Fear of falling - Buoyancy issues

[Anna95]

I don't know if I sound really stupid here, but I'll explain the situation.

I suffer from dyspraxia meaning that my motor skills aren't the best, but I love love love diving and I want to continue to a professional level if I can! Whilst doing my OW my instructor used to always comment on me moving my arms and move about a lot (my video is very embarrassing.. even my legs are like doggy paddle!!). Anyway I really improved during my advanced course, but I've noticed something...

I still can't keep still whilst not moving. Does that make sense? So when I'm not moving forward and it's REALLY annoying because I am just scared of falling, which is stupid because I know that I need to just focus on my breathing. I also haven't figured how to keep completely still (not floating up or down whilst not swimming). Any tips pleeeeeaaseeee you wonderful people?? xxx

 

[fmerkel]

First, you will move up and down while breathing and not moving. Air is buoyancy and you are increasing and decreasing it. The density of water slows the movement but it's certainly a force involved in buoyancy.
You need some dives with a bottom you won't harm and focus on nothing but trim, buoyancy, and breathing. They all are part of a package.
Moving arms and legs is trying to make up for lack of trim and buoyancy. Just stay still, don't breathe, see what sinks > fix it. Keep fine tuning until you can stay still, breathing easily and not go anywhere.

 

[kelemvor]

A buoyancy and trim class from a good instructor may help. Once you get those things down, the need to move in order to stay where you'd like disappears. From there it's a matter (for me) of finding something to do with my hands. Some people put their hands together out in front of them. I like to place mine on my hips or stomach. Either way, having some place to put my hands helped me.

Once you get buoyancy and trim down pat, it might not feel like you're falling at all.

 

[iamrushman]

you seem to have a great attitude and a passion to learn......the above advise is great and getting experience will do wonders...good luck and dive, dive, dive.

 

[Anna95]

Yes I've found putting them behind my back is quite useful as they're out of the way, so I guess its just keeping up the practise (that's the hard bit because I dont have a car right now arghh)

 

[fmerkel]

Experience alone.....may help. But practicing poor technique forever just reinforces it. I've seen instructors with terrible buoyancy and trim.
No one can actually teach you that. What a good instructor can do is facilitate the recognition and internalization of it.

 

[Anna95]

Experience alone.....may help. But practicing poor technique forever just reinforces it. I've seen instructors with terrible buoyancy and trim.
No one can actually teach you that. What a good instructor can do is facilitate the recognition and internalization of it.

Annoyingly I am only living in Germany for another month so don't have an instructor here and am just joining on fun dives in lakes and stuff. Really frustrating because I feel like my last instructors were incredible.

Thankfully I do think I recognise when I make the buoyancy mistakes and just need to practise.. going to sign up for a BSAC course when I'm back at university, so will hopefully have an instructor long term..

 

[Edward3c]

Annoyingly I am only living in Germany for another month so don't have an instructor here and am just joining on fun dives in lakes and stuff. Really frustrating because I feel like my last instructors were incredible.

Thankfully I do think I recognise when I make the buoyancy mistakes and just need to practise.. going to sign up for a BSAC course when I'm back at university, so will hopefully have an instructor long term..

Hi Anna,

You'll find you don't get a dedicated instructor, but help and advice from all members of the uni BSAC Branch. Although you won't pay for training you will have to join BSAC, the Branch and purchase the course training packs. Which uni are you going to?

 

[Anna95]

Hi Anna,

You'll find you don't get a dedicated instructor, but help and advice from all members of the uni BSAC Branch. Although you won't pay for training you will have to join BSAC, the Branch and purchase the course training packs. Which uni are you going to?

Ah okay! Well I have trained with SSI so far and couldn't find any of their schools in the area I've worked out that if I transfer over to BSAC I'll be going for my Sports Diver qualification next, I just want to get a few more dives under my belt before I do that!

I go to University of Sheffield, but am currently on my year abroad

 

[KevinNM]

If you work on it you will get better, as long as you can recognize what you are doing. Videos are great learning tools to show you what you are really doing, because it's hard to fix what you don't know you are doing.

I remember the videos of me in my fundamentals course, I was moving all the time, both hands and fins. I really had no idea I was doing that. I'm much closer to still when not moving now, though I let my fin tips drop far too much.

Hmm, are you worried about falling forward or backwards? That might just be you need to rearrange your weights, where your fins are relative to your body or might be you are doing something odd with how your tank is mounted.

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