Safety stop tips, please.

[olij]

I don't seem to have much of a problem staying in the recommended 15 to 20 foot depth (by my computer, I like to stay closer to 15 feet) for a safety stop. That is, as long as I have something stationary to look at.
As soon as I'm in murky water, away from any wall, anchor line, or anything else stationary (fish don't count ) it becomes o lot of work to stay neutrally buoyant. Let a little air out, add a little, kick a little harder, and so on.
Any tips on how to make the safety stop a little easier with nothing around to look at but algea?

 

[miketsp]

You say you have a computer. I suppose you have it set to Imperial units. In this case does it give you decimals of feet?
I use my computer in Metric and so I get a readout with decimals of metres.
This makes it easy to hold a depth even in zero viz of +/- 0.2 just using breathing control.
So if you don't have a precision readout on the computer and no visual reference just run up a SMB.

 

[Boogie711]

With credit to Uncle Pug - take a look at the micro creatures -- all the sediment and floaty things in the water. It stays in one place.

If it's going down, you're going up. If it's going up, that means you're going down.

 

[kalvyn]

With credit to Uncle Pug - take a look at the micro creatures -- all the sediment and floaty things in the water. It stays in one place.

If it's going down, you're going up. If it's going up, that means you're going down.

Yeah, what Boogie said.

NWGratefulDiver and I were diving this past weekend in the Hood Canal here in WA State. I used this very trick to (mostly) hold my 10' stop in open water for about 5 minutes on one of our dives together. With a little practice, you'll be holding the stops like a pro!

Jimmie

 

[Scottri]

I've learned to just enjoy the feeling of being suspened in the water column. It's very relaxing to me.


Scott

 

[String]

The micro-creatures thing is totally useless in some waters with currents where they may very well be travelling up or down on micro-currents and such however.

IF its really dark/murky just looking at the depth gauge or computer will do, take care not to overcompensate, make slight and slow changes, dont fix on staying to within say 1ft, allow yourself 3ft or so so its not constant correction and then yo-yoing.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

With credit to Uncle Pug - take a look at the micro creatures -- all the sediment and floaty things in the water. It stays in one place.

If it's going down, you're going up. If it's going up, that means you're going down.

As long as those floaty things aren't jellyfish ... they tend to move up and down in the water column in a most deceptive manner ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[jbd]

You won't have much luck trying to hold a safety stop if you are having to use your BC. To be sucessful you need to be able to control your bouyancy with your breathing. As noted by the other respondents; sometimes the small floaty things can be unreliable. Use your depth gauge and learn to feel the pressure changes in your ears. If you feel increasing pressure then you need to inhale a bit deeper which will cause you to start ascending as the pressure eases you need to start exhaling so that you are returning to neutral. With practice you can keep your depth within a very narrow range.

Unless there is current moving you away from an anchorline or other such reference you shouldn't need to kick at all to maintain depth.

Keep practicing--it will all come together.

 

[pipedope]

Go read through this thread;
http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=55817

There is a bunch of junk in there but there is also a lot of good discussion on holding stops in so-so conditions.

Hint, there are more ways than just visual clues and instruments.

 

[Bretagne]

Use a safety saussage with a line long enough. Put marks on the line to have a visual help (I use big fishing leads to help the line stay vertical).