Trouble decending for first few feet.... please help!

[erparamedic]

Hi, all...

Ok... I have to preface this by saying it took "guts" for me to post this problem. For some reason, I'm embarresed by it. Please only offer constructive advice and PLEASE don't bash me! Thank you!

Lately I've noticed that I have trouble decending the first 8-9 feet on my dives. The trouble is just being able to "sink". Occasionally, I'll have a slow decent due to my ears, but the ears have not been my problem lately. I've been wearing a 1 mil microprene wetsuit under a 3 mil hyperstretch. I am naturally bouyant... and I always have been... even when I weighed less than I do now. I am quite embarressed to say that it took 22 lbs to get down in fresh water! I exhale when decending, and I feel relaxed. All the air is out of my bc. I've tried a normal vertical decent, and I've tried turning head down and kicking downward to decend, and still have the same problem. Once I'm down... I'm VERY negative as far as weighting goes. I sink, and have to adjust the air in my bc to compensate! Not to mention... using that much weight makes one work harder under water, thus using more air.... (but I can honestly say, my air consumption is either the same or within 100-200 psi of my buddies).

I hate this problem, and can't wait to get it rectified! I'm diving WPB in a few months, and DON'T wanna have to use 30 lbs to get down!

That said, can anyone offer me any good advice?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Hi, all...

Ok... I have to preface this by saying it took "guts" for me to post this problem. For some reason, I'm embarresed by it. Please only offer constructive advice and PLEASE don't bash me! Thank you!

Lately I've noticed that I have trouble decending the first 8-9 feet on my dives. The trouble is just being able to "sink". Occasionally, I'll have a slow decent due to my ears, but the ears have not been my problem lately. I've been wearing a 1 mil microprene wetsuit under a 3 mil hyperstretch. I am naturally bouyant... and I always have been... even when I weighed less than I do now. I am quite embarressed to say that it took 22 lbs to get down in fresh water! I exhale when decending, and I feel relaxed. All the air is out of my bc. I've tried a normal vertical decent, and I've tried turning head down and kicking downward to decend, and still have the same problem. Once I'm down... I'm VERY negative as far as weighting goes. I sink, and have to adjust the air in my bc to compensate! Not to mention... using that much weight makes one work harder under water, thus using more air.... (but I can honestly say, my air consumption is either the same or within 100-200 psi of my buddies).

I hate this problem, and can't wait to get it rectified! I'm diving WPB in a few months, and DON'T wanna have to use 30 lbs to get down!

That said, can anyone offer me any good advice?

Actually, what you've just described is fairly common with newer divers. The problem is one (or both) of two things ... not completely exhaling and/or inadvertently kicking on descent (therefore sending yourself up when you're trying to go down). Based on what you've said, weighting is not the issue, so please don't add more weight to "fix" the problem. In fact, it sounds to me like you're fairly well overweighted.

Here's my suggestion ... try these things first, then once you've got the technique, work on shedding some of that lead.

When you're ready to descend, as you raise your BCD inflator hose take a big deep breath in. Don't start to breathe out until you start to sink to about eye level. Then start a looooong, deep exhale ... take about five or six seconds to let all the air out of your lungs. Then, just when you've finished exhaling ... exhale some more. I'd betchya you've still got some air in there. Push it all out. By the time you've completed your exhale, you'll be a few feet under the surface ... where compression is your friend.

Now, what about your feet? A lot of divers will be kicking and not realizing it ... it's an instinctive reflex. So try crossing your feet at the ankles ... that way you'll be aware of it if you get the urge to kick and can tell that instictive part of your brain to stop doing that.

Finally, relax ... people tend to get "floaty" when they tense up. Think about why you're going down there, and let your mind help your body stay calm ...

... before you know it, you'll be down near the bottom, having fun ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Tollie]

Hi,

A couple of thoughts...

First if your wet suits are new they will take a number of dives to be beaten down. New neoprene is very bouyent and you are wearing 4 mil.

Next as a new diver you may think you are exhaling fully but trust me your not completly emptying your lungs. There is always anticipation before a dive and this leads to retention of air... experience will cure this.

Next... some BC's trap air and it is difficult to fully empty them. If this is true for you try rolling your left sholder untill it and your left hand is really the highest part of your body.

