How do you get better, when you're always following a group leader

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Lots of guides have something negative to show you. Heehee In that many guides are also watching their divers, more often than not, they'll exhibit bad form by being more vertical than fully horizontal but their bouyancy is amazing. The other thing many guides do, but shouldn't, is rush to the surface from the stop. They will be doing this because they need to take care of their divers. It's a behaviour that you don't want to emulate. Ascend very slowly upon the completion of your stop, using your breath to bring you up (at this point you should very definitely not have any air in your bcd unless you've been overweighted)
 
Ascend very slowly upon the completion of your stop, using your breath to bring you up (at this point you should very definitely not have any air in your bcd unless you've been overweighted)

I disagree with this one. I think it is a bad idea to take deep breaths when ascending - or to ascend - in terms of lung volume.

When properly weighted and neutral at the stop, it really takes only a little finning to get up slowly, and I tend to exhale more fully than usual, particularly when ascending from the stop.
 
I disagree with this one. I think it is a bad idea to take deep breaths when ascending - or to ascend - in terms of lung volume.

When properly weighted and neutral at the stop, it really takes only a little finning to get up slowly, and I tend to exhale more fully than usual, particularly when ascending from the stop.

I probably didn't explain it properly.

Insert "breath control" for "breath".

Does that make it more palatable?
 
When properly weighted and neutral at the stop, it really takes only a little finning to get up slowly, and I tend to exhale more fully than usual, particularly when ascending from the stop.
I tend to be in a horizontal postion, so finning up won't work. I do use breath control including a deep breath to start ascending. Once ascendign I breath normal again. In the last 6 metres I ascend with nor more than metre a minute. This method gives me very precise control over my ascend.

I too learn and practise skills, even after 500+ dives. There always a way to get better and enjoy diving more by having better and more precise skills.
 
AJ:
I tend to be in a horizontal postion, so finning up won't work. I do use breath control including a deep breath to start ascending. Once ascendign I breath normal again. In the last 6 metres I ascend with nor more than metre a minute. This method gives me very precise control over my ascend.

I too learn and practise skills, even after 500+ dives. There always a way to get better and enjoy diving more by having better and more precise skills.

I don't fin up either and perform my ascents horizontally in most instances.
 
AJ:
I tend to be in a horizontal postion, so finning up won't work. I do use breath control including a deep breath to start ascending..
I usually go a little head down and start up with a back kick or two. That puts all the gas in the wing right under the dump valve and also has me in position to kick back down if I have to.
 
I usually go a little head down and start up with a back kick or two. That puts all the gas in the wing right under the dump valve and also has me in position to kick back down if I have to.

Why do you still have air in your bcd at the safety stop?
 
Why do you still have air in your bcd at the safety stop?
Unless I've taken the tank down to fumes, there's still gas in there that needs to be supported. In addition, trying to get the last bit of gas out of a shrink-wrapped wing is more trouble than it's worth. There's usually a fistful or so at at bottom of my wing at the end of the dive. Any more than that and I'll be looking to shed some weight.
 
I'm taking down notes, about where to dive in Maryland, and North Carolina, I also spent a fair amount of time in Norfolk, Virgina as well.
I live in North Carolina. I second Moorehead City, it rivals or exceeds many of the trips I’ve taken to more exotic destinations. Also, is there a swimming pool nearby where you can practice? It sounds like you could just use some hours underwater practicing buoyancy,kicks and other skills. I would also recommend taking any and all advanced courses that you can from peak performance buoyancy,rescue,dry suit,etc. The pool and hours in a lake or quarry really helped my skills. When we lived in AZ,I logged tons of hours in our pool and Lake Pleasant. I took a bunch of classes and dive master class is where things really started to click, mainly because it challenged me in the water and in the books to practice and do the studying,too.
My husband and I do a lot of shore diving,Bonaire is our favorite vacation place. Shore diving is a great way to up your skills,too.
Find a local diver and just get in the water whenever you can.
 
The other thing many guides do, but shouldn't, is rush to the surface from the stop. They will be doing this because they need to take care of their divers. It's a behaviour that you don't want to emulate. Ascend very slowly upon the completion of your stop

^This. It would be so easy for the crewmember giving the briefing to say "The DM will probably leave the safety stop early and ascend rapidly because there are tasks to attend to prior to the divers exiting the water but we encourage you to take your time, ascending slowly for that last 15' ascent is perhaps more important than anything else".

Wouldn't be a bad idea to add "While you're on your 15' hang probably not looking at much of anything, it's a good opportunity to do a weight check by making sure every last bit of air is out of your BCD and see if you're positive, negative, or neutral and adjust accordingly on your next dive until you're neutral or slightly negative at your safety stop".
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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