And maaaaybe those hickies werent all from the suit (no wonder he liked 'em... gonna hafta get me one of them thar suits!)
Dive often, but dive safe
John
How do I control my bouyancy and trim?
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And maaaaybe those hickies werent all from the suit (no wonder he liked 'em... gonna hafta get me one of them thar suits!)
Dive often, but dive safe
John
sdexcalibur
Guest
Hi you want to take control. My third time in the pool. My buddy looked like he was on a fast moving elevator. I was trying so hard not to laugh. I know it should come with practice, but dam was it funny. Up down, UP DOWN
deep_ocean
Guest
I know, I know - "run a search..."
I did search for "bouyancy control" and found nothing on the basics of bc in the first three pages of the search results, so... here I come
I'm a newbie. Have 20 dives or so and still can't really CONTROL my bouyancy well. For as long as I'm moving along it's not so bad - I try to remember that breating afects it and try to use very small bursts of air while inflating the BCD. Still, if I stop to take a picture or to look at something, I can't get it right. All the excersises with pivoting on the tips of your fins etc. - somehow I can't get it. I'll either overinflate and start shooting up, or simply hit hte bottom (if there is one )
Feel free to bash my lack of knowledge as long as you include some tips that can help in mastering teh impossible.
Thanks in advance.
I did search for "bouyancy control" and found nothing on the basics of bc in the first three pages of the search results, so... here I come
I'm a newbie. Have 20 dives or so and still can't really CONTROL my bouyancy well. For as long as I'm moving along it's not so bad - I try to remember that breating afects it and try to use very small bursts of air while inflating the BCD. Still, if I stop to take a picture or to look at something, I can't get it right. All the excersises with pivoting on the tips of your fins etc. - somehow I can't get it. I'll either overinflate and start shooting up, or simply hit hte bottom (if there is one
)Feel free to bash my lack of knowledge as long as you include some tips that can help in mastering teh impossible.
Thanks in advance.
diverlady
Contributor
Buoyancy control takes practice. Don't sweat it. It's probably one of the hardest things to master especially if you're changing any of your equipment such as one dive with a hood, one without a hood or gloves etc. or if you're in current (IE St. Lawrence next weekend, I believe?)
You'll probably have to adjust your buoyancy through the dive as your tank gets lighter when you use air.
What I do is to take a minute or so at the bottom and get it adjusted right away. That makes for a much more enjoyable dive than trying to adjust it as I'm going along. When I can slightly sink on an exhale and rise on an inhale, I figure I'm good to go! I can then use my breathing to rise over stuff or sink under overhangs. But, what works for me, as you will probably hear, doesn't work for everyone. Also, as you get more experience you'll probably find you can drop a bit of lead which will make buoyancy control much easier.
Keep at it. You'll get it.
Diverlady
You'll probably have to adjust your buoyancy through the dive as your tank gets lighter when you use air.
What I do is to take a minute or so at the bottom and get it adjusted right away. That makes for a much more enjoyable dive than trying to adjust it as I'm going along. When I can slightly sink on an exhale and rise on an inhale, I figure I'm good to go! I can then use my breathing to rise over stuff or sink under overhangs. But, what works for me, as you will probably hear, doesn't work for everyone. Also, as you get more experience you'll probably find you can drop a bit of lead which will make buoyancy control much easier.
Keep at it. You'll get it.
Diverlady
Bouyancy control is a skill - like all the others - that needs to be learned and practiced [a lot!]
Random thoughts:
- The "right" fill for your BC is different [a little bit] for every depth - and every attitude of your body.
- That point is where, with 1/2 full lungs, you are stable when not moving in the water [I watch the little algae bits to see]
= Then you should be able to lift gently - or drop gently - by breathing in - or out - and patiently waiting for your body to move
- It's easier when you are deep - practice getting neutral at >30 feet where it's relatively easy - then work to do it at lesser depths
Now to see what the others say!
Random thoughts:
- The "right" fill for your BC is different [a little bit] for every depth - and every attitude of your body.
- That point is where, with 1/2 full lungs, you are stable when not moving in the water [I watch the little algae bits to see]
= Then you should be able to lift gently - or drop gently - by breathing in - or out - and patiently waiting for your body to move
- It's easier when you are deep - practice getting neutral at >30 feet where it's relatively easy - then work to do it at lesser depths
Now to see what the others say!
deep_ocean once bubbled...
I know, I know - "run a search..."
I did search for "bouyancy control" and found nothing on the basics of bc in the first three pages of the search results, so... here I come
I'm a newbie. Have 20 dives or so and still can't really CONTROL my bouyancy well. For as long as I'm moving along it's not so bad - I try to remember that breating afects it and try to use very small bursts of air while inflating the BCD. Still, if I stop to take a picture or to look at something, I can't get it right. All the excersises with pivoting on the tips of your fins etc. - somehow I can't get it. I'll either overinflate and start shooting up, or simply hit hte bottom (if there is one
Feel free to bash my lack of knowledge as long as you include some tips that can help in mastering teh impossible.
