Help needed to descend!

[GreenDiverDown]

I think that as you do some more dives this problem will just evaporate.

I also think that you are looking at this wrong... even though I can certainly understand why. Right now what is foremost on your mind is being able to descend. But what you should be focusing on is finding your true weight requirement. This is where I start my students...correct weight. Then, if there is a problem descending, we pick that apart...ruling out one problem at a time.

One way or another you will eventually lick the descent...but if you never take the time to learn correct weighting...chances are you will never be correctly weighted. Does that make any sense?

 

[tangfish]

I've done about 20+ dives and still have a little problem descending during the initial part of the dive. I carry about 4 lbs of weight on me with a 3mm suit. I don't think I'm under-weighted as I feel very comfortable finning at the bottom. I don't start to float up even towards the end of the dive, when my tank is almost empty.

I really could use some tips on how to descend so that I can get underwater to even begin the dive! I seem to have trouble descending the first 3-5 feet or so. After I get past the first 3-5 ft, I'm home free! Help!

turn upside down and swim downwards. If you just sink like a rock right from the surface then you'll probably be weighted to the point where you'll be adding quite a bit of air into your BC. There's nothing like being perfectly weighted when you need no air at all in your BC and you can just control your buoyancy with breathing.

 

[DandyDon]

Maybe we should organize a poll here...??

I keep thinking if it takes around 3# to sink even a small 3 mil suit in SW, and 3# to sink a nearly empty tank, what's wrong with him using 6#? Or at least 5#?

 

[TSandM]

You have to be properly weighted to be safe at the end of the dive, and I think Stephen Ash has gone through that pretty well.

To add one tip for descending that NW Grateful Diver gave me . . . As you deflate your BC and your face descends toward the water, take a breath IN. PADI teaches to breathe OUT, but if you do, by the time your face is in the water, you will need to breath IN, and that will shoot you back to the surface. If you take a breath IN as you deflate, and blow that breath out as your face passes into the water, your descent will continue smoothly. This is assuming you are NOT kicking, and you are able to control your attitude to move gently into a horizontal posture.

Descents are my bete noire, so I empathize. A lot of it has to do with anxiety and breathing. If you are worried about getting down, you are going to be breathing too frequently and with too much volume in your lungs. Bob taught me, "Your lungs are your biggest BC", and it's true. If you can't exhale properly, you can't descend.

 

[hchen]

To add one tip for descending that NW Grateful Diver gave me . . . As you deflate your BC and your face descends toward the water, take a breath IN. PADI teaches to breathe OUT, but if you do, by the time your face is in the water, you will need to breath IN, and that will shoot you back to the surface. If you take a breath IN as you deflate, and blow that breath out as your face passes into the water, your descent will continue smoothly. This is assuming you are NOT kicking, and you are able to control your attitude to move gently into a horizontal posture.

hey this is an interesting tip..! i'll give it a try too. add that to the list.

 

[DandyDon]

"bete noire"

 

[Ber Rabbit]

When you "think heavy" make sure to relax too. I find that when my shoulders are tense I don't exhale all the way (even when I try to) and that little bit of residual air in my lungs leaves me quite buoyant. Mix that with TSandM's breath timing tip and you may get down. Make sure to do a buoyancy check as described earlier though, if you can't hold a hover without moving fins or hands at 15 feet with 500 psi you may need more lead or need to switch to a steel tank. I'm only a little taller than you and about 10 pounds heavier and I got a chuckle from the idea of 6 pounds being a lot of extra weight. I've worn as much as 38 lbs in my drysuit with lots of undergarments and could have used 2 more lbs. I'm finally comfortable with only 26 lbs and my heavy drysuit undies When I dive my wetsuit here in Ohio I wear 14 lbs and it's perfect, just a tad hard to get started down if I don't fill the suit with water and relax when I start to descend.

Safe diving to you :biggrin:
Ber :lilbunny:

 

[TSandM]

"bete noire" -- black beast; one's personal demon.

 

[ArcticDiver]

I dive a TransPac also. It is a great BC. But like all pieces of equipment it has its' peculiarities. When I first dove with it I had trouble getting down too. Here's how I solved the problem.
-First did an End Of Dive Bouyancy Check as has been described. That showed I had the correct amount of weight.
-Made Very Sure the left shoulder is the high point when I lift my inflator hose. If it isn't the TransPac will trap air.
-When letting air out of the TransPac at the end of a dive use the bottom dump valve. Point that cheek to the surface and let the air out. That makes sure the BC is empty for the next dive.

One other point:
As a new diver you may not be as relaxed as you think when you do that very unnatural thing of emptying your lungs to go under water. So you may not be getting them as empty as you think.

So, be sure to breathe through both your primary regulator and your octopus on the boat before you enter the water. Then breathe through your primary again when you are in the water. This will give you confidence that you will be able to get air when you need it at 2M down. Amazing what that confidence does not only for getting down, but for your relaxation throughout the dive.

.

 

[gangrel441]

Didn't see this posted above, so if I am an echo, please disregard...

Point your fins/toes down, head up. Deflate your BC and empty your lungs.

If you are having trouble descending, but are not positively bouyant at the end of the dive and have no trouble holding your safety stop or ascending to the surface in a controlled manner, then you are definately not underweighted.

There was a great article in one of the dive mags last month about how being overweighted decreases the amount by which you can control your bouyancy using lung volume on the dive. Definately a recommended read, and a strong argument for not blindly adding more weight.