Need help sinking

[Bobby F]

My bad on the weight, I was going to put both pounds and Kg and spaced it. Too many windows open at one time, Oprah calls it multi-tasking and I do not do it so well. Confused myself in the process. 80)

Bobby

[Ishie]

Congrats on the greater ease! Were you diving with a core warmer or a jane/jacket combo? The jackets can have either the beavertail (which I hate because the velcro tears up the wetsuit) or a step-in, like the wetsuit I own now. The thing I call a core warmer sounds like a different thing.

I started diving with... well, I think my first dive was 28 lbs, and went to 26 for multiple dives after that due to the problem of getting under the surface. Problem was, after I got past 15', I'd hit the bottom like a piano dropping. I discovered the key thing to do was to RELAX before I went under, and concentrate on letting air out of my lungs. Even now, I find when I'm distracted or tense underwater and I'm breathing in without breathing out the entire last breath, I drift up.

By relaxing in the water, paying attention to my breathing, minimizing counter-movement on the way down (unconsciously doing things like finning slightly in an upright position when you're trying to get down, doing mainly head down descents now (that extra little kick works quite well), and swapping to a PST tank, I'm now diving with 14 lbs, and don't have problems with a runaway ascent on an empty tank.

But sounds like you're already shedding that extra poundage! Good for you! It makes the diving so much more enjoyable, and prolongs your tank air by a lot, both because of the effort you save and because you don't have to use half of it in your BC to get off the bottom.

I dive NorCal too. If the water temp stays unseasonable high (~57-60), you may be in for a treat.

[voop]

My bad on the weight, I was going to put both pounds and Kg and spaced it. Too many windows open at one time, Oprah calls it multi-tasking and I do not do it so well. Confused myself in the process. 80)

Bobby

Yeah, it would be nicer if the rest of the world would catch on to the 21th century and go metric (Especially for gas-planning....)

[Yikes]

Did my certification dives with a steel tank (loved it!), the new suit & 30#'s. I dropped without a problem and was FINALLY able to rest on my knees comfortably without a bit of fidgit which was pretty darn cool. I know now I can easily get rid of at least 4 lbs. Thanks again to everyone for all your help. I'm "official" now and am planning another dive at Breakwater over the holiday weekend.

On another note, anyone got any tips for a hood that slip back? Mine is integrated and when moving my head it sometimes slips back. Other times, when I look down of course, the chin slips up and I have to adjust. I suppose this should be expected but I was just wondering if there is a "noob" thing I'm doing wrong. Thanks everyone!

[Scot M]

Congratulations, Yikes! Good for you for sticking with it and solving your problem. Now you need to take a trip south so you can dive with us in God's Country.

I'm not sure about the hood thing. It sounds like maybe your hood is a little too big but, since it's attached, there's probably not much you can do about it.

[Tom Winters]

Hmm...I've got the opposite problem tonight. Got some new gear, and wanted to try it out in the local pool (A 10m deep thingie).)

Oh man...this is something I dream about - hauling a backhoe into the backyard and digging out a REAL pool and pond and not the wussy little things I have now.
I can't fathom why my wife does not share my enthusiasm, even when I pointed out the underwater-accessible grotto for cocktails. Hefner had one - I want one too.

[Quero]

The most common problems with descent are 1. under-weighted (which you clearly are not - 40 lbs is overweighted - I guarantee that) 2. Air trapped in the BCD (you may think it's all out, but you may have to tilt your body to the right a little farther while holding your deflate button above your head with your left hand. Also try dumping using shoulder exhaust valves on the BCD if you have them) 3. Failure to exhale / relax completely and 4. Kicking your feet while trying to descend (You might not notice this, but many new divers actually keep themselves from sinking by kicking their feet.) Make sure your feet are not moving when trying to descend. A person your size and weight should need no more than 30lbs to get down. If you are using a steel tank you should need no more than 26 pounds. A Good Instructor should be able to figure out your problem... don't be shy... ask for help...

Some good suggestions here, especially in regard to leftover air in the BCD and kicking. But I have to disagree with the "prescription" of how much lead any particular diver should carry. Some heavy weighting is likely attributable newbie-ness, but a lot also depends on natural bouyancy, and this is only partly due to body weight and height (gender and ethnicity are factors, too). I am an experienced enough diver to relax, etc., 5'6", 137 lbs, and I needed 26 lbs of lead when wearing 14 mm of neoporene in the Galapagos last year. I float easily, even in fresh water, and can practically take a nap while floating (the DM floating test with hands out was a snap). I carry weight (9 lbs !) even in tropical waters in a .5 mm wetsuit (alu tank).

One thing I find helpful when I have to wear a fair amount of thermal protection and need lots more weight is to strap some weight to my tank, put some in the integrated weight pouches of my BC, and keep the rest on the weight belt. That helps with the backache! Take as much weight as you need in order to get down and stay down. Don't worry about what other divers think you "should" need. Even when you are more experienced and you can reduce the amount of weight you need, it still may be more than other people your gender/height/weight/experience need. I know that's the case for me.

PS. Congratulations, Yikes, on all your achievements! Now the fun really starts.

[Yikes]

Thanks Scot.. I'd love to come "home" to dive. I'm an LA native and have only been up here for a bit less than 2 years. Can't wait to dive down South.