Hi,
Well here is an update on my progress dialing in my Dry Suit AND diving Solo. To recap, the only way for me to get time in the water to work buoyancy was to dive solo at my local lake where I've trained many times.
There are no entanglements, currents or any other hazards, and so I set up parameters for myself:
- I would be close to shore (15-20 yards)
- I would not dive deeper than 20 feet
- I also set 1500psi as my turn point, meaning I would finish up my dive, ascend and head to shore.
After getting my dry suit buoyancy issues FINALLY worked out I began to enjoy the dive and also practice skills. On the dives I made today, I used my digital compass and shot an azimuth to the next closest buoy, which was a helicopter. I submerged, spun around then got steady, reshot the azimuth and away I went. Now the viz was about 3-5ft and I was kindda swimming blind. I remained calm and all of a sudden, BAM the helicopter appears!!! I was so amped up that I found it. The helicopter was a Huey, so I did a few swim throughs to practice buoyancy (did a good job). Afterwards I surfaced and repeated. Now I did get lost and disoriented a few times so I surfaced to see where I was at and I was off course. Had visibility been better I would have found it BUT training under these conditions I believe make one a better diver so I embraced it and learned from it.
It took 27 dives but I have my dry suit buoyancy dialed in AND I believe I've laid the groundwork to become a better diver AND a solo one. Because of this I am planning on taking a SOLO certification to make it official and to also improve on what I've been doing. At any rate I'm ecstatic and am ready for the next thing.
Well here is an update on my progress dialing in my Dry Suit AND diving Solo. To recap, the only way for me to get time in the water to work buoyancy was to dive solo at my local lake where I've trained many times.
There are no entanglements, currents or any other hazards, and so I set up parameters for myself:
- I would be close to shore (15-20 yards)
- I would not dive deeper than 20 feet
- I also set 1500psi as my turn point, meaning I would finish up my dive, ascend and head to shore.
After getting my dry suit buoyancy issues FINALLY worked out I began to enjoy the dive and also practice skills. On the dives I made today, I used my digital compass and shot an azimuth to the next closest buoy, which was a helicopter. I submerged, spun around then got steady, reshot the azimuth and away I went. Now the viz was about 3-5ft and I was kindda swimming blind. I remained calm and all of a sudden, BAM the helicopter appears!!! I was so amped up that I found it. The helicopter was a Huey, so I did a few swim throughs to practice buoyancy (did a good job). Afterwards I surfaced and repeated. Now I did get lost and disoriented a few times so I surfaced to see where I was at and I was off course. Had visibility been better I would have found it BUT training under these conditions I believe make one a better diver so I embraced it and learned from it.
It took 27 dives but I have my dry suit buoyancy dialed in AND I believe I've laid the groundwork to become a better diver AND a solo one. Because of this I am planning on taking a SOLO certification to make it official and to also improve on what I've been doing. At any rate I'm ecstatic and am ready for the next thing.
