Hello! I just finished my pool work part for OW certif and had a tough time doing the fin pivot and sitting-cross-legged while trying to reach neutral buoyancy. I just kept floating around. Any tips on how to better control buoyancy? thanks 
Anyone with buoyancy control tips?
- Thread starter scubarat
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TexasMike
Contributor
Buoyancy is one skill that gets better with practice. That is why the best way to become a really good diver is to dive. As you add dives to your log book, you will be amazed at how simple this becomes.
Other tips:
Other tips:
- Check your weighting. In most cases, students are usually overweighted. Too much weight will cause you to "fiddle" with the inflator/dump more and reduce the effectiveness of trimming with your lungs.
- Use only short squirts of air with your inflator. It's amazing how little air you often need to gain neutral boyancy at depth.
- Be paitent and wait for the addition of air to your BC or your lungs to take affect. Things move a bit slower in the water.
- As you dive, practice changing your depth by swimming directly at an obstacle, and then using only a deep breath, move up and over the obstacle, and returning to the original depth by exhaling. Pool dives (or controlled o/w areas like quarries) are good for this.
- Take the Advanced O/W Optimum Bouyancy course.
Kane(adian)
Contributor
a quick tap on that inflate button is all that it takes
don't take big deep breaths, as you will be flying all over the place
when you start to move up, on the inhale, start to exhale, or you may rocket upwards.
careful on overinflating, before you know it, you will be headed for the surface. Remember the air in your bcd provides more buoyancy as you go up, so it is a exponential problem.
Hope you get 'neutral' grades, on your buoyancy.
don't take big deep breaths, as you will be flying all over the place
when you start to move up, on the inhale, start to exhale, or you may rocket upwards.
careful on overinflating, before you know it, you will be headed for the surface. Remember the air in your bcd provides more buoyancy as you go up, so it is a exponential problem.
Hope you get 'neutral' grades, on your buoyancy.
scubabunny
Guest
I STILL can't hover in the cross-legged "guru" position! I can hover in ANY other position, but everytime I try that, I end up rolling backwards and facing butt up (no comments, please!) I'm still hovering at this point...just upside down!
I still remember the first time I got my bouyancy right. It was during my Advanced class. All of a sudden I realized I wasn't worried about "were" I was (as in going up...or going down..) and was actually DIVING and enjoying it! The COOLEST feeling! It just takes time, patients, and experience. Don't worry, you will get it!
I still remember the first time I got my bouyancy right. It was during my Advanced class. All of a sudden I realized I wasn't worried about "were" I was (as in going up...or going down..) and was actually DIVING and enjoying it! The COOLEST feeling! It just takes time, patients, and experience. Don't worry, you will get it!
Just going to add a my $0.02' worth...
1) You don't HAVE to hover in the cross-legged yoga-style position. Hover in whatever position you like! Personally, I have NEVER been able to do that position, while Pearce sits there like a contented Buddah. However, I can hover upside down, on my side, at an angle, you name it. (this is especially useful for u/w photog.)
Personally, I think it has something to do with men's vs. women's centre of gravity, but don't quote me on that.
2) Check for neutral buoyancy by doing the "froggie eyes" thing: You should be at "eye level" when holding a lungful of air at the surface with all your gear (including exposure protection) on. If you DO NOT SINK when you exhale you need more weight. If you DO NOT STAY AT THE SURFACE on a lungful of air, take off weight. This is a very important tool that you will use throughout your diving life, esp when you LOG the numbers for various exposure suits & water types.
3) Spread the weight around for better trim. It doesn't all have to be on your belt! Sometimes people find ankle weights help, or tank weights, or a combo of wt belt & BC wts, or even a steel tank... etc., etc., etc.
4) Take a peak performance buoyancy course. Or a photo course. They will help you learn to control your buoyancy.
5) Relax! Have FUN! These things will come with patience & practice.
~SubMariner~
1) You don't HAVE to hover in the cross-legged yoga-style position. Hover in whatever position you like! Personally, I have NEVER been able to do that position, while Pearce sits there like a contented Buddah. However, I can hover upside down, on my side, at an angle, you name it. (this is especially useful for u/w photog.)
Personally, I think it has something to do with men's vs. women's centre of gravity, but don't quote me on that.
