Cougar,
You discovered 'diver pushups' on your own.
When I did my OW class (1978) we did these as a required element in the pool and then demonstrated them on the checkout dive.
In my working dives I am rarely neutral. I usually want to be really heavy for working on the bottom, or rather boyant for working under a surface. This way I can stay in place to work.
I have several weight belts for different jobs.
One gets me nearly neutral with just my wet suit and mask on. This gets used the most for installing and removing pipe plugs where I am in and out of the pipe very quickly and often need the cleanest and most compact rig so I can fit into the pipe. In 18" and 24" pipes it is the only way to go.
"Kids, I am a professional pipedope, don't try this at home!"
I have another weight belt with about 30 pounds for moderate work in mild conditions.
For the heavy jetting or dredging or working in strong currents I use a 50 lb, 75 lb commercial harness or sometimes even both.
For fun scuba, I use my Zeagle Scout BC with integrated weight and rig to be neutral just below the surface (between 1 and 5 feet deep) with 500 psi in the AL80.
Anytime I make an equipment change I like to test it in a pool including a boyance check.
I rate good boyancy control as the second most important thing for fun diving right after a good mask that *fits*.
You discovered 'diver pushups' on your own.
When I did my OW class (1978) we did these as a required element in the pool and then demonstrated them on the checkout dive.
In my working dives I am rarely neutral. I usually want to be really heavy for working on the bottom, or rather boyant for working under a surface. This way I can stay in place to work.
I have several weight belts for different jobs.
One gets me nearly neutral with just my wet suit and mask on. This gets used the most for installing and removing pipe plugs where I am in and out of the pipe very quickly and often need the cleanest and most compact rig so I can fit into the pipe. In 18" and 24" pipes it is the only way to go.
"Kids, I am a professional pipedope, don't try this at home!"
I have another weight belt with about 30 pounds for moderate work in mild conditions.
For the heavy jetting or dredging or working in strong currents I use a 50 lb, 75 lb commercial harness or sometimes even both.
For fun scuba, I use my Zeagle Scout BC with integrated weight and rig to be neutral just below the surface (between 1 and 5 feet deep) with 500 psi in the AL80.
Anytime I make an equipment change I like to test it in a pool including a boyance check.
I rate good boyancy control as the second most important thing for fun diving right after a good mask that *fits*.
