Any tips on valve drill

WVMike · May 11, 2010

What seems to be an issue for me is when breathing down the right post I somehow always seem to end up on the exhale part of the cycle. Which means I end up being somewhat negative. So as I am switching to my backup reg I am sinking.

Has anyone experienced this? And what have you done.

Blackwood · May 11, 2010

Put in my backup and inhale...

Rainer · May 11, 2010

Lol...

blackwood:
put in my backup and inhale...

WVMike · May 11, 2010

Blackwood:
Put in my backup and inhale...

Why didn't I think of that? :idk:

Blackwood · May 11, 2010

If you're asking how to be at mid-breath when you drain your long hose (lol), I guess you could also purge the reg while breathing the right post down in order to change the pattern a bit.

But really, it doesn't and shouldn't matter. When your right post fails for real, it won't do it a manner that's convenient for your buoyancy. Just be expedient with the process (which is the point of the drill: build muscle memory so that it becomes like second nature). You should be able to handle momentary changes in your buoyancy.

elan · May 11, 2010

WVMike:
What seems to be an issue for me is when breathing down the right post I somehow always seem to end up on the exhale part of the cycle. Which means I end up being somewhat negative. So as I am switching to my backup reg I am sinking.

Has anyone experienced this? And what have you done.

When you are about to close the valve completely start breathing from close to the midpoint and up, this way even if you end up positively buoyant you can always exhale while switching to the backup correcting the buoyancy.

TSandM · May 11, 2010

What I did was, as I finished closing the valve, I began to cycle my breathing around the neutral midpoint in very small breaths, so that no matter WHERE I ran out of gas, I wouldn't be very far off neutral. It didn't take very long for that to become second nature.

WVMike · May 12, 2010

Blackwood:
But really, it doesn't and shouldn't matter. When your right post fails for real, it won't do it a manner that's convenient for your buoyancy. Just be expedient with the process (which is the point of the drill: build muscle memory so that it becomes like second nature). You should be able to handle momentary changes in your buoyancy.

Yeah, makes sense. I think I am stressing over a few feet. Where I practice has pretty low vis and a very silty bottom. So we tend to dive a few feet off the bottom. Kind of was bumming me out to drop into the silt :shakehead:

, but point taken. Thanks.

WVMike · May 12, 2010

elan:
When you are about to close the valve completely start breathing from close to the midpoint and up, this way even if you end up positively buoyant you can always exhale while switching to the backup correcting the buoyancy.

OK, figured it was a breath control thing. I was thinking of trying to stay on inhale and really fill lungs, but then I would be too positive. And, as Blackwood pointed out the idea is to train for failure mode, in which case getting the job is more important than looking good doing it. But would breath control to be automatic.

WVMike · May 12, 2010

TSandM:
What I did was, as I finished closing the valve, I began to cycle my breathing around the neutral midpoint in very small breaths, so that no matter WHERE I ran out of gas, I wouldn't be very far off neutral. It didn't take very long for that to become second nature.

Thanks, I like this idea and will work on it. I like the second nature part. This is probably usefull in the eyes closed bouyancy issues as well. I have been practicing a hover with my eyes closed.

Always seem to rise or fall on no mask, and mask clear stuff. :shakehead:

Any tips on valve drill

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