Tips From Experienced Divers

[Devil505]

Figured I'd be presumptuous enough to start a thread like this so that some of us older, experienced sport divers could pass along some ideas to those new to the sport.

Two come to mind right off:

1. When boat diving, make it a practise for you & your buddy/s to meet at the anchor at the begining of the dive. This way you can check to make sure the anchor is set correctly (I have found it slowly dragging over the sand a number of times) & it also provides a chance to catch your breath & relax a bit (from the exertion of suiting up on a hot day, etc) which will save tank air & lengthen your dive.

2. Compass use: (reprinted from another thread)

........I have been diving for many years & always try to navigate so that I will be near my boat (or beach if on a beach dive) towards then end of my dive when I may be tired.
Since most of my diving is in shallow water (40 or less) searching for lobsters, (for most of my diving life I never owned an SPG but I know that at 40' my air will last me about an hour) I have always done the following:

1. Take a compass heading (away from my boat) for the first leg of my dive. Swim that heading....leisurely looking for lobsters ...for 20 minutes.
2. Surface, swim 50 yards or so using my snorkel to save tank air, at a 90 degree heading to my base leg (so that I won't be covering the exact same area on the return leg) & shoot a compass heading back to my boat. (I never just use the reciprocal heading as a may have drifted a bit on my first leg)
3. Then follow this new heading to finish my dive near my boat.

Works like a champ! (I even sometimes manage to run into my anchor line!<G>)

Love to read some other tips!

 

[marusso]

Yeah not bad unless you are at 100 fsw in 20' vis. Then you really cannot surface and shoot a compass heading, you have to keep track of your various headings. Where we dive, you better find your anchor line, otherwise your swept out to sea. :11:

Good advice for shallow diving though.

Edit: No more scubaboard. I am going diving now. See you all tommorrow.

 

[Diveral]

1. Breath off your reg a couple of times before you jump in the water to make sure you have your air on and its working.

2. Review the dive plan with your buddy to make sure you know what you will be doing.

3. Know your buddy's equipment configuration, particularly the octopus, and detachable weights.

4. Don't be afraid of aborting a dive if you realize you are in way over your head, have too much anxiety, experience equipment of personal problems etc. Don't be stupid, its easy to regroup or go to an alternate dive site.

 

[jeckyll]

My advice would be to ensure you are getting advice from people who dive in your local conditions and if it's gear based, are diving in your type of configuration.

Random advice in dissimilar circumstances may not be very helpful

 

[all4scuba05]

Learn that not everyone here has good advice. And that for those that do, it only applies to certain dives or scenarios.

 

[SNorman]

When I navigate via compass, I watch the bottom to make check if I am drifting away from my lubber line and angle into the current if I am. But, I am younger, not very experienced diver so YMMV.

 

[Thalassamania]

Use your BC or Wing as an elevator. Put short bursts into the vest. When you just start to move up, hold the inflator hose as far down (deep) as you are able. Now hold the oral inflation button open. Bring the hose up (shallower) until air just starts to flow out of the mouthpiece, then lower it a tiny bit till it just stops. You know have an air siphon from your vest that you can use to control your ascent rate with amazing precision. The only problem is that the direction is counterintuitive, you must raise the mouthpiece up to slow or stop and lower it down to speed up. Remember to keep it OPEN ALL THE TIME