Holding a safety stop - the effect of breathing/weighting

[Bob DBF]

He's a Norwegian dude, not a Catholic nun

I don't know what Catholic nuns do in their spare time.

 

[Storker]

I don't know what Catholic nuns do in their spare time.

Neither do I.

I was just replying according to the stereotype about Catholic nun teachers.

 

[mcohen1021]

In recent dives I've been trying to cut down my weight. I feel like I'm making good progress as I'm a lot more comfortable generally through the dive and I'm putting a lot less air in my BCD. But it's not right yet.

The one area where I still struggle a little is at the safety stop, particularly when it comes to the effect of my breathing on my buoyancy. I've been told that it's important to take deep breaths during the safety stop to aid in eliminating CO2 and offgassing. However I find deep breathing at the safety stop has a huge effect on my buoyancy - it results in me moving between 4 and 6 metres or even as wide as 3 and 7.

My most recent dive where this was an issue I was in a 3mm shorty, 4kg (9lbs) weight on a belt, jacket style BCD and a 12L/200 bar steel tank.

I have ambitions of moving into deco diving in future but wouldn't be comfortable going down that path until I'm better able to hold a stop in shallow depths.

What can I do to help hold the safety stop?

If you can get to a point where you are wearing enough weight to be neutral with your BC totally deflated, you'll be in great shape. That is 3# for me. I wear 6# so that when my tank is empty I do not shoot to the surface. Also remember, we are doing NDL diving. While i do not say skip the safety stop it is still optional. The tables and computers are set up so you do not have to decompress (why it is a safety stop).

 

[boulderjohn]

Huh?

I've always been taught to stay horizontal both during the ascent and during the safety stop. My last instructor was GUE T2C2 certified, I'd be hard pressed to imagine a more 'serious' diver. And if I deviated ever-so slightly from horizontal trim, he'd smack my knees.

I think we need to avoid coming down on Kimela for this post. My wild guess is that for 90% of the world's divers, what she described is exactly what they have observed in the best divers they have ever met.

The idea of doing a safety stop horizontally is seen mostly in technical divers and people who might have been trained by technical divers. I am guessing we are talking about something between 1-2% of the world's diving population. I had been an OW instructor for several years before I saw anyone do a safety stop horizontally.

 

[Storker]

I think we need to avoid coming down on Kimela for this post.

So do I.

No foul intended, my intent was only to refer to my own training

 

[EFX]

I agree ... and yet ... if I try to do what 'serious' divers do, and stay in a vertical position while staring at my computer, I float up. I know I'm not underweighted because I drop like a rock when I jump off the boat (I carry 8 pounds in rash guards and probably could drop two pounds - and unless I get super distracted taking pictures, I always come back to the boat with plenty of air).

Assuming you are correctly weighted I suspect one of three possible causes: (1) you are slowly kicking, (2) you are holding your breath while concentrating on your computer, or (3) you haven't released all the air out of your BC. Causes one and two can be done inadvertently without you being aware of it. The first cause is easily solved: just cross your ankles. The second requires an initial and constant focus on your breathing while looking at your computer. The third requires leaning to one side or the other to release more air out of the BC or make sure you are holding the hose high enough, or use the shoulder dump.

 

[Kimela]

I think we need to avoid coming down on Kimela for this post. My wild guess is that for 90% of the world's divers, what she described is exactly what they have observed in the best divers they have ever met.

The idea of doing a safety stop horizontally is seen mostly in technical divers and people who might have been trained by technical divers. I am guessing we are talking about something between 1-2% of the world's diving population. I had been an OW instructor for several years before I saw anyone do a safety stop horizontally.

Thanks for the assist @boulderjohn ! I asked my husband and he said yes, what he sees are people doing their safety stops in a vertical position too! I think I'd have a better chance of maintaining a safety stop in a horizontal position, but honestly, looking around me, I thought I was SUPPOSED to be vertical!! They all look so cool and 'in control'!!!

@EFX, I rarely have any air in my BC in the water. I add air when I get to the surface if I'm going to request the crew to take my BC for me when I get back to the boat. Otherwise I rarely add air (sometimes at depth when overweighted) and then ditch it as soon as is feasible (go upside down and use the pulls on both sides/bottom of my BC). But yes, I'm kicking (goofing around in the water) and if I try to stare at my computer I suspect it's exactly as you said, I'm holding my breath.

So now I'll just try to hold that safety stop like a techie (or would that be tekkie?) next time around. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[TMHeimer]

Assuming you are correctly weighted I suspect one of three possible causes: (1) you are slowly kicking, (2) you are holding your breath while concentrating on your computer, or (3) you haven't released all the air out of your BC. Causes one and two can be done inadvertently without you being aware of it. The first cause is easily solved: just cross your ankles. The second requires an initial and constant focus on your breathing while looking at your computer. The third requires leaning to one side or the other to release more air out of the BC or make sure you are holding the hose high enough, or use the shoulder dump.

Good advice. Having been away, I skimmed each post to find many good points (as expected), especially regarding help on the safety stop. But as you said, "Assuming you are correctly weighted". The OP has been trying to drop weight (as stated in the OP). I always find this curious unless someone just never did a "proper" weight check-- either before a dive and add 5 pounds or at the end with a nearly empty weight. Then again, I also find it curious that divers tend to be able to drop some weight as they get more experienced. Again, this would assume no proper weight check was ever done. You need whatever weight you need whether you have 3 dives under your belt or 1,000.