All new gear and buoyancy

[TartanFrog]

In my real job as an engineer the rule is to only change one thing at a time. That is pretty much the only way to know what is going on if something fails.

However, as a new diver that is not the case. Up until this point I had rented everything except my mask, snorkel and fins.

So here is the deal... New 5mm wetsuit, new BCD, new regs and a new computer. The brands of all that don't really matter. The point is that with all the new gear, especially the BCD and wetsuit, maintaining bouyancy control was a challenge. It was a very good thing I decided to go the pool with a group from my LDS before going anywhere close to a dive site. It took a lot more weight than normal to be able to get to the bottom of the pool and staying there was something of a struggle. Even though I have gone through peak performance bouyancy training and I practice it a lot, it was a challenge.

I am glad that I did not have any equipment issues other than the bouyancy control. And I am really glad that I now have all my primary gear and won't need to have that little challenge again.

So I guess my point is that as a new diver, getting all the new equipment is a good thing. It is very cool to decide which gear meets your needs and fits your own personal budget. However, getting it all at once and hitting the water can be a challenge for a new and inexperienced diver.

I'm not sure what the lesson is here, other than it does add to the challenge of being a new diver. And maybe for you more experienced divers, when you have a noob with you, all that new gear may compound their difficulties in maintaining bouyancy so you might have to work with them on it.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I.... I now have all my primary gear and won't need to have that little challenge again......

Sure you will. Buy a dry suit and you will have the same newbie barely-in-control feeling again.

You are no longer in the lab (or software world in my case) when diving, you are dealing with mother nature at her most unpredictable (the ocean) and have less control. The ideal engineering tool of changing 1 variable at a time is seldom realized outside a pool. That's what makes it exciting.

 

[Searcaigh]

Even when you change something between dives it can alter buoyancy

I would say the main part of your equipment is the new wetsuit, all of the other gear should not really have had too much effect.

 

[Straegen]

IMO, drysuit aside (which is its own challenge) once a diver learns to truly relax in the water most of the buoyancy issues go right out the window. The only time I really have to deal with it now isn't changing gear so much it is having to adjust the weight for the end of the dive and that usually only presents itself on the safety stop.

 

[Kenny13]

In my real job as an engineer the rule is to only change one thing at a time. That is pretty much the only way to know what is going on if something fails.

However, as a new diver that is not the case. Up until this point I had rented everything except my mask, snorkel and fins.

So here is the deal... New 5mm wetsuit, new BCD, new regs and a new computer. The brands of all that don't really matter. The point is that with all the new gear, especially the BCD and wetsuit, maintaining bouyancy control was a challenge. It was a very good thing I decided to go the pool with a group from my LDS before going anywhere close to a dive site. It took a lot more weight than normal to be able to get to the bottom of the pool and staying there was something of a struggle. Even though I have gone through peak performance bouyancy training and I practice it a lot, it was a challenge.

I am glad that I did not have any equipment issues other than the bouyancy control. And I am really glad that I now have all my primary gear and won't need to have that little challenge again.

So I guess my point is that as a new diver, getting all the new equipment is a good thing. It is very cool to decide which gear meets your needs and fits your own personal budget. However, getting it all at once and hitting the water can be a challenge for a new and inexperienced diver.

I'm not sure what the lesson is here, other than it does add to the challenge of being a new diver. And maybe for you more experienced divers, when you have a noob with you, all that new gear may compound their difficulties in maintaining bouyancy so you might have to work with them on it.

I'm with you - a new diver who recently purchased all new gear. I think the idea of replacing one piece of equipment at a time is a good one if you were always using the same equipment prior to replacing that piece. However, if you're using rental equipment you're having to adjust to different equipment each trip. Sometimes that adjustment may just be as slight as a regulator that breathes a little different than the one you previously used, and other times it could be a completely different type of BC that changes your trim in the water.

