Descending with grace

[DutchDown]

I'm still new to diving so I don't feel TOO silly asking this: how does one descend feet first and not wind up with their legs out in front? I'm the only one among my friends who has this problem, but when I ask them the secret, they say they descend naturally straight. I'd like to learn how to make my feet precede me toward the bottom. I'd appreciate any tips.

 

[chiara]

I usually find it easier to descend horizontally, except when diving dry, but then in this case it's always from the beach so we simply follow the sloping bottom.

I don't remember ever having problems with this, but the first 30 dives were all from the beach.

What suit do you use?

If you are going dry, ankle weights might be a solution.

I'm working towards my IE in mid-June, and as my feet always seem to refuse to stay down on fins' pivot and hovering, I wear them all the time while practicing skills in the pool.

I even talked to the course director who will be doing IDC in a couple of weeks and he said that's fine, there's no rule against it.

 

[DutchDown]

I'm still using a thick wetsuit 5mm+5mm for my dives. Yesterday I was in Enschede where there's a sort of recreational complex which has a 10 meter deep tank along with a bowling alley and cinema. Great idea, don't you think? Don't know if ankle weights can be used with a wet-suit, but I know they aren't uncommon with dry suits. I know descending this way isn't dangerous, but it makes me feel a little idiotic. Perhaps I should try bending forward a bit...

 

[chiara]

Yes, ankle weights can be worn on a wetsuit.

I use a 0.5mms while in the pool, they do feel a bit loose compared to the tight fit with my drysuit, but they certainly work fine.

I'll probably come to Zeeland a couple of times during the summer, if you feel like it, we can meet there!

I'm not sure where you live, but it shouldn't be too far away, Wemelding, Goes or Zeeland Brug is what we usually do.

 

[DutchDown]

Let me know when you plan to go to Zeeland. It's only a couple of hour drive for me. I live about 30 km from Amsterdam. I was just reading about Zeeland Brug and it seems like a good destination. I plan to do my AOW course later this spring or early summer, but right now I am still working on the beginner stuff.

 

[RICHinNC]

I can remember in ow classes I had the same problem. It was like something trying to flip me over on my back. The instructor put heavy ankle weights on and that partially worked, but in my mind certainly was not the solution.

I eventually tried another BCD and it was like a whole new world. Changing BCD's was all it took for me to improve descent, bouyancy control and a few other little items. Try a couple of friends BCDs and see what happens.

 

[Walter]

Lean forward.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I see hundreds od decents like you describe every season. You will find that you are more comfortable and have more control if you decend horizonatally. IMPORTANT...At the surface let just enough air out of the bc to get neutral. Exhale to become slightly negative. As you begin to decent just lean foreward and maybe skull backward a little to help pull you horizontal.

When you attempt to decend feet first and completely vertical your fins are just catching and the rest of your boddy outruns your feet. Adding to the problem is you may be very negative which just helps to flip you over.

Don't do anything to your weighting that will upset trim. Very few divers actually need ankle weights. If anything most could use one around the neck of their tank. If you don't get trimmed your decents will never be pretty.

Too many instructors lead students to believe that they should dump all their air. Not true... Bad move... don't do it.

 

[chiara]

MikeFerrara once bubbled...
Don't do anything to your weighting that will upset trim. Very few divers actually need ankle weights. If anything most could use one around the neck of their tank. If you don't get trimmed your decents will never be pretty.

Too many instructors lead students to believe that they should dump all their air. Not true... Bad move... don't do it.

Mike,

I need ankle weights when I dive dry, my suit is slightly too big in the feet and I would end up without fins in no time.

Until just a couple of months ago, I never felt I needed ankle weights for pool sessions.

I do now, because as you certainly know one thing is performance to obtain OW, another one is to be able to demonstrate skills in preparation for IDC and IE.

I simply can't keep my feet on the ground while doing fins' pivot or properly looking downwards while hovering, short of having someone sit on my fins (doesn't look very professional ) the only solution I found (and I repeat, my soon-to-be Course Director says that's fine) is the ankle weights.

Any helpful insight on your part would be greatly appreciated

And no, I never use ankle weights when diving wet in open water.

 

[MikeFerrara]

chiara,

I had one dry suit with big boots that felt like they were comming off all the time. I use to use ankle weights but you could try diving with less gas in your suit or just a strap or gator around your ankle or calf. The most important thing is to not have too much air in the suit and to have your trim correct.

Fin Pivots...IMO, to set a good example for students your trim should be perfect at all times. That means NOT screwing it up so you can do a fin pivot. Try this...get near the bottom then lean back. You may need to severely arch your back to keep your fins down but it can be done. If correctly trimmed you can maintain about any position you want. You don't need to have your feet solidly anchored to the bottom.

Look at the purpose for the skill. All we're trying to do is to let students play with the effect of breathing on buoyancy control while having the bottom for added control. Regardless of whether we agree with the method or not that's the purpose for the skill. The standards say that the student must pivot on some part of their body (that's important). If the student is trimmed as they inhale the entire body will rise off the bottom. And what do we have? The perfect position to be in when diving. Right? Do we want to mess it up? At this point they may not be trimmed so well so there might not be a problem. Immediately after this we start neutral swimming in earnest. Here is where we make a big deal about adjusting weight placement and body position to get trimmed