Have to kick to decend from surface but very negative on the bottom

[johndiver999]

Someone also suggested crossing my legs, and that worked. I’ve been having frustrations trying to start my descent - last dive was with AL80s. This next dive, I’m trying out a BP/W and taking a slow exhale.

Crossing the legs is not bad advice for the new diver. Many new divers are nervous and are sculling with their fins without knowing it and it takes zero effort to inadvertently generate a few pounds of upward thrust that makes a feet first descent slow or impossible.

After you get more experience and comfort, crossing the ankles will probably no longer be needed.

 

[Chavodel8en]

Crossing the legs is not bad advice for the new diver. Many new divers are nervous and are sculling with their fins without knowing it and it takes zero effort to inadvertently generate a few pounds of upward thrust that makes a feet first descent slow or impossible.

After you get more experience and comfort, crossing the ankles will probably no longer be needed.

I agree that many new divers unknowingly scull w/ fins (and hands). They may feel a little off balance, so they do it automatically, without thinking. They also may be excited, so never fully exhale. So crossing legs, relaxing, and fully exhaling as folks discuss above can be a good way of ensuring proper descent technique.

A duck dive is perhaps an expedient way of avoiding the above issues. Some folks caution against duck diving, as you may dive past your ears pressurizing. I get impatient with the proper descent technique, so I duck dive. I will say that doing it properly is good practice for controlling your buoyancy with your lungs.

So to the OP, I would suggest - try doing the "proper" descent technique, using your lungs to slowly descend (and with no sculling whatsoever). It may take longer to descend. Its good to have and practice these buoyancy skills. And if this fails, you could always just duck dive. Make sure your ears are good.

 

[johndiver999]

I agree that many new divers unknowingly scull w/ fins (and hands). They may feel a little off balance, so they do it automatically, without thinking. They also may be excited, so never fully exhale. So crossing legs, relaxing, and fully exhaling as folks discuss above can be a good way of ensuring proper descent technique.

A duck dive is perhaps an expedient way of avoiding the above issues. Some folks caution against duck diving, as you may dive past your ears pressurizing. I get impatient with the proper descent technique, so I duck dive. I will say that doing it properly is good practice for controlling your buoyancy with your lungs.

So to the OP, I would suggest - try doing the "proper" descent technique, using your lungs to slowly descend (and with no sculling whatsoever). It may take longer to descend. Its good to have and practice these buoyancy skills. And if this fails, you could always just duck dive. Make sure your ears are good.

I agree to a large extent, however if the scuba diver uses a basic freediver technique, the head first (duck dive) decent may not cause equalization problems. Basic freedivers are taught to "pre-pressurize" the ears immediately before the descent, so there is not need to equalize for several feet.

I'm not sure if scuba divers are commonly taught that?

 

[BoundForElsewhere]

All of the above and a couple more ideas....

Relax. Being tense can cause you to hold air in your lungs, even if you think you exhaled all you can.

Try rolling over and going butt-first. I usually carry weights on my belt in the back so that plus the weight of the tanks helps drag me down.

But mostly, relax.

 

[Litefoot]

Crossing the legs is not bad advice for the new diver. Many new divers are nervous and are sculling with their fins without knowing it and it takes zero effort to inadvertently generate a few pounds of upward thrust that makes a feet first descent slow or impossible.

After you get more experience and comfort, crossing the ankles will probably no longer be needed.

You know, as a new diver, I'm really amazed at how much negative buoyancy is related to being relaxed. Maybe it's the breathing or the lack of sculling. But it has resulted in my needing less weight on my harness.

 

[happy-diver]

So here's new people and old people trying to DESCEND to the cold depths of the dark unknown
they're in a hurry trying to keep up nervous minds overexerting hearts thumping with anxiousness

and people are telling them to empty their lungs

So how long will it be after they empty their lungs that they will immediately need to fill those lungs

 

[Bob DBF]

A duck dive is perhaps an expedient way of avoiding the above issues.

I'm not sure if scuba divers are commonly taught that?

Not anymore.

The first dive of the day there is extra air, extra buoyancy, in all your gear that won't leave until you are at depth. So if you have weighted neutral at 15', empty BC, with 500# in your tank on your last dive, you will be positively buoyant on your first dive next time out making a duck dive necessary. This is especially true when diving a wetsuit, and the newer the wetsuit the worse it is since it takes time for the material to rebound after a dive.

Besides, when headed down, or up for that matter, I want to see where I'm going.

 

[happy-diver]

Besides, when headed down, or up for that matter, I want to see where I'm going.

Ha ah ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ah ah ah h ah

I'm not sure if scuba divers are commonly taught that?