[Multi] Task [Over] Loading -- How Do You Do It?

[Ryan Neely]

was it a windy day?

No. 4 mph wind.

 

[boat sju]

Well, flags can be a PITA. Like walking an unruly dog. If it's not directly above you it can tend to turn you as you pull on it. You don't even realize it in the bad vis.

 

[chillyinCanada]

Can you elaborate? I'm a theory person but often struggle to "read between the lines" as it were. I often have to tell people to explain things to me like i was a child with autism before I comprehend the meaning in someone's words.

We "equalize often and early" to avoid any pressure issues. I'm not immediately grasping how the 20-30 foot depth relates to the need to equalize often.

Because, if I understand you correctly, you are spending the majority of your dives at 15' or so and keep moving up or down a few feet, therefore you have to keep equalizing almost constantly, as this is the greatest pressure differential zone.
If you were to dive to around 30', you'll likely find that moving up and down a couple of feet shouldn't require you to equalize once your ears are properly equalized.

You probably noticed this when you took your lessons during Open Water. You equalized early and often until around 20' and then not quite as often to 30' and then even less to 60'.

Am I explaining this clearly enough?

 

[TMHeimer]

My guess on the flag/kicking problem is you are correct in that you may not be holding the compass exactly correctly and still. Having your wife do the compass navigating is a good idea. It can be at times difficult keeping the compass needle pointed exactly right, and I dive in waters with usually more visibility than yours--and, I know the terrain. You can't be looking at a compass all the time and run into a boulder. You did a fine job to navigate back so close to your entry/exit.

Diving Dubai, That's another point about practicing topside. I never thought it may be a good idea for a new diver to at least put the BC and maybe reg on to practice on the sofa.

 

[Ryan Neely]

Because, if I understand you correctly, you are spending the majority of your dives at 15' or so and keep moving up or down a few feet, therefore you have to keep equalizing almost constantly, as this is the greatest pressure differential zone.
If you were to dive to around 30', you'll likely find that moving up and down a couple of feet shouldn't require you to equalize once your ears are properly equalized.

You probably noticed this when you took your lessons during Open Water. You equalized early and often until around 20' and then not quite as often to 30' and then even less to 60'.

Am I explaining this clearly enough?

That makes total sense. Thanks for the explanation. :-D

 

[Lorenzoid]

I feel your pain. This sounds much like what my wife and I have been doing for the past three years, often in a lake, as we transitioned to learning to dive in doubles, dry suits, and using corded canister lights after 10+ years as warm-water vacation divers. It has been like learning to dive all over again, only harder because we’re more demanding of ourselves in terms of precision buoyancy and trim. Your mention of often not even getting around to practicing what your goal for the day was sounds very familiar—many of our early dives were like that. It was so frustrating. My best advice is simply hang in there, keep plugging away at it, and as someone else pointed out, keep in mind you are getting ever so slightly better on every dive. It’s hard, and it’s great training.

As for practice tips, the only one I can think of is something already mentioned: tie the dive flag off and then practice next to the line, using the line as a visual reference to avoid drifting off into the middle of the lake.