I really liked the idea of getting all my own stuff and starting from scratch. I think it can help take a little anxiety out of things for a new diver and help you to relax a little more in the water. Prior to using my gear for the first time I was able to completely familiarize myself with everything, get the cummerbun and straps on my BC adjusted to fit exactly how I wanted them, and figure out how I could stow everything so there were no dangling parts. And actually, by the middle of my first dive with my gear I felt very comfortable with it.

 

[GFuterfas]

At least by owning your gear you can practice with it. With rental gear, it changes every time. Give it a few dives and it will improve dramatically for you.

Best,
-Graham

 

[ajduplessis]

It was a good idea to practice in the pool with your new kit, but please remember that its a whole lot more challenging to maintain good buoyancy in shallow water (5m or 16-20ft) than at depth. Get you base weight right in the pool and hit the dive spots. The more you dive with your kit the better it will become.

 

[Bubbletrubble]

On a related issue, I think that many newly certified divers leave basic OW class with only a vague idea about how and when to do a proper weight check. I wish I had a nickel for every time that I was asked by a newly certified diver: "Do I have enough weight?" I've even had a few state during our pre-dive prep: "We're going down to 60 fsw, so I'll have to carry a few extra pounds to make sure I stay down." *Sigh* When I hear things like that, I feel compelled to teach them how to do a proper weight check and why it's done in that way. Afterward, we'll review the fundamentals of buoyancy control and why I think that a diver dumping all of his air prior to initiating ascent is a bad idea. I suspect a lot of this...ahem...is mentioned in basic OW class, but there may be too much going on for the student to really learn it. Then again, perhaps the instructor is doing a poor job of teaching it. Maybe it's a combination of the two. I don't know...

 

[Searcaigh]

On a related issue, I think that many newly certified divers leave basic OW class with only a vague idea about how and when to do a proper weight check. I wish I had a nickel for every time that I was asked by a newly certified diver: "Do I have enough weight?" I've even had a few state during our pre-dive prep: "We're going down to 60 fsw, so I'll have to carry a few extra pounds to make sure I stay down." *Sigh* When I hear things like that, I feel compelled to teach them how to do a proper weight check and why it's done in that way. Afterward, we'll review the fundamentals of buoyancy control and why I think that a diver dumping all of his air prior to initiating ascent is a bad idea. I suspect a lot of this...ahem...is mentioned in basic OW class, but there may be too much going on for the student to really learn it. Then again, perhaps the instructor is doing a poor job of teaching it. Maybe it's a combination of the two. I don't know...

What I think Bubbletrubble has highlighted here is a common problem related to many OW students taking this course in a very short space of time along with pool sessions and open water dives. Too much information in too short a time, not everyone can handle this.

In various resorts around the world there is a tendancy to maximise output and increase revenue, it's all about running a business, and of course if Jack and Jill are on holiday for only a week, they don't have much time either, especially if they are going to do the AOW before the end of their trip.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

There is not too much going on and it is not that difficult. What happens is the time is not taken, students are assumed to be incapable of getting the information and retaining it, and some instructors really have no good idea as to how to teach it to new divers. Simple fact is it takes less than 20 minutes to show a student how to do a proper check and if it's done enough times they begin to do it themselves. If any of my students were to come to me on checkout dives and ask how much weight they need we'd be canceling the dives and going back to the pool. Either they were not paying attention or I screwed up somewhere.

Not only do they have a good idea of where to start but I expect them to adjust their weights on their own somewhere between dives 2 and 4 if they feel they need to. They have already done a min of 6 checks in the pool. No reason they need me to tell them how to do it at the OW site. We do a weight and bubble check but I am only an observer at that point. I encourage them to do the check as a buddy team and decide on their own if they are correctly weighted. If not then it's up to them to add or subtract a correct amount.

It really torques me when I see a student go up to their instructor at the checkout site and say I need my weights. Then the instructor hands them a belt and without even asking how much is on it the student just puts it on and assumes it's the correct amount. That's why you see people with 24lbs in a 3 mil. I overheard one instructor hand a young lady a belt that had to have at least that much on and say "This should keep you down on the platform for your skills." I;d have started her with half that and I;d have asked her how much she wanted to start with. Not just given her the lead and said "here, take this".