Last, some new divers with out realizing it scull with their feet (fins) and hands... which has the effect of driving them to the surface.

You did not say how big you were but your picture shows what looks like a lean body... so I dont think that your size and weight (especially fat) is a major factor.

The fact that once down you are "VERY negitive" really says that you are indeed overweighted.

The best I can do for you is to sugest that you get rid of some neoprene... in the summer you wont freeze even up north in a quarry. Work on visualizing decent and really deeply emptying your lungs. Last... dive and dive a lot.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[Walter]

Bob has some excellent suggestions, but I have an additional thought. How do you know all the air is out of your BC? Some BCs trap air. When you think all the air is out of your BC (after dumping it as you normally do), take it off and examine the uppermost portion of the bladder (it's best to do this in shallow water). There may be trapped air. Another thing you can do is while standing in your living room, inflate your BC. Hold it in the position it would be when you are descending (trying to descend) and look at the position of the dump valve. Is it at the highest point of the bladder? If it's not, your BC is trapping air. If it's trapping air, you'll need to change your body position to place the dump valve at the highest point.

 

[erparamedic]

Thank you for some very good suggestions.... keep 'em coming...

To answer a few questions and clarify a few things...

I do take a deep breath at the surface then exhale veeerrry slooowly, and exhale more when I think I'm done... I've been really good about that.

My feet... to be honest, I haven't been that aware of what my feet are doing... except when I get frustrated and "hang" there and give hand signals to my buddy... waiting on my a few feet down.

Is there generally any issues with air trapping between the neoprene layers... like between my 2 suits? Oh, and by the way... both suits are new. 1 suit has 9 dives, the other has 6 dives on it.

I'll have to look at the BC and see exactly where the hose is in relation to the top of the bladder. That's a really good point! I've also used the dump valve on the bottom of the bc, when I've turned head down to try to decend.... all with no luck... but I'm gonna keep tryin'!

Tollie... thanks for saying I look "trim"!! In reality, I'm not even close! Weight is a big factor for me... but my instructor... whom I've known for 15 years says that even with all my weight, I shouldn't be using THAT much lead. (Stand by for a PM).

Keep the ideas coming... I really appreciate all help and ideas. Thanks!

 

[redacted]

One more point. Layered neoprene has increased opportunities for air trapping in the wetsuits. You might try staying vertical for a while on the surface to give it time to vent. A little extra wiggeling might also help vent that air.

As long as your weight is good at the end of the dive, I would not suggest adding more weight to descend. Work on expelling the trapped air to descend.

 

[Walter]

Is there generally any issues with air trapping between the neoprene layers... like between my 2 suits?

There can be, flood your suits when you first get in the water.

 

[erparamedic]

Thank you Walter and awap... This could, very well, be part of my problem. (let's hope anyway!)

 

[matt_unique]

... Based on what you've said, weighting is not the issue, so please don't add more weight to "fix" the problem. In fact, it sounds to me like you're fairly well overweighted.

You can't possibly say that sight unseen. What was described is exactly what happens when you dive aluminum tanks and neoprene. You will ALWAYS be 'heavy' at depth diving neoprene if you are properly weighted to sink from the surface. We all know the buoyancy shift as the alum tank depletes as well. If you can't sink from the surface on a full tank, you will be under weighted for the most important part of the dive. This is of course assuming all air out of BC, drysuit (if applicable), exhale, etc., etc.

--Matt

 

[miked]

Hi Erparamedic,
You've gotten some good suggestions so far.Here are 2 other ideas regarding "air trapped in/between the wetsuit(s)"-from personal experience/observations:

If you are wearing a weight belt,or if the BC/BP harness is tight: are those tight areas trapping air? (Look, or have a buddy look, for "ballooning" just below the weightbelt/webbing/cumberbund, etc.). I had a buddy who would slide his hand under the belt and lift it away from his body, to let the air flow.

In addition to flooding the suit, while you are vertical at the surface, try to "smoothe" the suit in an upward direction ( kind of like ironing it with your hand) to push any air trapped in the suit up towards the neck, then "burp" it out through te neck seal.

Good luck,
Mike