Scuba_Noob
Contributor
Peak Performance Buoyancy is the most important PADI Advance Open Water specialty. It teaches you how to maintain your buoyancy using breathing without having to screw with your BCD (or drysuit) all the time. It prevents you from silting up a place or touching the bottom and killing/displacing wildlife.
It's so important that I'm wondering why Peak Performance Buoyancy is not part of the initial Open Water Course, maybe in place of a final fun dive. PPB should still be part of the AOW course too; it needs to be cemented into our heads. I'm glad, however, that it's a necessary specialty in the AOW course.
I only mention this because the last few times I've dove with a group of people (maybe six), there have always been a few who have been i) walking on the ground; ii) silting up everywhere; and/or iii) kicking wildlife. My buoyancy's far from perfect (still silt occasionally), but I try my butt off to avoid touching/silting up the bottom. Even when taking photos, if I have a choice between a good shot and not silting up the bottom a lot, I try not to silt.
No one ever does it on purpose, of course. But an emphasis on the importance buoyancy control in the Open Water course might help.
It's so important that I'm wondering why Peak Performance Buoyancy is not part of the initial Open Water Course, maybe in place of a final fun dive. PPB should still be part of the AOW course too; it needs to be cemented into our heads. I'm glad, however, that it's a necessary specialty in the AOW course.
I only mention this because the last few times I've dove with a group of people (maybe six), there have always been a few who have been i) walking on the ground; ii) silting up everywhere; and/or iii) kicking wildlife. My buoyancy's far from perfect (still silt occasionally), but I try my butt off to avoid touching/silting up the bottom. Even when taking photos, if I have a choice between a good shot and not silting up the bottom a lot, I try not to silt.
No one ever does it on purpose, of course. But an emphasis on the importance buoyancy control in the Open Water course might help.