Descending with grace

[Walter]

"Why, exactly, not dump it all? That should get you about 5 or 6 pounds negative with a full tank and headed down at a nice comfortable 120 fpm or so, just about right, thank you. So long as you can clear your ears ok, making a slow descent is just wasting precious gas & bottom time."

Maximum recommended descent rate is 75 feet/minute. Quick descents increase the effects of narcosis.

Rick,

Read it again. Miesemer agrees with you. At depth you'll need X amount of air. If you dump it all at the surface, you'll need to add in the full amount needed at depth. If you dump part of it at the surface, you'll already have part of what you need, so you will need to add less to reach the total you need.

 

[DutchDown]

The advice is great! I can hardly wait to go back to the tank and give the suggestions a try. I suppose removing the catcher's mitt I had strapped to my butt for padding against the tank bottom will improve my bouyancy too!

 

[miesemer]

Rick - My point was not so clearly stated. Walter nailed what I was attempting to get across.

Walter - thank you for clarifying my point.

 

[Uncle Pug]

I've seen it done inadvertently.... but once you get your bouyancy under control.... and you know where you are in the water column.... it is very relaxing to just hang mid-water supine.

 

[SubMariner]

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.

Chiara, this is a common problem. I too, seem to have "floaty feet" regardless of whether I am demonstrating fin pivot in a wet suit OR drysuit.

There is absolutely no reason why you cannot use ankle wts.

~SubMariner~

 

[Amanda]

chiara once bubbled...
Is that what the francophone diving community (especially CMAS and related friends) call "le canard" (the duck)?

I guess it is. Looks like it anyway.

chiara once bubbled...
I think I can still perform decently, but I would never use it again, feet first or horizontal is so much easier.

That's funny, coz we both have experienced the CMAS and PADI courses, and I still think that "le canard" is much more fun than descending feet first. "Les goûts et les couleurs, comme on dit..."