bouyancy without reference point.

[CWK]

My ears tell me whether I am ascending or descending. If I feel pressure and need to equalise, then I’m descending. If my ears crackle, it’s because I am ascending and my ears are equalising on their own accord.

Likewise my BCD provides information. I can feel the straps pulling me up when I’m positively buoyant, and I know that it’s time to dump some air. The feeling is quite different when I’m just hanging in neutral when it is a feeling of just floating in the water. If my BCD is not pulling me up and I’m not hanging on it in neutral, then it is lying on my back and I’m negatively buoyant and I need to introduce some air into it.

I feel buoyancy through my ears and BCD.

 

[CWK]

Aside from feeling buoyancy through my ears and BCD, I’d say that most of the time I’m managing buoyancy through breath control when I’m doing recreational diving. In tech diving, my lung volume isn’t large enough to manage buoyancy to any useful degree.

 

[Neilwood]

I tend to find that, unless I am relatively close to the surface, using my ears/body to judge depth isn't great.

If I need to stick to a level, I keep a good eye on either floating particles (not a problem finding any in UK waters generally) or my computer (if in blue water).

 

[stretchthepenn]

A few posters have recommended using a dive buddy as a reference point; I recommend against this procedure. If the buddy is absolutely squared away, then that's one thing, but odds are, that buddy (a) isn't maintaining perfect buoyancy, and (b) will be gauging her/his buoyancy by looking at you. It's a recipe for yo-yoing wildly.

 

[NAM001]

use your ears

 

[nolatom]

Just hold your depth gauge right in front of you, get neutral with your lungs half full, and breathe yourself up or down while staying in the 18 to 13-foot range (assuming you're at the safety stop here).

Gauge not working?? Yeah, then ears. You'll have to estimate what's 15 feet though by looking at the surface. Exhale til they just start to feel the pressure, then inhale til they don't. Repeat, repeat, and eventually you'll reach that equilibrium point. Then just wait out the three minutes.

At greater depth, it's more difficult, because the pressure changes at 15 feet are obvious to your ears, but at 65 feet, they're not..

 

[Lorenzoid]

All of the above. Your computer's depth display. Particles floating in the water. Your ears. Be careful to breathe steadily.

 

[gr8jab]

On sailplanes we use a yaw string. It is literally a piece of string taped to the canopy. It points in the direction of airflow over the fuselage, and helps keep us coordinated as we fly/turn.

Many here have suggested using particles floating in the water. That's a yaw-string of convenience, so to speak. But I'm wondering if a small piece of neutrally buoyant thread, maybe tied or sewn to your glove, watch band, or computer might be a responsive indicator. Just hold it steady out in front of you, as many do with their dive computer/depth gauge. The gauge is slow to react, but maybe an inch of string or thread would indicate vertical motion more quickly.

It might be fun (but impractical) to tape it to your mask

 

[hammet]

Best reason to switch from a console to wrist mounted DC.

 

[Storker]

Best reason to switch from a console to wrist mounted DC.

Every PDC - and bottom timer - I've used is too slow to give me any indication of depth changes before Boyle has taken the wheel. Doesnt matter if it's wrist mounted or console mounted.

There may of course exist computers or bottom timers which can tell you your depth change within seconds, but I've yet to try one which does. So I prefer to count on old-fashioned, analog indicators.