Ankle weights

[Teamcasa]

As for your equalization issues, after your infection is cleared up, try equalizing more, even before you feel any discomfort. Do it both on decent and ascent and more often.

Teamcasa or others... could you elaborate on this?

On descent I use the vasalva method to explicitly increase the pressure between the eustachian tubes and the ear drum, thus creating an equal pressure on both sides of the ear drum.

Obviously on ascent you don't want to increase the pressure inside the ear drum as that air is already expanding and the pressure on the outside is decreasing (i.e. vasalva on ascent is bad).

Is there some way to explicitly equalize on ascent? I generally just use the jaw-wiggle method.

New divers tend to fall victim to this issue. Regardless of the method you use to equalize, newer divers need to clear more often, like every few feet of depth change, up or down. You need to equalize as soon as you start feeling pressure. You need to equalize BEFORE you feel pain. If you feel actual pain, you have waited to long and equalizing may even be more difficult.

Equalizing is the same, no matter whether you are ascending or descending.

 

[k374]

just back from the doctor. Bad news is that I've ruptured my right eardrum :frown: good news is that it is a very small surface tear that the doc said should heal in 7-10 days but to not dive again for 2 weeks after that.

I know I should've stopped when I felt pain

 

[Gombessa]

just back from the doctor. Bad news is that I've ruptured my right eardrum :frown: good news is that it is a very small surface tear that the doc said should heal in 7-10 days but to not dive again for 2 weeks after that.

I know I should've stopped when I felt pain

Ouch!!!! Get better soon, and get that Valsalva working for ya

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I know I should've stopped when I felt pain

That is generally a good idea in most situations. It's particularly a good idea in scuba diving.

Always remember that when you're diving you always want to adhere to the rule "what goes down MUST come up" ... and when it comes to equalizing issues, that's where you'll run into problems ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[k374]

I have some questions on equalization so will start another thread, thanks for all the info

 

[ligersandtions]

just back from the doctor. Bad news is that I've ruptured my right eardrum :frown: good news is that it is a very small surface tear that the doc said should heal in 7-10 days but to not dive again for 2 weeks after that.

I know I should've stopped when I felt pain

Sorry to hear about the ruptured eardrum, but glad to hear that it won't take too long to heal up.

If you want to go out for a shallow shore dive sometime after your ear is all healed up, let me know. I'm more than happy to go out with you....and as an added bonus, I once had serious ear issues as well, so we can practice slow descents and equalizing early and often.

In the meantime (and after your ear is healed), practice the Valsalva maneuver on land. Pinch your nose and blow gently....I usually pinch my nose and do five to six soft blows until I feel my ears pressurize (I never do one bigger blow....always a few smaller ones). Getting comfortable with it on land, and doing it before diving, will make it easier to perform on your descent.

 

[k374]

If you want to go out for a shallow shore dive sometime after your ear is all healed up, let me know. I'm more than happy to go out with you....and as an added bonus, I once had serious ear issues as well, so we can practice slow descents and equalizing early and often.

thanks, that sounds great! :thumbs_up:

 

[Wert]

Alright, I have another Ankle Weight question... I live in Seattle and have been diving the puget sound for almost two years, up until a week ago I dove wet and never had any problems with trim. I purchased a dry suit a few weeks back and used it for the first time last week. I noticed with the drysuit my feet were significantly more bouyant even with the ankle vents open and using the exact same setup as before.

It seems that the general concensus is that ankle weights are not necessary for the average diver, rather technique is the best way to improve ones trim. However it seems most people are diving wet.. is diving dry an exception? Most dry divers I know use ankle weights....

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[ligersandtions]

Alright, I have another Ankle Weight question... I live in Seattle and have been diving the puget sound for almost two years, up until a week ago I dove wet and never had any problems with trim. I purchased a dry suit a few weeks back and used it for the first time last week. I noticed with the drysuit my feet were significantly more bouyant even with the ankle vents open and using the exact same setup as before.

It seems that the general concensus is that ankle weights are not necessary for the average diver, rather technique is the best way to improve ones trim. However it seems most people are diving wet.. is diving dry an exception? Most dry divers I know use ankle weights....

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

I dive dry (and so do many buddies of mine) and do not use ankle weights. I also keep my feet up (like you would doing a frog kick or modified flutter kick) so I always have air in my feet. You will learn how much air to put in your suit, how to move the bubble around to have some in your feet, arms, torso, etc. It's really a matter of getting used to your drysuit and learning what's comfortable for you (FWIW, I would NOT recommend using your drysuit for buoyancy as it will probably be too much bubble for you to control when you're getting used to it).

You live in an area where there are lots of active local divers....and I would guess 99% of them dive dry. Post up in your local forum and see if anyone would be willing to go out with you (I know a number of them who would be happy to do so). Ask questions, observe them, pick their brains....it will go a long way toward making you a better diver and more comfortable in everything (drysuit included).

 

[Ann Marie]

I'm not going to comment on if your instructor is right or wrong. I'm not your instructor and I haven't seen you in the pool. But, I will tell you my opinion about ankle weights in general:

I use ankle weight for a couple of different reasons.

When I dive wet, I'm diving with 14mm of neoprene around my ankles. I find that the ankle weights help me trim out better. Do I need the ankle weights? No, but I'm more comfortable with them on.

Aside from the extra floaty stuff on my hips and butt , as a woman my BC puts my weights up around my waist. The ankle weights help to shift that center of gravity back to where it should be. If I don't have the ankle weights, then I can just loosen the straps of my BC and physically move the weights lower. My BC doesn't fit where it is supposed to but it solves the other problems.

Another reason I tend to wear ankle weights is because as an instructor I encourage my students to dive with as little weight as possible. Sometimes, that may mean toward the end of the dive someone is a little light. It is very easy for me to unsnap an ankle weight and to snap it on them somewhere.

Try diving with them and without them. Do YOU notice a difference? Are YOU more comfortable one way or another.

I tend to bring ankle weights to the pool. If I see someone struggling I may snap a pair on them to see if it helps. It is always up to them of course if they want to buy a pair. To me it's all about fit and comfort. If you are struggling to keep your trim horizontal, and the ankle weights help you'll be more comfortable and enjoy the dive more. If that's the case, I say it's $30 well spent. In time, you may figure out what's best for your trim and it may or may not include ankle weights.

Also, play with the placement of your weights, I'm assuming you use a weight integrated BC. Perhaps you just need to change the configuration of placement on the weights. Sometimes I see divers that only ever put weights in their front pockets and none in the rear/non-ditchable weight pockets. If you placed the weight around differently, that might solve your problem as well.

I don't need the ankle weights when I'm diving warmer water or when I dive with my dry suit, only when I've got my 7mm suit and 7mm boots on.