OP
I was waiting for you to chime in, Lamont. 
Time For Fundies
- Thread starter KaizerWilhelm
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KeesBL
Contributor
ligersandtions
Contributor
I was quite surprised. I was very solid diving with my T1 buddies....and then I did a similar dive with a similar ascent with a very good buddy of mine who is at the same level as me. The first time that happened, we played off each other like crazy (we were used to diving in groups with stronger buddies at that time). We realized where our deficiency stemmed from and started working on these things with one another.
With my buddies who are at levels above me....and my buddies who have put in similar amount of time/effort....we've gotten to a point where we're pretty solid on controlled, timed ascents. When I dive with divers who are not yet at my level, I still struggle. I start playing the "is it better to be on schedule or stay with my buddy" game. It's a hard balance to figure out, and it's very good practice....so I believe you when you say it's been good practice for you!
So, given the opportunity before your fundies class, I'd suggest getting some buddies together who are at a similar level to you and working on some ascents/descents and/or mid-water stuff (swimming, hovering....not necessarily skills). It will likely be a challenge, but will help prepare you well.
Super thought, Nicole! To this day, trying to do accurate stops with a wobbly buddy taxes me. I tend to bring along a crutch (named Lamont, or Kirk, or whatever the day's edition is)
ScubaFeenD
Contributor
The practicing with buddies at your level is not a bad idea, since you should all be able to get better together without feeling frustrated if it doesn't come easy the first few (hundred?) times
However, if you arent very good at it at all, having a solid anchor can really help. Maybe Lamont will want some practice and allow you to use him as your anchor?Anyway, I agree with Lamont and Ligersandtions. Having a solid buddy makes this super easy, but having a terrible buddy can be really taxing and frustrating. I know it was for me. It was only when I let go of the frustration and just monitored my depth, stopped, and stayed put at the stop and just signalled, did I get over the psychological issue of watching someone else deviate and fail to hold the stop. Now, no matter who I buddy or how their ascent abilities are I can hold my stops AND make the slides right on time. It did take work and experience though.
Either way this type of control is the most critical, will serve you well throughout the remainder of your diving. I feel that control is something you need on EVERY dive, which is something I cant say about the individual skills (ie kicks), and yet people tend to focus on things such as the back kick (which while very useful doesnt even approach buoyancy control as a necessary skill). Further, it cant really be taught or learned incorrectly. You either make the stops and can control yourself or you cant. Individuals have their own methods of making controlled ascents; i know it was never explained to me. Instead, you need to just be in the water and develop a feel for how your breathing affects your position in the water column and how adding/releasing gas from your BC affects that--an experienced buddy may be able to give you pointers but cant necessarily tell you how it should/will feel. You can work on it prior to fundies and then if you have trouble you can seek the guidance of your instructor.
just my $0.02 based on what i went through prior to and during fundamentals
lamont
Contributor
one thing about the buddies buoyancy responsibility -- i know that in class you're generally expected to nail your own buoyancy and to communicate to your buddy their buoyancy. if they slide +/- 2 feet or so you shouldn't be trying to follow them but should be maintaining the stop at the correct depth. you should signal either go down (thumb down) or go up (palm up) as your buddies deviate from stop depth. you shouldn't follow your buddies up or down through small errors in buoyancy control as that isn't providing your buddy with the best possible depth reference, and its not showing the instructor what you can do in class.
this doesn't mean you leave your buddy completely though. if they have more serious buoyancy issues then you'd want to chase after them. you always want to be able to reach them quickly and donate gas to them, or be able to grab them and bring them back down. if you've built up 5 feet of vertical separation that is probably way too much (and you probably aren't able to effectively communicate to them to descend/ascend as well).
this doesn't mean you leave your buddy completely though. if they have more serious buoyancy issues then you'd want to chase after them. you always want to be able to reach them quickly and donate gas to them, or be able to grab them and bring them back down. if you've built up 5 feet of vertical separation that is probably way too much (and you probably aren't able to effectively communicate to them to descend/ascend as well).
Are you doing GUE-F in a single or doubles?
Do you have a dive goal? The PB4Y, the Diamond Knot, Nanaimo artificial wrecks, something tropical, caves? While February 2011 is fairly near-term, I would work on your overall goals while simultaneously and conciously thinking about GUE-F. Just getting the anchor chain at Cove 2 wired only prepares you to dive the anchor chain at Cove 2 and misses the wider world of diving.
Do you have a dive goal? The PB4Y, the Diamond Knot, Nanaimo artificial wrecks, something tropical, caves? While February 2011 is fairly near-term, I would work on your overall goals while simultaneously and conciously thinking about GUE-F. Just getting the anchor chain at Cove 2 wired only prepares you to dive the anchor chain at Cove 2 and misses the wider world of diving.
lamont
Contributor
Richard, if you were out diving with the group and had met Will, you'd know his goals, they are far far from narrow... He was simply asking for input on a class. At this stage there is nothing wrong with wanting to build a very solid foundation, which is sometimes rushed through and/or passed through a bit too easily.
the biggest problem people seem to have in beginning tech diving is progressing too fast, getting in over their heads, not having the basic skills such as buddy and buoyancy down PAT before hand. If there is the slightest question about a persons buoyancy, its in the best interest of the diver and their buddy to keep working on the can buoy in cove 2 as opposed to popping after a longer/deeper dive on a wreck.
the biggest problem people seem to have in beginning tech diving is progressing too fast, getting in over their heads, not having the basic skills such as buddy and buoyancy down PAT before hand. If there is the slightest question about a persons buoyancy, its in the best interest of the diver and their buddy to keep working on the can buoy in cove 2 as opposed to popping after a longer/deeper dive on a wreck.
Accidental direct recreational ascents won't kill you. Sometimes you guys agonize over this stuff way too much. There are quite a few wrecks in the 20-90ft range for instance which are quite do-able "pre-fundies". I can think of at last a 24 between the Everett and Olympia all less than 100ft. Most aren't even current sensitive. Many non-DIR divers are doing them with 3min 15ft safety stops or hanging on an anchor line etc. And with a remarkably low hit rate.
A precision timed ascent in decent trim is something you can work on at the end of some other dive. Ditto shooting an SMB, kicks, or just watching stuff and being "still" in the water.
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