2) Check for neutral buoyancy by doing the "froggie eyes" thing: You should be at "eye level" when holding a lungful of air at the surface with all your gear (including exposure protection) on. If you DO NOT SINK when you exhale you need more weight. If you DO NOT STAY AT THE SURFACE on a lungful of air, take off weight. This is a very important tool that you will use throughout your diving life, esp when you LOG the numbers for various exposure suits & water types.
3) Spread the weight around for better trim. It doesn't all have to be on your belt! Sometimes people find ankle weights help, or tank weights, or a combo of wt belt & BC wts, or even a steel tank... etc., etc., etc.
4) Take a peak performance buoyancy course. Or a photo course. They will help you learn to control your buoyancy.
5) Relax! Have FUN! These things will come with patience & practice.
~SubMariner~
As discribed above, the hardest thing to get right is learning to deal with the lagging effects of what you do. On land we are use to having things happen almost instantly, you step on the gas and the car speeds up almost instantly. With bouyancy everything has a lag between what we do and the intended result takes place. You put some air in the bc and nothing happens instantly so we tend to add more air, problem is that now both additions take effect and off we go. Slow down and give things time to happen.
The bouyancy test SubMariner is an excellent tool. I have a couple of additions to it, first, it should be done at the end of a dive with about 500 psi remaining in the tank, an AL-80 will become about 4 lbs more bouyant when empty and this needs to be taken into consideration. If you are perfectly neutral with a full 80, you will be 4 lbs light at the end of a dive, makes safety stops almost impossible. When doing this test, your BC needs to be fully deflated. Do this test every time you change or add equipment. When you do find the correct weight, both amount and placement, log it in you log with all the particulars, BC,exposure protection and the like so on a similar dive you have a good reference to use to determine what your weight requirements are.
Finally, find a place that you can dive often and practice, practice and practice some more. This skill takes time to master. To me, good bouyancy skills is the mark of a good diver.
The bouyancy test SubMariner is an excellent tool. I have a couple of additions to it, first, it should be done at the end of a dive with about 500 psi remaining in the tank, an AL-80 will become about 4 lbs more bouyant when empty and this needs to be taken into consideration. If you are perfectly neutral with a full 80, you will be 4 lbs light at the end of a dive, makes safety stops almost impossible. When doing this test, your BC needs to be fully deflated. Do this test every time you change or add equipment. When you do find the correct weight, both amount and placement, log it in you log with all the particulars, BC,exposure protection and the like so on a similar dive you have a good reference to use to determine what your weight requirements are.
Finally, find a place that you can dive often and practice, practice and practice some more. This skill takes time to master. To me, good bouyancy skills is the mark of a good diver.
You're right on about the extra weight for a nearly empty AL tank. :idea:
I guess diving steel I wind up forgetting this small, yet very important detail.
Tanks for reminding me!
~SubMariner~
I guess diving steel I wind up forgetting this small, yet very important detail.
Tanks for reminding me!
~SubMariner~
But the image of a lady suspended upside down in the budda position is funny.
I had heard the froggie eyes thing years ago and always wondered why it didn't work for me. Then I discovered what had been left off. The tank with no nore than 500 lbs in it. Big point.
Scubarat... Time in the water. Patience... work on it. Move weight around if you can. Move it from your belt to your back to your BC to your tank or to your feet if need be.
Have fun
Tom
I had heard the froggie eyes thing years ago and always wondered why it didn't work for me. Then I discovered what had been left off. The tank with no nore than 500 lbs in it. Big point.
Scubarat... Time in the water. Patience... work on it. Move weight around if you can. Move it from your belt to your back to your BC to your tank or to your feet if need be.
Have fun
Tom
TexasMike
Contributor
I was reading "Dive Like a Pro" and found this bit of info....You're mask plays a part in trimming out your buoyancy.
Since this is an airspace, if you have a high volume mask (read, large volume of AIR) this would cause you to slowly pitch upward if everything else was in trim.
So it seems choice of mask can play a part. According to the book, choose a good fitting LOW VOLUME mask to keep the amount of air in that space as low as possible.
Since this is an airspace, if you have a high volume mask (read, large volume of AIR) this would cause you to slowly pitch upward if everything else was in trim.
So it seems choice of mask can play a part. According to the book, choose a good fitting LOW VOLUME mask to keep the amount of air in that space as low as possible.
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