Thanks in advance.
It's hard to see where you could improve without seeing you in the water. Can you describe your gear? Which tank, which bcd, which suit, how much weight and their location etc.
Also, what happens when you try to keep still? Do you just go up or down or you you also tilt and roll?
R..
Windwalker
Contributor
Hiya,
Are you carrying too much weight? Too much weight can make boyancy control very difficult. I have two Al tanks, one HP80 and one LP 72, I can usually get better boyancy characteristics on my LP 72 because I weight myself to better handle that tank. When I dive my HP80 I find myself playing Yo yo. I didn't figure weight was an issue until a conversation I had on this board earlier http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32950 There is some good information in that thread.
Are you carrying too much weight? Too much weight can make boyancy control very difficult. I have two Al tanks, one HP80 and one LP 72, I can usually get better boyancy characteristics on my LP 72 because I weight myself to better handle that tank. When I dive my HP80 I find myself playing Yo yo. I didn't figure weight was an issue until a conversation I had on this board earlier http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=32950 There is some good information in that thread.
Don Burke
Contributor
If there's a pool you can practice in, work with no thermal protection until you can figure it out.
Get your weighting right as extra weight works against you. You should be neutral with an empty BC and low air in your tank at safety stop depth. If the pool isn't that deep, use the bottom. It will be close enough for this.
Go to the bottom of the pool and inflate your BC with short bursts until you get neutral.
You should be able to cross your legs and move up and down as you breathe without hitting the bottom or breaking the surface.
Dump all of the air out of the BC and start over.
Dump all of the air out of the BC and start over.
Dump all of the air out of the BC and start over.
Dump all of the air out of the BC and start over.
..well, you get the idea.
Get to the surface and practice submerging and getting neutral without hitting the bottom. Repeat Repeat Repeat
The shallower you are, the harder it is, so working near the bottom of the pool at first will make it a little easier.
You have some degree of buoyancy control with your lungs. Don't hold your breath, but do exhale as you go up and inhale as you go down.
It may seem like you are wasting air, but it is far less than you'd use in the BC and you are getting oxygen out of the deal.
Practice practice practice
When you get pretty good at it with no thermal protection, it's time to suit up, reweight yourself, and try it again. That will add some instability, so you'll have to get a little better.
Get your weighting right as extra weight works against you. You should be neutral with an empty BC and low air in your tank at safety stop depth. If the pool isn't that deep, use the bottom. It will be close enough for this.
Go to the bottom of the pool and inflate your BC with short bursts until you get neutral.
You should be able to cross your legs and move up and down as you breathe without hitting the bottom or breaking the surface.
Dump all of the air out of the BC and start over.
Dump all of the air out of the BC and start over.
Dump all of the air out of the BC and start over.
Dump all of the air out of the BC and start over.
..well, you get the idea.
Get to the surface and practice submerging and getting neutral without hitting the bottom. Repeat Repeat Repeat
The shallower you are, the harder it is, so working near the bottom of the pool at first will make it a little easier.
You have some degree of buoyancy control with your lungs. Don't hold your breath, but do exhale as you go up and inhale as you go down.
It may seem like you are wasting air, but it is far less than you'd use in the BC and you are getting oxygen out of the deal.
Practice practice practice
When you get pretty good at it with no thermal protection, it's time to suit up, reweight yourself, and try it again. That will add some instability, so you'll have to get a little better.
James connell
Contributor
no, the attitude of your body in the water shouldn't have an effect on bouyancy - if you're neutral you're neutral.
the OP is likely over weighted ( that'll get better with time) requirering more air in the BC, that'll make if harder to get it right.
deep_ocean
Guest
OK, I'm 6'4, 230lb. I dive in one piece 6.5 mm full body suit with a 80 AL tank, jacket bcd (Sherwood Silhouette) and last time wore 26lb. I may need another 2-4 pounds and will try it next time.
As far as positioning goes - I wasn't rolling or anything like that. I had a pretty good control over my position. No problem with equipment moving around etc.
The problem was vertically standing still. Like I mentioned, as long as I was moving forward, I had no problems staying off the bottom (it was a shallow dive and we were close to the bottom). As soon as I stopped I either had to touch the bottom, or I'd start going up. I couldn't seem to find the equilibrium
As far as positioning goes - I wasn't rolling or anything like that. I had a pretty good control over my position. No problem with equipment moving around etc.
The problem was vertically standing still. Like I mentioned, as long as I was moving forward, I had no problems staying off the bottom (it was a shallow dive and we were close to the bottom). As soon as I stopped I either had to touch the bottom, or I'd start going up. I couldn't seem to find the equilibrium
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