates in the water?
 
I tried that. It seemed to be just green goop, nothing I could really focus on.
 
Green goop has lots of particulates for you to stare at.

Other tricks you can try:
Put the depth gauge close to your eye. Wear it further down towards your wrist. Switch between looking at your buddies and staring at the gauge.

Use your buddy as a reference. Your buddy needs to be good though. During a course, use the instructor as reference.
 
In real green goop is tricky to maintain depth. It comes with experience, but it remains difficult. Unfortunately I can practice this a lot in the pond where I frequently dive.
 
We were always allowed to look at our bottom timer/computer when maintaining a no reference stop. You are as well, aren't you? The instructor took away a bolt snap attached to a line at a particular depth, but we always had our computer.

The particulate or something near you in the environment at a particular depth helps, like the line you found. Being aware of the depth by the pressure changes in your ears can help too.

If you have your hands straight out in front of you, with your face forward, and your computer about mid-way on your right forearm, you can always see it and it won't be bumped when doing a valve drill. Having a very bright screen and more specific depth gauge really helps too.

For example, I found my bright, large number OLED display with the depth down to the decimal was awesome. If I had to maintain a 10 foot stop for instance, and I dropped to 10.1, I already knew to correct it, whereas someone with another computer didn't know until they reached a foot off depth - 9 feet or 11 feet. My buddy resorted to looking at my computer while across from me to gauge herself.

It's great to use the instructor for a depth reference until they suddenly move out of your sight line so you can't use them as a crutch. :wink:
 
I use my ears to maintain depth. I can tell by how they pop if I am ascending.

Also, switch to meters :) much better depth resolution (10cm increments) so you can see if you are moving sooner.

As a third thing I will focus in on some particulate in the water and holding with a half breath see if I am moving or not. Adjust buoyancy as required.

Best practise...night dives with blue water deco !
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/peregrine/
http://cavediveflorida.com/Rum_House.htm

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