Descending too fast

[salub2007]

HI,
Just completed my SSI night diving specialty course, and I have been noticing,
especially due to darkness, that I am descending a bit too fast initially.
I am a new diver with only 40 dives, and I guess that buoyancy is still an issue. I attempt to descend feet first but after a few minutes of having trouble getting down, I dive face first and find that usually gets be to the bottom very easily, but sometimes a bit too fast. Is there a happy medium? I am properly weighted and find that adding or subtracting weight makes the problem worse. Any clever insights? My instructor has given me advice, 1. watch your guages on descent, 2. feet first descent 3. Inflate BC if descent is uncontrolled. Some good advice, could use other opinions though.
Thanks,
Salub

[Cave Diver]

HI,
Just completed my SSI night diving specialty course, and I have been noticing,
especially due to darkness, that I am descending a bit too fast initially.
I am a new diver with only 40 dives, and I guess that buoyancy is still an issue. I attempt to descend feet first but after a few minutes of having trouble getting down, I dive face first and find that usually gets be to the bottom very easily, but sometimes a bit too fast. Is there a happy medium? I am properly weighted and find that adding or subtracting weight makes the problem worse. Any clever insights? My instructor has given me advice, 1. watch your guages on descent, 2. feet first descent 3. Inflate BC if descent is uncontrolled. Some good advice, could use other opinions though.
Thanks,
Salub

Try a horizontal descent.

[ScubaSteve]

If you are dscending too fast, I would question whether you are properly weighted. But really what is the problem? Are you finding yourself lightheaded or anything when you get to the bottom? Are you bouncing off the bottom from the speed? Obviously there must be something that has cuased you to believe this to be an issue. More information will be helpful I think.

Also, start adding a bit of air to your BC as you descend....don't wait as long as you likely are. This will control your descent better.

[Web Monkey]

HI,
Just completed my SSI night diving specialty course, and I have been noticing,
especially due to darkness, that I am descending a bit too fast initially.
I am a new diver with only 40 dives, and I guess that buoyancy is still an issue.

Descend a few feet then adjust your buoyancy and stop. Descend a little more, adjust your buoyancy, then stop. Repeat as necessary.

As you descend your wetsuit compresses as does any air in your BC, which makes you increasingly negative. You need to add air to your BC as you descend to counteract this. Stopping periodically during your descent ensures that you actually have full control of your descent speed. Once you get a feel for how much air to add, you can descend at any speed you want.

The trick is to get a feel for your descent rate and how much air you need to add to your BC. Once you can control yourself and can come to a complete stop at any time, doing a continuous under-control descent will be much easier.

Descending horizontally also helps a lot, but you still need to gain full control over your buoyancy.

Terry

[fisheater]

Try descending like a skydiver. Horizontal and flared. I find that that gives me the most control.

[Michael_Lambert]

I too would be interested in hearing what sort of gear / weighting you are using and to what depths.

Until i hit the 40-60 foot mark i don't have an issue with my decent.. Deflate my wing exhale my breath and i get started usually dropping around 30 feet per min, Chasing after a troubled buddy or for kicks I can drop my head and kick and get done as fast as my ears can clear and never had an issue.

[Michael_Lambert]

Try descending like a skydiver. Horizontal and flared. I find that that gives me the most control.

My personal preference is this position minus the flared part from start to finish on the dive. Gives you the best decent/accent control and the least resistance when in forward or backwards motions.

[FishDiver]

Are you able to equalize on the way down? Do you hit the bottom at the end of the descent?

Starting about halfway down, start adding a bit of air to your BC to slow and control your descent.

[TSandM]

Unlike with ascents, there is no prescribed descent rate. You can descend as fast as you can clear your ears (and add gas to your drysuit). Sometimes, with scooters, we just turn head down and hit the trigger! What you care about is being able to arrest your descent before hitting the bottom. This is easier to do if the descent is slow, but with practice, you get a sense of how much air you need to add and how fast.

[Peter Guy]

My instructor has given me advice, 1. watch your guages [sic] on descent, 2. feet first descent 3. Inflate BC if descent is uncontrolled.

I know not what others may think, but I find this more than a bit disconcerting -- in particular #'s 2 & 3.

Yes, one SHOULD be watching their gauges on descent -- that's what they are there for -- to give you information about where you are in the water column! (And another great example of why wrist mounted depth/time gauges are a good thing.)

But descend feet first? I know that is often taught but, c'mon, that is just an invitation to first stir up the bottom (you are finning to slow your descent and thus forcing water straight down) and then crash into it (you can't see the bottom to know where it is). Yes, I descend feet first -- but only for the first 2 or 3 feet and then I flare out, slow down, make sure everything is working (including my ears!) and then continue floating down.

Inflate my BC if my descent is uncontrolled? It is, after all, a BUOYANCY compensator and if I'm diving wet, then it is my primary BUOYANCY compensator. Don't we want to be just slightly negative as we descend so that we sink while under control? Now IF the OP is diving dry, then yes, you may want to use the suit as your primary BUOYANCY compensation device. (Query, IF you are diving dry, why in the world would you want to descend feet first and force the air out your neck seal and/or vent?) But the idea is YOU NEED TO COMPENSATE FOR LOSS OF BUOYANCY of your suit and BC as you descend. Of course you need to add air to your BUOYANCY compensation device.

OP -- this is NOT a dig at you. It is just that the information you've been given indicates a lack of thoughtfulness about your situation and just happens to hit one of my buttons.

As others have said, flare out early, add little bits of air to your BC (drysuit) early and often which will keep you SLIGHTLY negative and floating down. If done properly, a big inhale will then stop you and give you the time to add air so that you are neutral at your depth with a normal breath.