Buoyancy Techniques

I am new to diving, 20 or so dives, and looking to dial in buoyancy and trim.
Now I am not for or against DIR (just started reading about it) but the DIR group/system seems to be the only ones that really talk and focus on buoyancy, trim and fin techniques.
Is there other training that would give the same instruction and hands on training?
Is 20 – 40 dives to soon for a GUE fundamentals course?
Would I be better off just practicing more (hard to tell if trim is correct)?

I really don’t want this to turn into a DIR or not argument, I’m just looking to find good training/techniques.

The best training for buoyancy and trim is time in the water. Lots of agencies have classes, but some are more intense then others. Apart from a class, here are some things to practice and apply:

1. Proper weighting. If overweighted, you have more air in the bc at depth, and that complicates maintaining neutral buoyancy.
2. Movement control and body position. Be as long and tall as you can be, move slowly and smoothly in your kicks, and when necessary, your hands.
3. For fin techniques, work on frog kick for near the bottom or wall, and shallow scissor kicks in mid water.
4. As we are taught from day 1, breathe continuously, and consistently.
5. When adding or venting air from your bc, do so in the shortest possible bursts. Often people add air until they rise/ fall, and that is too much too fast. Tiny bursts, in sequence if needed. ( unless there is an emergency of course)
6. What is "correct trim?" It is positioning so as to see what you want to see, do what you want to do, without touching the reef or kicking up the bottom. Most often that is a position that is horizontal, feet slightly above head. But not always. Sometimes its a head stand, sometimes its sideways.
Don''t stress. Be an active and safe diver and practice these things. You will become better with every dive! I'll bet you are already pretty good.
DivemasterDennis

The DIR/GUE training programs are top notch. Gear selection can play into this as well.

You CAN achieve great buoyancy and trim and learn different propulsion techniques without them. It'll be harder without a talented instructor to guide you, but a good mentor or buddy will make it easier than doing it alone.

Each of the points DivemasterDennis made are important, but having help will keep you from developing bad habits that might be hard to correct later. Lots of people think they swim in a pretty trimmed out position, but show them on video what they look like and most are surprised at how "head up" their attitude really is.

At the minimum, find someone to dive with who is willing to give you honest feedback and take time to evaluate each other. Video is a great tool as well, so take turns filming.

Good luck!

I'm no DIR advocate, as those in the chat room will attest to, but I hear that the earlier you take fundies the better.

Personally, I'd rather take the 1000 bucks that the fundies class costs and do some fun dives and work on my buoyancy and trim on my own without the stress of needing to pass.

You can get the same practice, for a fraction of the cost and twice the fun.

modzs:

You can get the same practice, for a fraction of the cost and twice the fun.

Click to expand...

I disagree. Constructive feedback and an expert external perspective is a fast-track. I've seen divers with hundreds, if not thousands, of dives who would still benefit from some decent tuition on buoyancy, trim and propulsion.

If it were so easy to self-educate on this matter, why are the general standards of diving skills so damn low?

I took Fundies at 60 dives, and it was fine; Lamont took it, I think, at 20, which I suspect would be too soon for a lot of people. I've seen several GUE instructors suggest that the minimum prerequisite for Fundies is the ability to remain still long enough to watch and process skills demonstrations underwater . . . I think if that's where you are, a Primer might be a better choice.

Can you get other good training that focuses on buoyancy, trim and propulsion? Yes -- one way is to look for instructors who have good technical or cave training. I don't know how long it takes to drive from Grand Rapids to Chicago, but ppO2diver here on ScubaBoard is a GUE-trained recreational and technical instructor, who I'm sure could effectively work with you on strengthening your skills. Another option is a cavern class, but you would have to travel to where there are caverns . . . cave divers, I think, are the most obsessive people about honing diving technique.

An alternative to GUE is UTD, and in James Mott, in Detroit, has a very good reputation with his students.

What I would NOT do is assume that any Peak Performance Buoyancy type class is going to give you what you are looking for. You really need an instructor who dives to high standards and understands them, to get what you want, I think.

I agree with the previous posts.

Proper trim can be achieved by playing with weight placement until you can hover horizontally without moving your hands or feet. You will find that your horizontal position will change with leg extension and breathing.

You can begin to learn about flutter, backward, and frog kicks as well as helicopter terns by watching videos on line - this will help you to understand the "why" but not necessarily the "how." It is true that you don't necessarily want to learn bad habits from someone else, but you should be able to find someone who can mentor you in these kicks. Taking underwater video is especially useful to this end.

Finally, you can't go wrong with Fundies if you have the money and are prepared to work really hard. On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with just diving for fun while practicing basic OW skills. You can also learn about trim and kicks by taking a Cavern diving course (the first step to full cave diving) from National Association for Cave Diving (NACD) or the National Speleological Society - Cave Diving Section (NSS-CDS). There are also likely (not sure) other technical diving agencies which can teach you these skills at your current training level.

Rather than blow a lot of buck$ on a certification I'd hire a 'competent' DM to go diving with me solo and give some hands-on explanations about what buoyancy control is all about.

It is better to take GUE fundie before you start to develop bad habbits. Having that said, I am not sure if 20 dives is enough. I would suggest you to contact your local GUE instructor. They will give you useful guidance.

I have reserve on "hiring a competent DM" comments. 1)you never know if the DM is competent. With GUE instructors, their quality, skills are pretty much garranteed. 2)Consider how much time, attention and support you get from the fundie instructor, the cost/time is actually not expansive at all. Actually, I would go as far to say they are not in for the money because it is way too little/hour. 3)GUE teaches team work and situation awareness where it would be impossible for DM monitor solo dive.

What are your diving goals -- short-term, medium-term, and long-term?

I think a thoughtful diver, who wants to improve his diving skills and has enough initiative to seek out how to make those improvements, will find a reasonable way to do it -- whether it be in a formal DIR class, a formal class with an instructor who has technical training, being mentored by experienced divers, or just figuring things out by trial-and-error with your current buddies. These methods share a common thread -- logging a lot of bottom time. You can't get better at diving if you don't do it.

The best thing you can do right now is to increase your diving opportunities. Surround yourself with people who like to dive. Join one or more local dive clubs. Once you hit 50 dives, you'll realize that your gas consumption has improved significantly. Once you log 100 dives, you'll feel like you've mastered buoyancy control. If you intend to do some local cold water diving, you will inevitably transition to a drysuit. Then, you'll have to negotiate that learning curve. It will probably take another 100 dives to feel really comfortable with operating the drysuit. Who knows? You might get interested in UW photography or videography. Your photos will start out looking like they were taken by a 3-year-old who stole daddy's camera and ran through the exhibits at an aquarium. You'll see lots of blurry fish butts and sickly green/blue-hued video clips when reviewing your pics/videos post-dive. With practice and more expensive equipment, you'll figure things out eventually.

In my personal experience, I found that getting interested in UW photography created a strong impetus to get buoyancy, trim, and propulsion techniques squared away. YMMV.

Every dive is a learning experience. Have fun and dive safe...